Garages

ExEstateAgent

Hi,

I live in a block which has a small number of garages, so only some flats have a garage.

On reading the lease it states that where a garage is demised to the flat it includes the garage door and such parts thereof as are not stuctural. Am I right in saying that the MA should not be charging all leaseholders for replacing the doors demised to individual flats?

TIA

subjecttocontract

You are correct, that sounds like the garage doors are the responsibility of individual leaseholders

eddddy

ExEstateAgent said

On reading the lease it states that where a garage is demised to the flat it includes the garage door and such parts thereof as are not stuctural.

For completeness, it's not strictly a matter of what is demised, it's a matter of who is responsible for maintenance and repairs - which could be different.

• Do the leases of the garage owners say that they are responsible for maintaining and repairing the garage doors and frames?

And/or

• Does your lease include the garage doors and frames in the list of things that your freeholder/MA must maintain and repair? And that you must contribute towards?

(The garage doors and frames might not be explicitly mentioned in the lease - for example, they might be referenced as part of "the demised premises".)

But tbh, if the leases say that the garage doors and frames are demised to the flat owners, they probably also say that the flat owners are responsible for their maintenance and repair.

HampshireH

Read your lease

As above it may well be demised but replacements fall to the freeholder. To claim costs back you'll have a clause allowing them to do so. Majority of leases will treat a block as a whole and the lease will outline what % of the charge you each pay. May be an even split may be a % based on flat size.

Ensures all replacements happen at the same time maintaining the components and also the look of the area.

For example, windows, leaseholders are usually responsible to repair but frequently the freeholder would be responsible to replace, with leaseholders being responsible to pay.

Unusual to have flats only pay for only their own demise replacements where a freeholder is a large company such as a HA or Council but potentially if it's a small freeholder. A split across all is more common (though ultimately if you are all having it done you all pay for your own anyway in one way or another)

The lease is key