Your Lease Explained

What does the part buy, part rent lease entitle me to?

Your Lease is a legal document which explains your rights and responsibilities as a Leaseholder (or Lessee) and the relationship between you and the freeholder of your home. Your Solicitor should explain the Lease to you before you complete the purchase procedure.

The phrase “Leasehold” simply refers to a long tenancy, and the right to occupy and use your property for a long period of time, i.e. the 'term' of the Lease.

Whether you buy a house or a flat, Circle Anglia will grant you a Lease, usually for a minimum of 99 or 125 years. Whilst the term of the Lease will be fixed at the outset, it will decrease in length year on year. However, you can apply to extend the length of the Lease if you wish. Your Lease will entitle you to live in your home as an owner-occupier and will also include guidance on buying or selling further shares and your responsibilities in terms of repairs and the payment of rent and service charges.

The ownership of the property usually relates to everything within the four walls, but generally does not include the external or structural walls. The structure and common parts of the building and the land it stands on are owned by the Freeholder, who is responsible for the maintenance and repair of the building. The Freeholder can be a person or a company, including a Local Authority or, as in this case, a Registered Social Landlord.

A plan will be attached to your Lease. This shows the boundaries of your home and the building that includes it. There may also be another plan to show the areas for which you will pay a share of the development or scheme maintenance costs.

The Lease contains legally binding responsibilities both for you and us as the Freeholder. There are also some statutory requirements that ensure you receive the relevant information and are consulted before any major works are carried out.


Your responsibilities of the Lease include:

  • Paying the ground rent, building insurance and service charge where required
  • Paying other outgoings on the property (e.g. council tax, utility charges)
  • Maintaining and redecorating the interior of your dwelling
  • Obtaining our written permission before you carry out major alterations
  • Not causing a nuisance or annoyance to your neighbours
  • Not keeping pets or fitting a satellite dish to the exterior of your property
  • Not sub-letting your property or taking in a lodger while you are a part owner
  • Providing us with an address where we can contact you if you do sub-let


Our responsibilities of the Lease include: 

  • Keeping your building insured
  • Consulting you about any works that will cost you more than £250 per home
  • Consulting you about any contract that will last for more than 12 months that will be result in a service charge of more than £100 per annum per residence
  • Producing audited service charge accounts within 6 months of the end of the accounting year
  • Keeping the structure and common parts of the property in good repair
  • Not unreasonably refusing you permission for improvements or alterations.

It is important that you adhere to the conditions of your Lease. Failure to do so could result in the loss of your home.