Altering or selling your home

As a leaseholder you need to consult us before you make changes to your property or sell your property.

 

Making changes to your property

If you want to make changes to your home or garden, you must get written permission from us first. You must also ensure there are no arrears on your service charge account. Examples of improvements that require our permission include, but not limited to:

• installing a new boiler
• laying hardwood, laminate or ceramic flooring
• removing internal walls

General information about your rights and responsibilities can be found in our leaseholders rules and regulations and freeholders rules and regulations booklets:

• leaseholders rules and regulations (PDF 992kb)
• freeholders rules and regulations (PDF 851kb)

To ask us for permission to make improvements to your home, complete an alterations to dwelling form online.

Complete alterations to dwelling application form

Alternatively, you can also download and print the alterations to dwelling form (PDF 240kb) and return it to our Homeownership Team.

You may also need other permissions. For example, planning permission from us and building control approval for the changes you want to make.

You must not start making any improvements to your home until you have received our permission in writing.

To find out more about making alterations to your home, contact our Leasehold and Right to Buy Service.

Selling your home

You can sell your home at any time, however if you wish to sell within five years of buying your home under the Right to Buy Scheme, you will usually have to repay some or all of the discount you received.

The amount of discount you will have to repay will be calculated on the number of years since you purchased the property and the resale value of the property. If you sell within the:

• 1st year of purchase, you will have to repay the whole discount
• 2nd year of purchase, you will have to repay 80% of the discount
• 3rd year of purchase, you will have to repay 60% of the discount
• 4th year of purchase, you will have to repay 40% of the discount
• 5th year of the purchase, you will have to repay 20% of the discount

After 5 years, you can sell without repaying any discount

If you want to find out about the repayment of a Right to Buy discount, contact our Leasehold and Right to Buy Team.

If you purchased your home under the Right to Buy scheme on or after 18 January 2005, you must first offer it back to us to purchase at the full market value. If we do not wish to purchase the property back from you, you are then free to sell the property in the open market.

Seller’s pack

Your solicitor will request information about the property from us. We will provide them with a seller’s pack. We currently charge £250 a seller’s pack. It includes:

• information on service charges and copies of actual service charge bills for the last three years
• information on any section 20 notices for major works
• any outstanding amounts due
• details of the solicitors acting for the purchaser

Once the sale is complete, the buyer’s solicitor must tell us that the lease needs to be transferred into different names. We currently charge £30 for this notice.

If you have any questions about selling your home, contact our Leasehold and Right to Buy Service.

Deed of covenant

If a leasehold or freehold on an estate is being transferred, the new homeowner must sign a deed of covenant with the landlord. This agreement confirms that the new homeowner will follow the terms and conditions of the original lease or transfer.

This document makes sure that the new homeowner agrees to observe and perform the covenants and obligations set out in the original lease or transfer.

To get a deed of covenant, you need to make a copy of one of the documents below and fill it in. We will only accept the approved template:

• deed of covenant for leaseholders (google doc)
• deed of covenant for freeholders (google doc)

Once you have filled in the template, email it to service.charges@hackney.gov.uk along with a formal written request for the deed of covenant. Your email must include:

• full names of the incoming and outgoing leaseholders
• a copy of the lease
• confirmation of the date of assignment (or proposed date)
• property address
• official copy of Register (OCR)
• completed deed of covenant template

To make the payment, call our team and quote the property address.

Leaseholder deed of certificate

The leaseholder deed of certificate is a document that leaseholders in certain buildings need to have. It’s part of the Building Safety Act.

It contains details that decide if a leaseholder is protected from having to pay for certain building safety repairs.

Who needs to complete a certificate

You only need to complete the certificate if all of the following apply to you:

• you have a lease over 21 years for a single property in a building that’s over 11 meters tall or 5 or more storeys
• your lease was granted before 14 February 2022
• from 14 February 2022, the property was your only or main home, including if you got the property after this date
• from 14 February 2022, you did not own more than 3 properties in the UK

Not every leaseholder will need a certificate. If you don’t need to complete a certificate, you’ll be eligible for different protections from the government.

What evidence you need to complete the certificate

To complete the certificate, you’ll need to provide certain evidence. Find out what evidence you’ll need to complete the certificate on GOV.UK.

Apply for a certificate from GOV.UK

To download a certificate template, visit the leaseholder deed of certificate frequently asked questions page on GOV.UK. You can also find more information about getting your certificate, including where to send your completed template.

Submitting your application to us

Once you have your certificate, you need to send it to us along with the supporting documents. You can do this by emailing property.sales@hackney.gov.uk, or by posting it to:

Homeownership Services
Hackney Housing
Hackney Service Centre
1 Hillman Street
London
E8 1DY