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Homeowners

Leaseholders

Leaseholders are an important part of our community

In some blocks of flats, many of the homes have been purchased under Right to Buy, or have been bought on the open market. Owners of these homes are leaseholders, which means that we provide some collective services to them in the same way we provide services to tenants.

MORE INFORMATION AND FAQS

Direct Debit

Direct Debit is a safe and easy way which is why many of our homeowners now choose to pay this way. If you set up a Direct Debit, you are protected by the Direct Debit Guarantee. You can pay weekly, fortnightly, four week or monthly on any date you choose.

For more information or to set up a Direct Debit, call us on 01752 388094.

Online

You can make an online payment using a Direct Debit or credit card. Please use your 16 digit invoice number (8 number, 2 letter, 6 number format eg. 12345678PC123456).

Phone

Call our home ownership team who will be able to take your payment over the phone on 01752 388094.

Front doors

In most cases the front door to your leasehold property is demised to yourselves (the front door is your responsibility).

Permission to change the doors must still be sought as an alteration.  We will then advise you on the type of door that you would be allowed to install to meet current fire regulations. 

For example, if you live in one of our blocks, Plymouth Community Homes would not grant permission to change a front door to a PVCu door due to the increased fire risk.

Where a fire door is required you must have a minimum of a FD30S and a functioning door closer always fitted to the fire door and safety checks will be made periodically. You must provide evidence of a working door closer every two years or annually if you live in a high rise block. The closer of the door must not be removed at any time. Failure to comply may result in legal action.

Please ensure access to your property when required to enable your fire doors to be checked for compliance as failure to allow access is a breach of your lease agreement.

Smoke/CO2 alarms

As a leaseholder you are required by law to have at least one smoke alarm installed, and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room containing a solid fuel burning appliance.  These should be regularly checked to ensure that they are working.

Under the terms of all leases, landlords are responsible for arranging buildings insurance for all leasehold flats in the property. PCH has arranged a block insurance policy to cover all of its leasehold flats.

The building insurance policy covers the structure of the property together with any fixtures and fittings in the flat. Items such as bath, washbasin, sinks and toilets which are fixtures in the flat are covered. Leaseholders will need to arrange contents insurance separately.

We all want to improve our homes, but it is important to be aware that as a Leaseholder, you are not permitted to make any structural changes or additions to your leasehold property without first seeking consent from Plymouth Community Homes. 

This could include knocking down walls, installing a wet room, building a porch, installing decking, changing your front door. You must write to us to seek permission before any work commences, or you can submit a request through your MyPCH account. 

There is no guarantee that permission will be granted in any such cases, so it is important to contact us in the first instance. 

If no prior consent has been granted for any changes, you will be charged a retrospective consent fee of £120 if granted or asked to remove/put back if permission refused.

There is no charge for consent if applications are received prior to any works commencing.

If you are a leaseholder, there will be charges to pay as part of your lease.

We understand that paying a Major Works invoice in full can sometimes not be manageable especially in the current financial climate.

We offer various payment methods for leaseholders to help them meet the cost of Major Work.

View the payment options below.

Get in touch

Contact the Leasehold Team on 01752 388094, send an email or write to us at Leasehold Team, Plymouth Community Homes, Plumer House, Tailyour Road, Plymouth, PL6 5DH.

Drop in to see a Leasehold Officer every Friday, 9am to 3.30pm at The Beacon.

You can also fill out the enquiry form below or register for a MyPCH account.

Contact the Leasehold Team

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