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Leaseholders

What is a leaseholder?

Leaseholders are people who bought their council flat from Darlington Borough Council (freeholder). A leasehold means that you own the flat, but we own the building and land. You will pay a share of freeholders' costs. We call this a service charge, which helps maintain the services to the block and building. Your service charge will be calculated and charged annually.

Please see the Leaseholders booklet [pdf document].

Right to buy

If you are interested in buying your flat there is information on theGOV.UK website[external link].

Rights and responsibilities

There are several laws and acts protecting your rights as a leasehold tenant. Please refer to the leasehold advisory service[external link].

Minutes

Annual Leaseholder Meeting minutes 2024 [pdf document]

If you have any questions or comments please contact the Housing Accounts team on 01325 405333.

  • Administration charge
  • Buildings insurance
  • Cleaner
  • Ground rent (For leases created before 30th June 2022)
  • Grounds maintenance
  • Internal (if applicable) & External painting
  • Repairs & Major works

You can pay the full amount within 28 days using different methods of payments.

You also can pay in monthly installments. You can do this by making arrangements by calling Xentrall Shared Services. You can call them on 01642 528385 or email them on [email protected].

If you cannot pay your service charge bill, don't ignore it! It will not go away and you could end up losing your home if you don't try to pay it. Call us on 01325 405333 and we can help you.

If you have a query with your statement or bill, email:[email protected].

As a leaseholder, you have the right to improve your home. Some improvements you will need written permission from us. You must ask permission for any alterations/improvements. You can write to the Housing Account Team or call on 01325 405333 for further information. We do not need to know about minor work such as decorating.

You can report any external repairs relating to your property to us. If you think we are responsible for a repair, call 01325 405333 or visit our repair pages.

If you smell gas our emergency repairs page has further instructions. 

We will consult you about any major works or services to your building or estate. This may include installing lifts, rewiring communal areas, or cavity wall insulation.

We will tell you the details about the proposed works, when we expect the work to start, and the expected cost. You will be able to comment and we will respond on all proposed major work plans. 

As a leaseholder it is your responsibility to maintain, repair and service the gas appliances, in your home. This includes the boiler.

Any installations of gas appliances must be carried out by a gas safe engineer [external link]

All gas hobs need a Flame Failure Device if they are being installed in:

  • flats
  • maisonettes
  • bedsits

The fabric of the building is insured by the Council, through Zurich Municipal. You pay a proportion of the annual premium on your annual leaseholder statement. A copy of the Building Insurance policyBuilding Insurance Policy[pdf document] is attached.

If you need to make a claim please download the attached claim form[pdf document]. You can also telephone Housing Services on 01325 405333 if you need further advice.

Contact us

For more information call the housing accounts team on 01325 405333 or email[email protected]

What if I am not satisfied?

We hope that we can work together with our residents and listen to their voices and resolve any problems, but if you are unhappy with the response from the Housing team we have a complaints procedure you can follow and you can contact our Complaints Team by:

calling the Complaints team on 01325 406777

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