LEASEHOLD (LH) & SHARE FREEHOLD (SFH)

With leasehold and shared freehold flats or maisonettes you will often have some responsibility for maintaining and repairing parts of the building other than the flat itself.

It’s quite usual to find that the freeholder(s) will divide repair costs equally between all the dwellings in the building. This will happen whatever kind of work is done, and you will still be responsible wherever your flat or maisonette happens to be in the building. For example, you may have a ground floor flat in a three-storey building, but you will still be asked to contribute to roof repairs.

If you are looking to buy a leasehold or shared freehold property you need to know about:

• your obligations for repair and maintenance of the property as a whole

• your responsibility, as a leaseholder, to the freeholder and

• your obligations to pay for any work on the property carried out by the freeholder.

Note: Be sure to talk through your contract in detail with a qualified solicitor before you make a decision to buy.