Leasehold library
The Common Ground Leasehold Library simplifies the complex and archaic leasehold law in the UK. Our goal is to enhance the understanding of all things leasehold.
Created by our Managing Director, Alan Draper, and a self-confessed leasehold law enthusiast. The Leasehold Library provides clear guidance on the essential aspects of the leasehold framework.
Do managing agents manage small blocks?
Jun 2024
Leasehold Property Management
Leasehold Property Management
For leaseholders living in small blocks (at Common Ground we define a small block as...
Do block managers, freeholders and energy brokers make commissions from energy contracts?
Mar 2024
Leasehold Property Management
Leasehold Property Management
In most cases, Almost certainly but it might not necessarily be the case that all...
Are Block Managers Regulated?
Mar 2024
Leasehold Property Management
Leasehold Property Management
In short, no….It’s a completely unregulated industry. There are a number of regulatory organisations that...
Can I have an electric vehicle charger if I live in a flat?
Oct 2023
Leasehold Living, Technology
Leasehold Living, Technology
This is possibly the number one question that property managers of blocks of flats dread...
Why do managing agents get insurance commission?
Oct 2023
Leasehold Property Management
Leasehold Property Management
On the 21st April 2023, the financial conduct authority set out its reforms for multi-occupancy...
Form a Recognised Tenants Association
Jul 2023
So you don’t own the Freehold – Powers available to leaseholders
So you don’t own the Freehold – Powers available to leaseholders
A tenants’ association is a group of tenants (normally leaseholders) who hold houses or flats...
A guide to the different types of block and estate insurances
Jul 2023
Residential Leasehold Insurance
Residential Leasehold Insurance
Residential Buildings Insurance Residential Buildings Insurance is for landlords that own – unsurprisingly – entire...
Residents Management Company vs Right to Manage Company
May 2023
Resident Management Companies - A guide for Directors
Resident Management Companies - A guide for Directors
Right to Manage companies work in a very similar way to resident management companies, however,...
What’s my flat and what’s not?
Dec 2022
Maintaining my leasehold property
Maintaining my leasehold property
As a managing agent, we often get requests to fix things inside flats. The confusion...
Managing Leaseholders – A guide for RMC directors
Dec 2022
Resident Management Companies - A guide for Directors
Resident Management Companies - A guide for Directors
First of all, I commend you for sticking your head above the parapet and becoming...
Guide to being a Residents Management Company (RMC) director
Dec 2022
Resident Management Companies - A guide for Directors
Resident Management Companies - A guide for Directors
Why on earth would I want to do it? Many an RMC director has asked...
What happens if the project changes? Do we have to re-consult?
Nov 2022
Major Works - Landlord and Tenants Act 1985 Section 20
Major Works - Landlord and Tenants Act 1985 Section 20
It is said that life is that thing that happens when you are making plans...
Why are block insurance premiums increasing?
Oct 2022
Residential Leasehold Insurance
Residential Leasehold Insurance
Insurance Premiums are often the first item leaseholders look at in a set of service...
Communal Heating Systems – What leasehold property managers need to know?
Oct 2022
Leasehold Property Management
Leasehold Property Management
What is a communal heating system? A communal heating system involves distribution of heat across...
Year End Accounting Tips for Resident Management Companies
Sep 2022
Leasehold Financial Management
Leasehold Financial Management
This article is explicitly designed to aid Resident Management Company (RMC) directors in complying with...
Service Charge Accounts vs Company Accounts
Sep 2022
Leasehold Financial Management
Leasehold Financial Management
This point often causes great confusion as they look very similar and, indeed, if constructed...
What is Prop Tech?
Sep 2022
Technology
Technology
PropTech (property technology) is the use of information technology (IT) to help individuals and companies research,...
Prop Tech – Common Ground’s favourite four
Sep 2022
Technology
Technology
Alan Draper, Managing Director of Common Ground Estate and Property has previously talked about his...
I want an electric vehicle but I live in a flat?
Sep 2022
Technology
Technology
Retro-fitting electric vehicle charging infrastructure into blocks of flats is a complex issue. This article...
Do I have to pay my service charge?
Sep 2022
Service Charges Ground Rent and other charges
Service Charges Ground Rent and other charges
If you have purchased a flat in England and Wales then, as part of that...
Do I Have To Pay My Ground Rent
Sep 2022
Service Charges Ground Rent and other charges
Service Charges Ground Rent and other charges
Ground rent Ground rent is a payment to your landlord that might be included in...
Who is responsible for my front door in a communal / leasehold environment?
Aug 2022
Fire health and safety
Fire health and safety
This article is designed educate leaseholders, Resident management companies (RMC’s), right to manage companies (RTM’s)...
What is lift Insurance?
Aug 2022
Residential Leasehold Insurance
Residential Leasehold Insurance
One of the most common questions at Common Ground AGM’s is “Why are we paying...
Managing fly-tipping/bin store misuse in communal environments
Aug 2022
Leasehold Property Management
Leasehold Property Management
Fly-tipping is defined as the ‘illegal deposit of any waste onto land that does not...
Is my front door fire safe ? – A checklist for leaseholders
Aug 2022
Fire health and safety
Fire health and safety
This checklist applies to doors opening to communal areas shared with other tenants. It is...
What does a leasehold property manager do?
Jun 2022
Leasehold Property Management
Leasehold Property Management
“You charge a lot to sort out the cleaners and gardeners” That is the misperception...
Court appointed manager – a brief guide
Feb 2022
So you don’t own the Freehold – Powers available to leaseholders
So you don’t own the Freehold – Powers available to leaseholders
Where the landlord has management responsibilities or has the powers to appoint their own managing...
Fire Safety Bill 2021 for Leaseholders
Dec 2021
The Fire Safety Act 2021 arose out of the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire and relates...
What is the difference between a letting agent and a block managing agent?
Dec 2021
Buying selling or developing leasehold property, Leasehold Living
Buying selling or developing leasehold property, Leasehold Living
So what is the difference between a letting agent and a block managing agent? In...
Guide to windows replacement in leasehold properties
Dec 2021
Buying selling or developing leasehold property, Maintaining my leasehold property
Buying selling or developing leasehold property, Maintaining my leasehold property
Who is responsible for replacing windows in a leasehold flat? As ever, the lease is...
Should I extend my lease?
Oct 2021
Lease FAQ’s
Lease FAQ’s
On 7th January 2021, the Government announced its intention to legislate to allow leaseholders to...
Resident Management Company’s guide to Electrical Vehicle Charging
Sep 2021
Technology
Technology
In November 2020, the government announced that it was bringing forward it’s ban on the...
Electric Vehicle charging point solutions for Residents Management Company’s, Landlords and Leaseholders
Sep 2021
Technology
Technology
Whilst Common Ground’s article on the various obstacles towards obtaining an EV charging point at...
Pets and Leasehold living
Feb 2021
Leasehold Living
Leasehold Living
Without doubt, pets are a huge source of comfort for many of us in the...
What is Commonhold?
Dec 2020
Commonhold
Commonhold
Commonhold came into existence in England and Wales in 2002 through the Commonhold and Leasehold...
Why Commonhold doesn’t work (in it’s current format)
Dec 2020
Commonhold
Commonhold
Whilst Commonhold is a legal form of property ownership, there are currently only 20 Commonhold...
Making Commonhold a workable alternative to Leasehold
Dec 2020
Commonhold
Commonhold
The Law Commission report “Reinvigorating commonhold: the alternative to leasehold ownership” published on 21st July...
What do I have to maintain?
Jul 2020
Maintaining my leasehold property
Maintaining my leasehold property
As a general rule of thumb, a leaseholder is usually responsible for everything inside their...
What a lease is and typical lease structures
Jul 2020
Lease FAQ’s
Lease FAQ’s
What is a Lease? A lease is essentially an agreement whereby one party agrees to...
Accounting for Service Charges
Jul 2020
Leasehold Financial Management
Leasehold Financial Management
In October 2010 the institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales (ICAEW) issued a technical...
Fire, Health and Safety Overview
Jul 2020
Fire health and safety
Fire health and safety
Fire Safety The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (England and Wales) became law on...
Fire Safety tips for leaseholders
Jul 2020
Fire health and safety
Fire health and safety
All escape routes and electric cupboards must be kept clear at all times. If you have any...
Common Ground Comment – Why leasehold should be banned
Jul 2020
So you don’t own the Freehold – Powers available to leaseholders
So you don’t own the Freehold – Powers available to leaseholders
Lets not mince our words. Feudalism shouldn’t exist in the 21st century but it does....
A guide to service charges
Jul 2020
Service Charges Ground Rent and other charges
Service Charges Ground Rent and other charges
What are Service Charges? Service charges are payable by the leaseholder to the landlord (or...
The Right to Manage – A brief summary
Jul 2020
So you don’t own the Freehold – Powers available to leaseholders
So you don’t own the Freehold – Powers available to leaseholders
When the Government introduced the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 it provided leaseholders with...
Selling a Leasehold Property
Jul 2020
Buying selling or developing leasehold property
Buying selling or developing leasehold property
The usual procedure is for the buyer’s solicitor to make a series of enquiries to...
Companies Act Requirements of a Property Management Company
Jun 2020
Resident Management Companies - A guide for Directors
Resident Management Companies - A guide for Directors
Though not a trading company, a property management company must meet all the requirements of...
Controlling condensation in flats
Jun 2020
Maintaining my leasehold property
Maintaining my leasehold property
Condensation can be controlled by a combination of heating, ventilation, insulation and reducing the production...
A guide to understanding your lease
Jun 2020
Lease FAQ’s
Lease FAQ’s
All leases have their unique characteristics and, as the First Tier Tribunal often proves, can...
Insurance FAQ’s
Jun 2020
Residential Leasehold Insurance
Residential Leasehold Insurance
What is meant by ‘buildings sum insured’? The Buildings sum insured shown in your policy...
Setting the service charge budget
Jun 2020
Leasehold Financial Management
Leasehold Financial Management
Trying to calculate an appropriate service charge for your estate can be a bit of...
Fire safety check list for blocks of flats
Jun 2020
Fire health and safety
Fire health and safety
It is essential that a full fire safety risk assessment is completed every 3 years...
Property Ombudsman Scheme
Jun 2020
So you don’t own the Freehold – Powers available to leaseholders
So you don’t own the Freehold – Powers available to leaseholders
The industry is unregulated although some moves have been made to try to make managing...
Other charges applicable to leasehold properties
Jun 2020
Service Charges Ground Rent and other charges
Service Charges Ground Rent and other charges
Administration Charges The Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 introduced rights relating to administration charges....
Eight top things to look out for when buying a leasehold property
Jun 2020
Buying selling or developing leasehold property
Buying selling or developing leasehold property
1. Understand the role of your solicitor – You get what you pay for The...
Extending your lease under current legislation
May 2020
Lease FAQ’s
Lease FAQ’s
Why extend my lease? Remember, as a leaseholder, you don’t own your property. As the...
Insurance tips for landlords
May 2020
Residential Leasehold Insurance
Residential Leasehold Insurance
Does the block of flats cover include contents? This is an area where you need...
Leasehold law relating to service charge accounting
May 2020
Leasehold Financial Management
Leasehold Financial Management
Landlord and Tenants Act 1985 Section 21: Summary of the service charge costs. Leaseholders have the...
Fire risk assessments explained
May 2020
Fire health and safety
Fire health and safety
The Local Government Association (LGA) has guidance on fire safety in purpose-built blocks of flats....
Letting your Leasehold Property
May 2020
Buying selling or developing leasehold property
Buying selling or developing leasehold property
Check the lease You should ensure that the Lease lows you to sublet the property....
I own the freehold of my property. Why do I have to pay an estate charge?
May 2020
Service Charges Ground Rent and other charges
Service Charges Ground Rent and other charges
Estate charges on freehold properties In a private estate, it is common that the homeowners...
Service charges and the law
May 2020
Service Charges Ground Rent and other charges
Service Charges Ground Rent and other charges
This article is a brief description of the various pieces of legislation that relate to...
Alterations
Apr 2020
Maintaining my leasehold property
Maintaining my leasehold property
Can I make alterations to my flat? It is usually the case that there will...
The Right to Enfranchise
Apr 2020
So you don’t own the Freehold – Powers available to leaseholders
So you don’t own the Freehold – Powers available to leaseholders
It is a right, subject to qualification, for the owners of flats in a building,...
Five ways to reduce your service charge
Apr 2020
Service Charges Ground Rent and other charges
Service Charges Ground Rent and other charges
Ensure that you know where your service charge is being spent. Under section 21 of...
Insurance and the law
Mar 2020
Residential Leasehold Insurance
Residential Leasehold Insurance
Landlord and Tenants Act 1985 Section 30A: Right of leaseholders in respect of insurance. Gives...
It’s not just fire – Other health and safety considerations
Mar 2020
Fire health and safety
Fire health and safety
Post-Grenfell, there has been a lot of focus on fire safety. This section deals with...
Major Works – Landlord and Tenants Act 1985 Section 20
Mar 2020
Major Works - Landlord and Tenants Act 1985 Section 20
Major Works - Landlord and Tenants Act 1985 Section 20
What is a Section 20 Notice and what are they for? In short, a Section...
Service charges. How to avoid the most common mistakes
Feb 2020
Service Charges Ground Rent and other charges
Service Charges Ground Rent and other charges
The Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 sets out the basic ground rules for service charges,...
Appointment of a Manager
Feb 2020
So you don’t own the Freehold – Powers available to leaseholders
So you don’t own the Freehold – Powers available to leaseholders
This is a remedy available under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987. It allows leaseholders...
Tips for property investors
Aug 2015
Buying selling or developing leasehold property
Buying selling or developing leasehold property
There are a multitude of articles in relation to advice on property investment. The scope...
Tips for Choosing a Contractor
May 2015
Buying selling or developing leasehold property
Buying selling or developing leasehold property
Here are a few simple points for you to consider when preparing for your work...