Leaseholders

People who buy their flat from the council, or from another not-for-profit landlord, are called 'leaseholders'.

A lease is a private contract between the leaseholder and the owner of the building as a whole - the Council or the not-for-profit company. It describes who is responsible for doing what.

Repairs and maintenance

The owner of the building is responsible for:

• communal areas: staircase, corridors, lifts, gardens and pathways
• structural and exterior repairs: foundations, outside walls, the roof, window frames, external doors and frames, service pipes and ducts

The leaseholder pays a regular 'service charge' to the owner of the building to cover the costs of this work. You may also pay for other services like caretaking.

If your estate has transferred to another landlord

If you bought your flat from Manchester City Council, and the local estate has since transferred from the council to another not-for-profit landlord, the ownership of your block has transferred too.

This means that the service charge is paid to the new landlord, and they are responsible for repairs and maintenance to the structure of the building.

Contact the housing company that owns the building for more information.

If your estate has transferred to Northwards Housing

But if your estate transferred to Northwards Housing the situation is different. Northwards only took over management of housing, not ownership - so the City Council still owns your building. The council collects the service charge and is responsible for repairs and maintenance to the structure.

If your building is owned by the City Council

If your building is owned by Manchester City Council, get an online service charge statement. If your building needs a repair to a communal area, or there is a structural problem report it online, or contact Housing On Call 03000 112211.