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Your Lease Agreement

This part of the website is designed to explain what your lease agreement or transfer document is, how it relates to your offer letter and to your service charges and the services, you should receive.  It also aims to indicate certain important sections of the lease agreement, though it should be realised that some leases may differ slightly from this general format and description.

The lease agreement or transfer document is your contract with the landlord.  The lease agreement is the contract for flats and maisonettes, and sometimes garages, and the transfer document is the equivalent for freehold properties (generally houses).  The offer letter is the document listing the initial conditions under which your property was first sold.

These documents relate to the property itself, and will stay with the property even if it is sold on.  However, in the case of a sale you should ensure that the names that the documents relate to are changed to refer to the new owner.  This should be done through the Land Registry via the Council’s solicitors, and your Leasehold Management Officer (or Housing Officer) can arrange for this to be done for you.

You should also take independent legal advice wherever possible regarding your lease agreement or transfer document.  These are complicated documents surrounded by complicated legislation, and while this booklet attempts to give you some guidance, in as simple a manner as possible, it will not cover everything relating specifically to your individual property.

Though this is a generalised summary, you should always refer to your own lease agreement or transfer document in relation to your own circumstances.  If you do not have a copy, one can generally be obtained from the Council via the TMO on payment of a nominal administrative fee.  You should contact your Leasehold Management Officer (or Housing Officer if your property is within Lancaster West Estate Management Board) at the Leasehold Services One Stop Shop for further details.

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