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If you’re a leaseholder, you own your home on a lease with us, and have different responsibilities than a tenant who’s renting their home. Find out more now.
A leaseholder is someone who owns a property on a lease which will run for a set period, usually 99,125 or 990 years.
Citizen leaseholders will hold a lease with their landlord, which will be us. This is a legal contract that outlines their rights and responsibilities alongside the services you can expect us to provide you with.
If you’re a leaseholder and a shared owner, it means you own part of your home and pay rent to us on the remainder. Shared owners have the same responsibilities as other leaseholders. This will be explained in your lease.
As a leaseholder, you’re responsible for repairs and maintenance inside your home, but if you want to make bigger changes to your home or do anything structural, get in touch with us first via My Account.
We’re responsible for keeping the structure and exterior of your home in good condition and managing the building and estate your home is in. If we need to carry out major repairs, you’ll contribute to the cost through your service charge.
Most Citizen customers have to pay a service charge, which covers the costs of maintaining their building, grounds and estate. It can include gardening, cleaning, refurbishments to lifts and car parks and cleaning communal areas. It also includes building insurance.
The amount you pay will change each year and depends on the type of home you live in and where you live. You can check this in your lease.
● Find out more on our Service charge page
If you’re not sure how long is left on your lease, it’s worth checking – especially if you’re thinking about selling your home.
The Leasehold Advisory Service offers a quick and easy online tool to check your lease length. You’ll need to enter your email address, but it only takes a few minutes. Use the Leasehold Advisory Service lease length checker to see how many years remain on your lease.
Most leases start at 99 or 125 years. Shared ownership homes built under the Affordable Homes Programme from April 2021 are different and usually have leases of 990 years.
As a lease gets shorter, its value can reduce and the cost to extend it can increase. While we can’t give financial advice, there’s lots of free, independent support available. You might find this Money Saving Expert guide to extending your lease helpful.
The lease length checker also includes clear information about extending your lease if you need it. We’re here to help if you’d like to know more.
