Shared Ownership Flats – Who Does The Repairs?

Your new shared ownership flat has a leak from the roof above. Some of the light fittings in the bedroom are loose. Who is responsible for doing these repairs?

The first place to look is your lease. If you don't have a copy, you can get one from the Land Registry. There are also model leases on the gov.uk website which housing associations use. This blog assumes that the model lease is being used. The model lease divides responsibility for repairs between the landlord (housing association) and the tenant (flat owner). The landlord will be responsible for external and structural issues and the tenant for internal issues.

The landlord under the lease is responsible for the external fabric of the building including things like the roof and external walls. They are also responsible for pipes, wires etc which serve the building as a whole rather than your individual flat, as well as maintaining, lighting and cleaning the common parts.