Repairs in a shared ownership leasehold flat - who pays?

nuoretrapparit

Hello MSE,

I have a question regarding repairs in a shared ownership leasehold flat. My block has 5 or 6 flats managed by a housing association and partially owned by the leaseholders on shared ownership basis, of which I am one. We have recently received a service charge bill for the year, and the cost of repairs to a window in one flat in the block has been spread across all the leaseholders equally.

So, my question is this - is this normal? In your experience, would the leaseholders of the flat that has been repaired pay the whole cost, or is the cost shared on the assumption that all the flats will need similar repairs at some point? It's a low four-figure repair bill.

Hope this makes sense!

Pixie5740

It's not unusual (so Tom Jones sang). What does your lease say on the matter.

Hoploz

I would say repairs to the externals of the building, inc windows, would be part of the communal service charge, yes. but I'm struggling to imagine how a repair to one window would cost four figures! Did it involve loads of scaffolding or something?

eddddy

Your lease will say which parts of the building the freeholder must maintain, and which parts the leaseholder must maintain.

It sounds like the lease says the freeholder must maintain the windows - and leases normally say that the freeholder's maintenance costs will be shared amongst leaseholders.


Although, if the an individual leaseholder negligently damaged the window, they should really pay the whole cost of the repair.

G_M

There is no way we can answer.

you need to read your lease.