Your lease (or transfer of part agreement)

Your lease or transfer of part agreement is a legal contract between you and the Council. These agreements explain both parties’ rights and responsibilities.

If you are a shared owner, you will have a shared ownership lease which has additional clauses outlining rights and responsibilities. See shared owners.

Rules and regulations

Our leaseholders’ rules and regulations and freeholders’ rules and regulations sets out the rules for leaseholders, freeholders and their tenants (if the property is let) living on council estates. They also explain what you can expect from us and detail some of our service standards.

See leaseholders’ rules and regulations (PDF 661kb).

See freeholders’ rules and regulations (PDF 1mb).

The rules and regulations came into force on 1 April 2015. We consulted with all leaseholders and freeholders on the proposed introduction of new rules and regulations and your views were taken into account in finalising them.

See leaseholder and freeholder rules and regulations consultation report (PDF 2mb)

The introduction of rules and regulations for leaseholders and freeholders follows on from the implementation of new tenancy conditions in 2012. We will review the rules and regulations periodically and we will notify leaseholders and freeholders in writing of any changes we propose to make following any such review.

See rules and regulations FAQs  (PDF 30kb)

Extending your lease and renting out your property

You have the right to extend your lease, which can help you to save money in the long term. We suggest that you seek legal and professional advice before deciding about extending your lease. You can rent out your ex-council leasehold property, but you must let us know about this according to Leaseholders’ Rules and Regulations.

Visit information about extending your lease for more information on extending your lease.

Visit renting our your leasehold property.

Leaseholders or freeholders running a business from home

Your lease agreement doesn’t allow you to run a business from home. However, we will consider applications for a licence to allow you to do so.

Apply

You can submit your application by post or in person to: Customer Administration Team, North East Neighbourhood, 149 Stamford Hill, N16 5LG, or email to: service.charges@hackney.gov.uk.

View and download apply to run a business from home form application form (PDF 284kb)

We will only refuse to give you our permission if we have good reason (for example, if we think that the business is likely to cause a nuisance to other people, including us and our contractors, or cause damage to the property). There are usually costs associated with this process which you will have to pay.

Before we give our permission you must get any planning permission, building regulation approval or other licences you need for the business or trade.

If we give you permission to run a business from your home, your customers, suppliers and service providers must not become a nuisance to other residents.

If a business you are running from your home with our permission causes a nuisance or damage, we will withdraw our permission.

Examples of businesses activities that will cause a nuisance

• repairing and maintaining vehicles
• printing
• using noisy equipment such as industrial sewing machines
• using controlled substances such as chemicals