Leasehold issues with working from home

matt_matt_matthew

Within the legal pack i received the seller has stated that 'the seller is responsible for arranging the buildings insurance on the property' and that the landlord doesn't insure the building, so i'm thinking that i could just get my own insurance that covers certain aspects of the business on top of the normal insurance. It is just a flat in a terraced street so there's also no building management either. 

Many thanks for the replies. 

Very unusual.
You'll need specialist flat insurance as standard buildings insurance policies don't cover flats. What does the lease have to say about insurance?

On the sellers forms

'who is responsible for arranging the buildings insurance on the property?' Seller

'If the property is a flat, does the landlord insure the building?" No

But also on the copy of the lease i have bee given (a copy of the sellers lease which i presume will be the same when it gets transferred to me) 

At all times during the said term to insure the building with such insurance company as the landlord shall nominate

I'll be double checking this

eddddy

matt_matt_matthew said:

'who is responsible for arranging the buildings insurance on the property?' Seller

'If the property is a flat, does the landlord insure the building?" No

But also on the copy of the lease i have bee given (a copy of the sellers lease which i presume will be the same when it gets transferred to me) 

At all times during the said term to insure the building with such insurance company as the landlord shall nominate

I'll be double checking this

Regarding the clause about insuring with the landlord's/freeholder's nominated insurer... there's a bit of an anomaly...

If the property was a house, there would be a law that overrides that : the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 section 164 says you can choose your own insurer. See:  https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/15/section/164

But that law doesn't seem to apply to flats. But as your landlord/freeholder is the council - they might be more reasonable, and not enforce that clause.

matt_matt_matthew said:

But also on the copy of the lease i have bee given (a copy of the sellers lease which i presume will be the same when it gets transferred to me) 

That document is the lease that you are buying. Once you buy the flat, that same lease will become yours. So nothing will be changed.

(Sometimes people think that they will be issued with some type of new lease when they buy a flat. That's not the case, you are buying the lease that already exists.)