InTouchNews and advice for Midland Heart Leaseholders

ISSUE No15SUMMER 2016

PLUSPLUSIs everything in the garden rosy?

Make it a smooth house sale

Online services coming your way

Your questions answered

SummertimeBlues...SummertimeBlues...

Avoid the

Stay safe with fire prevention & pest control

Amelia WattsAssistant Manager- Leasehold and Lettings

0845 850 1020 ext 5640*

amelia.watts@midlandheart.org.uk

Simone HoskinsLeasehold Property Officer Coventry

0845 850 1020 ext 5639*

simone.hoskins@midlandheart.org.uk

Alison GrimshawLeasehold Property Officer – Part Time (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday morning) Coventry

0845 850 1020 ext 5635*

alison.grimshaw@midlandheart.org.uk

Carl VannLeasehold Property Officer

0845 850 1020 ext 5642*

carl.vann@midlandheart.org.uk

Joanne DolanRight to Buy and Re-sales Officer

0845 850 1020 ext 6765*

joanne.dolan@midlandheart.org.uk

Rekha PaulLeasehold Property Officer Birmingham

0845 850 1020 ext 6249*

rekha.paul@midlandheart.org.uk

Krishna MadhalLeasehold Property Officer Birmingham

0121 654 6711

krishna.madhal@midlandheart.org.uk

Nathan ChakmaLeasehold Property Officer Birmingham

0121 666 5243

nathanial.chakma@midlandheart.org.uk

Chloe WatsonLeasehold Administrator Coventry

0845 850 1020 ext 6256*

chloe.watson@midlandheart.org.uk

Naila AliLeasehold Administrator Birmingham

0121 666 5362

naila.ali@midlandheart.org.uk

MEET THE SHARED OWNERSHIP TEAM

Don’t worry if you don’t know who your Property Officer is, just call our Call Centre on 0345 60 20 540

or email intouch@midlandheart.org.uk*Calls cost 5p per minute plus your phone company's access charge.

Welcome

In this issue of InTouch we’ve put together

some great guidelines to help you avoid

some of the most frequent property pitfalls

as well as keeping you up to date with new

developments. Here’s to a super summer!

@ MidlandHeartInTouchNews and advice for Midland Heart Leaseholders Midland-Heart

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By phoneCall 0844 557 83212 and follow the automated instructions. You’ll need

your credit or debit card together with the 19-digit number on your rent

payment card. Calls cost 7p per minute.

OnlineYou can set this up in the Rent Payment Options section of our website.

Again you’ll need to enter your rent payment card number, which will be

conveniently stored for future use.

By appIf you have a smartphone, you can download the Allpay app from our

website in the Rent Payment Options section. The app is designed to allow

you to pay your rent and service charge almost anywhere at any time.

For more information or to make a payment, simply go to

www.midlandheart.org.uk then click on My Home followed by

Pay Your Rent and then Rent Payment Options.

One-off Payments

If you need to make a one-off payment, such as a valuation fee, please

phone your Leasehold Property Officer who will be able to transfer you to

our Internal Payment team.

A change is on the cards

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From June 10th the services at our Highfield House office in Coventry willonly be available online or by phone. It means that rather than having to

make a journey across town, you can now access everything you need from

anywhere you like on your PC, tablet and smartphone, or with a phone call.

For our customers’ convenience, we’ve decided to start closing our regional

offices to give us the resources to offer better quality and more accessible

services to suit today’s busy lifestyles. You can find a step-by-step video guide

to using our online services at midlandheart.org.uk, along with more info on

the changes.

Or if you prefer, call our team on 0345 60 20 540, speak to us on Twitter@midhearthelp or Facebook atmidlandheart.

Our Coventry Office has moved….online.

As you know, a direct debit on the 1st of the month is the best way to pay

your rent & services charge to Midland Heart. It’s automatic and super-

efficient. But we know there can be the odd time when you might need to

pay by credit or debit card.

Your Leasehold Property Officer is no longer able to take these payments,

but we’ve set up three convenient new methods….by phone, online or by

app. All are provided by Allpay who have a good reputation for security

and ease of use.

New ways to pay your rent & service charge

InTouchNews and advice for Midland Heart Leaseholders

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GardenGuidelines

Is your patch up to scratch?At Midland Heart, we love the way that most of our shared owners take pride in their gardens andkeep them looking so attractive. A tidy garden with regularly cut grass makes such a difference tothe neighbourhood.

Of course, not everybody loves gardening, but if you know your garden is not up to scratch, now is thetime to do some catching up with essential maintenance. It’s not just about making everything looklovely – if your garden is getting very overgrown or prone to rubbish and litter, it can lead toproblems with pest control which affects everybody, including you and your family. j jsee over

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You are always free to sell your home when you wish, butbecause you share ownership with Midland Heart it’simportant to work with us for a successful, legal sale.

So the first thing you must do is let us know you’ve decidedto sell. This is easily done through a re-sales request formwhich you can obtain from Joanne Dolan (see contact detailsbelow).

Because we like to make things straightforward for you,we’ve decided not to apply our right to attempt to sell thehome ourselves in six weeks. It means that you can chooseyour own estate agent and get on with the processstraightaway.

(Just one thing – we highly recommend choosing anestate agent with knowledge and experience of sharedownership. It will make things go so much moresmoothly!)

Finally, we will have to approve the purchaser, so the sooneryour estate agent can get the relevant forms to us thequicker and easier the sale will be.

If you have any other questions please contact our in-houseexpert Joanne Dolan. You can call her direct on 0845 8501020 ext. 6765 or email: joanne.dolan@midlandheart.org.uk

If you have trees…

If trees are allowed to get out of control they can upset your

neighbours. Branches that overhang into next door’s

property may mean they get less light to enjoy, have trouble

drying clothes, and find certain garden plants don’t grow

properly. So please be thoughtful and make sure you get a

competent, registered tree surgeon to cut back the branches.

You can find details of tree surgeons in your area at

trustatrader.com.

Follow this simple guide to do it easily and legally.

Selling theshares in your home.

The worst case scenario is that very messy gardens are

considered in the ‘nightmare neighbour’ category and are

classed as antisocial behaviour. This doesn’t just mean

trouble with people living next door, it could end up with

legal action being taken for a breach of the lease agreement,

not to mention a hefty fine from the local authority of up to

£1000 if they consider the garden a health hazard.

So for many good reasons, we strongly suggest that you

follow the responsibilities of your lease agreement and keep

your garden maintained and free of rubbish.

Here is a quick guide to what you should be doing in the garden:

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The hot summer weather brings lots of good things, but unfortunatelyit can also bring rats. Spotting a rat in a town garden can be a surprise,but it’s more common than you think and definitely something to beavoided.

Rats will eat just about anything you eat, including the stuff you throwaway. And they’re not fussy about causing you major problems either.This can range from spreading disease, usually through their urine, tocausing damage to your property. Rats are ferocious chewers and canquickly get through electrical cables, water pipes and gas pipes. Youdon’t need to be told how dangerous this can be!

Prevention is always better than cure when it comes to rats, and thereare a number of steps you can easily take to make sure your propertyisn’t attractive to these pests.

• Keep your garden clean and tidy to avoid creating potential nesting sites.

• If a flat dweller, do not dump old household items in the communalgrounds.

• Always close dustbin lids and avoid leaving any rubbish next to the bins.

• Think before feeding garden birds, and try to use a bird table orfeeder basket.

Remember that if you are a house owner, it’s your responsibility for pestcontrol on your property. If you have seen rats in your garden, werecommend you contact a registered BPCA (British Pest ControlAssociation) pest controller who specialises in getting rid of rats.

Or if you live in a block of apartments where the communal grounds aremanaged by Midland Heart, please contact your Leasehold Officer assoon as you see any sign of rats in the area.

InTouchNews and advice for Midland Heart Leaseholders

Rats aren’t just anuisance,they’redangerous!

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• Smoke Seals – strip brushes that stop smoke escaping around the

edges of the door

• Door Closers – devices that ensure the door closes fully

• Hinges – three or more required made of steel or brass

For your safety, we regularly carry out Fire Risk Assessments on all our

apartment blocks, and this will include checking your front door. If it

does not meet the required standard for any reason, we’ll write to you

explaining the problem and how to rectify it. Depending on the state of

the door this could mean buying a new FD30s door from a reputable

door supplier.

You will also need to make sure you have the required certification for

the door, and get a competent person to fit it or replace any parts.

Finally, if your door has any glazing it will need to be made from specially

insulated fire resistant glass.

Think of your front door as your first line of defence when it comes fire

and make sure it complies with the legislation. If it doesn’t, the local fire

and rescue authority may serve you with an enforcement notice, so

always be on the safe side.

Did you know that if a fire starts in your apartment, your front doorcould be a lifesaver? That’s why there are firm regulations in theterms of your lease that you must follow if you repair or replace it.In fact, making sure that your front door has the correct fireresistance is your responsibility by law, so please make sure you readthis article to understand what’s required.

It’s a fact that a fire is more likely to start in a flat than anywhereelse in the building, so your front door plays a huge part in ensuringyour safety and that of other people in your block.

It’s essential that flat entrance doors can:

1. Stop fire and smoke leaving the flat and blocking escaperoutes

2. Stop fire and smoke from a communal area entering theproperty

To comply with fire regulation standards your front door has to beable to resist fire for at least 30 minutes. And to help it do this youneed to make sure your door is fitted with the following:

• Intumescent Strips – plastic covered strips that expand greatlyin the heat of a fire to close the gap between the door and itsframe.

Making sure it meets fire regulations

Who is responsible for repairs to myhouse?

If you live in a house then all repairs, inside andout, are your responsibility. The only exception isthe ‘defects period’ that covers certain repairs forthe first year of a brand new house.

Who is responsible for repairs to myapartment?

If you live in an apartment Midland Heart isresponsible for the upkeep of the structure,exterior and common areas such as hall, stairways,landing. This is what your service charges aredesigned to cover. However, anything inside yourapartment is your responsibility. So if you get aleaking sink, for example, you will have to find aplumber to fix it.

IF YOU LIVE IN AN APARTMENT PLEASEREPORT ANY PROBLEMS TO YOUR PROPERTYOFFICER AS SOON AS YOU CAN. IF WEDON’T KNOW – WE CAN’T REPAIR!

Will Midland Heart look after the gardenand clean my windows?

Only if you live in an apartment. Your servicecharge covers maintenance of communalgardens and window cleaning. But if you live in ahouse it’s your responsibility to keep everythingwell maintained.

What happens to payments if a sharedowner dies?

If there is a death in the family we understand howdifficult it can be to deal with administrativedetails, but please inform the leasehold officer assoon as possible and provide us with a photocopyof the death certificate. We will not actively pursuethe accumulated rent and service charges for 6months. This will hopefully give the executor timeto sell the property. After the six months, rentpayments will have to start again along with apayment towards the arrears.

Where can I get a copy of my lease?

Your mortgage company (or solicitor that actedfor you at the time of purchase) will have a copyof your lease. You can also apply to the landregistry for a copy. Visitwww.landregistryservices.com where the chargemade for a copy of your lease will be around £30.

How do I get independent advice aboutmy leasehold?

You can get help with legal matters concerningyour property from The Leasehold AdvisoryService. It’s a public body funded by theGovernment to provide free advice on the lawaffecting residential leasehold property inEngland and Wales. You can ask them aboutservice charges, extending your lease, buying thefreehold, right to manage, applying to the FirstTier Tribunal (FTT) and other matters. Call 020 7893 9800 or go to their website: www..lease-advice.org and complete the onlineenquiry form.

Why do Shared Owners pay rent?

As you only own a share in your property thenrent is payable on the share that you do notown. This is part of your lease agreement withMidland Heart.

Why isn’t the rent used to improveproperties?

Your rent is designed to cover the repayments ofMidland Heart’s loans, taken out to cover thecost of the shares you do not own. This is howthe scheme works to help make homes moreaffordable and there is no money available formaintaining properties.

So why do other rent payers get repairsdone?Always remember you are a shared owner andnot someone just paying rent to a landlord whoowns the whole property. As a shared owneryou’re not subject to things like 6 monthtenancy agreements and the likelihood ofeviction. You are much more like an ordinaryhomeowner, and as such are responsible for yourown property’s maintenance and repairs.

How do rent rises work?The rent you pay is set out in your lease whenyou first purchased your share of the property.Your lease also states the calculation by whichyour rent increases. Rents are normallyincreased every year on 1st April and your rentincrease is not discretionary.

Can I take in a lodger?Yes you can. Your lease states that you cannotsub-let the property but it’s perfectly okay to take

in someone who rents a room in your homewithout having exclusive rights to any part of theproperty. This could be a good way of havingextra income but there are several factors toconsider before you go ahead. You will need towrite to Midland Heart so that we can record thisand you may need to inform your mortgagelender. You will almost definitely need to alertyour insurance provider. If you claim any benefitsthese will almost certainly be affected if you takein a lodger.

My property was bought less than 12months ago, so why am I told the defectsperiod has run out?

It’s true the defects period normally runs for 12months, but this is from the date of handoverfrom the developers to Midland Heart, notMidland Heart to the purchaser. How long ittook to sell the property will determine how longis left on the defects period when you complete.Your sales advisor will have informed you of thiswhen going through the sales process.

Do I need permission to make alterationsto my property?

This depends on what type of work you want todo, but in a lot of cases the answer would be yes,especially if the work is of a structural nature.You may also need planning permission, as wellas ours, if you are looking to add an extension.This is because Midland Heart need to ensurethat the work you are doing is within the termsof your lease, is carried out by qualifiedcontractors and does not cause damage to otherproperties (if it is an apartment). If you areunsure, then please contact your property officerwho will be happy to advise further.

Will Midland Heart service my boiler?

As a shared owner/leaseholder you areresponsible for the service and maintenance ofany gas appliances. Midland Heart will not carrythis out, so it is very important to arrange anannual service. A lot of companies now offer thisservice either as a one-off visit or by payment ofa monthly fee.

We know the ins and outs of shared ownership can get a bit confusingat times. Here are some of the questions we get asked, but if yourparticular query isn’t here don’t hesitate to get in touch.

JUST ASK

InTouchNews and advice for Midland Heart Leaseholders

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