Who is responsible for my repair?
Havering Council is responsible for the building (such as its structure and communal areas), while you are responsible for your own property.
As leaseholder you must pay a contribution towards the cost of repairs made to the building through your service charges.
The contribution you pay depends on the number of properties involved. For instance, if you live in a block of six flats you would be charged one sixth of the total cost.
Leaseholder responsibilities
You are responsible for repairs inside your property. This is defined as the area above the floor joists and below the ceiling joists, including the plaster on the external walls.
- All fixtures and fittings within your property
- Any pipe work that relates solely to your property
- The heating system within your property
- Glass in your windows and front/back door
- Any structural defects made known to you at the time of purchase
- All internal decorations.
If the Council attends to a repair that you should have carried out yourself then you will be charged the full cost of the repair. This will include VAT and administration charges.
Council's repair responsibilities
We are responsible for the maintenance, repair, renewal and improvement of the building.
- All window and door frames, including those of your front door and any communal doors
- Communal pipe work, such as communal parts of the soil stacks
- The roof, chimney, soffits, fascias, guttering, down pipes and drains
- Brickwork and damp proofing
- Footpaths and fencing (unless the footpath or fence is on a leaseholder's own property or boundary)
- Communal areas of pram or store sheds (eg the roof, guttering and door frames but not the individual shed doors)
- Communal areas of the block, including access ways/roads and gardens
- Communal gas/water pipes and communal lighting/electricity.
You will be charged for communal repairs carried out to your block in September of each year. You will only pay for your proportion of the block charge.