Leaseholders

As one of the largest housing groups in the Midlands and East of England, Longhurst Group owns and manages over 23,000 homes. Of those, 4,000 properties are leasehold, shared ownership and retirement living homes.

With a clear set of values that unite the Group, we put our customers first and work in collaboration with partners that share our ambition and vision – Improving Lives.

We have put together some frequently asked questions relating to home ownership. The information contained here is a guide only and will not cover everything. Contact us for more information if your question is not answered here.

• Can I rent my property out?

  Your lease will state whether you can sub-let your property. Some leases allow sub-letting with our permission, whilst other leases do not permit sub-letting.

  If you are considering sub-letting your property, look at your lease or contact the leasehold services team for guidance and assistance on 0300 123 1745.

   

• Can I carry out home improvements?

  Generally, you can carry out minor works, such as putting up shelves or decorating, without our permission.

  If you plan to carry out major works such as taking down or putting up a wall, or building an extension, you may require our written permission and you should contact us before proceeding with improvements of that nature.

  You will also need to ensure that any major works that we have approved are carried out by a reputable builder and meet all necessary building regulations and local authority planning requirements.

  Any works that change the gas or electrical fittings must be certified that the changes comply with current regulations and certification must be provided once the works are complete.

  If you carry out improvement works without our permission, you may find that you cannot sell your property.

  Please click here to request permission, to make alterations to your home. 

• Can I keep pets?

  Usually, you lease will say whether you are allowed to keep a domestic pet at your property.

  The lease requires you to seek permission from us to keep a domestic pet at your property. To submit a request for permission, click here.

• Buildings insurance – What am I covered for and how do I make a claim?

  To find out more about buildings insurance, please click here.

  It is your responsibility to purchase contents insurance, this is not covered in your lease.

  Contents insurance is designed to help protect your possessions. No matter how careful you are, there’s always a risk that your belongings could be broken, damaged or stolen so home contents insurance can help provide peace of mind.

How to pay your service charges

We offer a wide range of payment methods to make it easy for you to pay your service charge. We can also offer support to help you manage your payments if you are experiencing financial difficulty.

 

Payment methods

Direct Debit
If you would like to set up a direct debit please call us on 0300 123 1745 and ask for the Leasehold team, who will set this up over the phone. Alternatively you can to request a direct debit form below.

Please click here to request a direct debit form. 

One-off payment
Please call us on 0300 123 1745 to make a one-off payment.

 

Do you need support?

You can call our customer service team on 0300 123 1745 if you are experiencing issues with paying your service charge.

They can also help you with the following:

• Discuss your service charge account
• Find out more about any of the ways to pay your service charge
• Get advice on benefits you may be entitled to
• Request a service charge statement
• Get access to independent, free organisations that can give you budgeting and debt advice.