Leasehold News October 2024
Carol Harvest
Director of Resident and Engagement Services.
Welcome to the first leaseholder newsletter since Lewisham Homes transferred back to Lewisham Council
Welcome to the leaseholder newsletter I hope you enjoy reading the information. It is designed to bring leasehold specific news direct to you.
If there is anything you would like us to feature in a future edition, please let us know by emailing:
Actual costs 2023/24
We have recently sent out the actual cost statements for your charges for the year 2023/24. The statement will show you the block costs and your share of the costs for each service provided. It will also show you the difference between the estimated costs, sent to you in March 2024.
When you receive your statement, if you have any queries please email us at:
Please bear with us, as we get a significant number of enquiries when the statements are sent, and it may take us longer than usual to respond. Your email will be acknowledged and assigned to a an officer to respond to you. You will be given a date you can expect to receive a reply, if it will be longer than our response agreement of 10 working days.
Are you having difficulty paying your service charges or major works?
Receiving a bill at any time can be worrying. We understand the impact of the current cost of living crisis for our leaseholders. If you are worried about paying your leasehold charges, please reach out to us. We have leasehold officers who can help you. Please don’t ignore reminder letters we send you as you may incur additional recovery fees.
If you are struggling to pay your service charge and are receiving benefits, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) may help you to pay your service charges. You should inform the DWP as soon as you get a bill. You should also contact us to let us know. If they are not able to help, you should go to an advice agency such:
Fire doors save lives
You may have seen recent news articles about a fire in one of Lewisham’s buildings in Sydenham. Happily no one was harmed and we can be certain of one thing: the front entrance fire door on the flat worked as designed, and despite the flat itself being completely destroyed, the fire was contained.
Doors, especially front doors, are a very important part of fire safety in your building. They are designed to contain fire and smoke, and to prevent them from spreading. A door holding back fire and smoke for 30 mins means that the Fire Brigade can be on site and controlling the situation long before a fire in one flat has a chance to spread to communal areas or other flats.
This gives people time to escape, and allows emergency services to access the building safely.
Under the terms of your lease, you must ensure you have a suitable front door and door frame which meet specific safety standards. Regenter employ a contractor to carry out door inspections, if they cannot confirm your door is suitable and in good condition by checking the exterior, they will contact you with an appointment for a more detailed inspection.
If we have asked you to replace your door or provide evidence of its fire rating, this is to ensure the door will hold back fire and protect you and your neighbours' lives.
Fire safety
Keep up to date with the latest fire safety news for leaseholders on LB Lewisham’s website.
#ChargeSafe: e-bike and e-scooter safety advice
On average there was a fire from a lithium battery in an e-bike or e-scooter every two days in 2023 in London.
While e-bikes and e-scooters offer a great way round the city, if the batteries become damaged or begin to fail they can start incredibly ferocious fires within seconds. These fires often occur when charging batteries at home, caused by incompatible chargers, modifications to e-bikes, or faulty or counterfeit products purchased online.
Check out the London Fire Brigade’s #ChargeSafe website for important and simple safety tips to reduce the risk of fire to protect you and your community.
Gas safety and electrical checks
If you are a homeowner and have gas appliances in your home, they must be regularly serviced. We do not carry out gas checks in leasehold properties; it is your responsibility to make sure that your gas appliances are in safe working order and arrange for any testing and servicing needed. This includes your individual central heating boiler if you have one. We strongly recommend that you arrange for a Gas Safe-registered engineer to inspect all of your gas appliances each year.
You are also responsible for the electrical supply inside your home. You must make sure that the wiring inside the property is safe and meets the demands of the electrical equipment you use. Any work must be carried out by a registered electrician. If you sublet your property, you are a landlord and it is a legal requirement to provide your tenant with a gas safety certificate and electrical safety certificate (EICR).
Renting out your property: Landlord responsibilities - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Would you need help in an emergency?
Let us know if you would have difficulty responding to a smoke alarm or escaping a fire in your home.
Regenter’s Leasehold Forum
The Leasehold Forum is an opportunity for you to hear about our plans and to have your say on issues that matter to you. Click below for information on how to join, future meeting dates, agendas and minutes from previous meetings. Our next meeting is on Thursday 16th January 2025.
Subletting your leasehold property
Since Monday 1 July 2024, most privately rented properties in Lewisham will need a property licence. With one in four households in Lewisham renting privately, the new scheme will help the Council ensure landlords are providing safe and decent quality homes and fair treatment for renters.
Please note, you are not allowed to sublet your leasehold property as a house in multiple occupation (HMO) or as a short-term let, holiday let or Airbnb.
Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024
The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act became law on 24 May 2024. However, it is not yet in force. More legislation is needed for many of the provisions to take effect. There is currently no definitive date or clear time frame, but we anticipate it will be sometime during the financial year 2025/26.
The Act is designed to give more rights, power, and protection to homeowners about their homes. Here are a few highlights from the Act:
It will be cheaper and easier for leaseholders to buy the freehold of their building or extend their lease
Increase standard lease extension terms to 990 years
Provide greater transparency on service charges
Remove barriers for leaseholders to challenge landlords on unreasonable charges
Ban the sale of leasehold houses
Communal locks
If you live in a converted street property with a communal front door, you must not change the lock to the communal door. This is to ensure we can continue to access the communal spaces to carry out health and safety inspections and any communal repairs. Where locks are changed, we will replace them, the cost of which will be recharged to you.
Grants and loans available for home improvements
Homeowners, private tenants and private sector landlords may be eligible for a grant or interest free loan for home maintenance and other costs.
Annual report 2023/24
Our annual report, covering the period of transfer from Lewisham Homes to Lewisham Council, is now available to view and download.
How to make a complaint about Housing Services
We know we don’t always get things right. Find out what your options are if we've let you down, or if you'd like to tell us about a positive experience with our service by emailing Brockleycustomerservice@pinnaclegroup.co.uk.
For advice and assistance about online security and protection from
internet threats visit the "Get Safe Online" website at
http://www.getsafeonline.org