Retirement living
As one of the largest housing groups in the Midlands and East of England, we own and manage over 24,000 homes. Of these, 6,000 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've put together some frequently asked questions relating to home ownership and provided the answers. The information contained here is a guide only and won't cover everything. Contact us for more information if your question is not answered here.
You can view and download your residents' handbook and purchaser’s information pack here.
If you'd like to give permission to a named person (a relative or close friend) to discuss matters relating to your tenancy or lease (including your contact details) consent to disclose information form.
Your lease or freehold transfer will determine whether you can carry out any alterations or additions.
We would therefore recommend you first check your lease or freehold transfer agreement to see whether the alteration or addition you are considering is permitted and/or needs our prior consent.
A copy of your lease or freehold transfer will have been provided by your Solicitor when you purchased the property. We can provide a copy of your lease or freehold transfer at a charge if required.
There is a fee payable for us to process your permission request. You can request up to five alterations within one alteration permission fee, therefore if you’re considering any other alterations within the next 12 months please submit these at the same time.
If you lease or freehold transfer states, you need permission for alterations and/or additions, please click here to request permission, to make alterations to your home.
In accordance with your lease you may be charged an additional fee for the administration of requests such as, home improvements and pet permissions. The fee must be paid prior to any request being granted. Please note, if you proceed without obtaining permission a retrospective permission fee will be charged. Please click here to view our fee schedule.
It's your responsibility to purchase contents insurance, as this isn't 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.
To find out more about buildings insurance, please click here.
If you'd like to view your service charge account, please log on to MyAccount.
If you require a MyAccount log in, please contact us on 0800 111 4013.
If you require a copy of your service charge budget or have any queries regarding your rent or service charge, please complete this online form.
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're experiencing financial difficulty.
Payment methods
Direct Debit
If you'd like to set up a direct debit, please call us on 0800 111 4013 and ask for the Leasehold Team and this can be set up over the phone. Alternatively you can fill in the form online and send it back to us for our team to process.
One-off payment
Please call us on 0800 111 4013 to make a one-off payment.
You can call our Customer Service Team on 0800 111 4013 if you're experiencing issues with paying your service charge. To view your account go to My Account.
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
- Get access to independent, free organisations that can give you budgeting and debt advice.
Find out about the process of extending your lease and the costs involved by clicking here and reading a step-by-step guide.
If you live on a retirement scheme that has a Scheme Manager and you're planning on selling your home, please speak to your Scheme Manager to let them know that you're looking to sell and they'll give you guidance notes which provide useful information on the selling process and help with placing your property on the market.
If you live on a scheme without a Scheme Manager, please email retirementliving2@longhurst-group.org.uk confirming your details and a member of the Sales Team will arrange for you to receive a copy of the guidance notes and selling information.
Our promise to you
- We'll provide you with guidance notes and selling information to help you place your property on the market.
- We'll liaise with your appointed estate agent to ensure they have the necessary information to market your property, including eligibility requirements, the lease term and ongoing service charge costs.
- Once you've found a buyer, we'll provide them with all relevant information regarding the scheme, which includes our responsibilities as a landlord and important information regarding their own ongoing responsibilities as detailed within the terms of the lease.
- Our dedicated Sales Team and appointed solicitor will work closely with your own solicitor to ensure they have all the necessary information to progresses your sale as smoothly as possible.
Please note that you'll be required to appoint a solicitor to act on your behalf and you'll be responsible for your own costs and payments upon resale as stipulated within your lease.
Your lease will state whether you can sub-let your property. Some leases allow sub-letting with our permission, whilst other leases don't permit sub-letting.
If you're considering sub-letting your property, look at your lease or contact the Leasehold Services Team on 0800 111 4013 for guidance.
If you are currently sub-letting your property, please click here to fill in this online form.
Usually, your lease will say whether you're allowed to keep a domestic pet at your property.
If your lease permits you to keep a pet, you're still required to seek our permission.
There is a fee payable for us to process your permission request.
If you have any queries regarding communal grounds maintenance or cleaning, please click here to complete an enquiry form.
There are many ways you can get involved.
Joining one of our groups is a great way of developing new and existing skills, gaining experience and meeting new people, as well as helping to improve the services you receive from us.
You can also join The Hub, our online customer engagement platform where customers can have their say and contribute to engagement projects.