Right to Acquire

You might be able to buy your home at a discount through the Government’s Right to Acquire scheme. There are certain requirements which you and your home need to meet: 

• You have been a tenant for over 3 years with us or another public sector landlord (like another housing association or council) 

• Your property must be funded through a social housing grant and be built after 31 March 1997. All our homes have been built after this date, and we can let you know if we were provided a grant as part of building your home.  

• The home must be your only or main home 

There are also additional personal checks you need to meet. To find out more about this, typical discounts provided and the application process please visit Right to Acquire: buying your housing association home: Overview – GOV.UK  

Rights to an Advocate

If you need someone to speak to us on your behalf about your tenancy, you can nominate them as your advocate. This could be a friend, family member, or support worker.  

They can discuss details about your tenancy and your home with us, but cannot make legal decisions of your behalf or without your consent.  

If you would like to let us know about an advocate who can act on your behalf, please contact your Management Provider and they can help with this process.  

Right to Manage

Under the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002, leaseholders have something called the Right to Manage. This means you and your neighbours can come together to form a Right to Manage (RTM) company and take charge of how your building is run.

If you choose to do this, you’ll be responsible for managing shared spaces like cleaning, gardening, and communal repairs. You’ll also oversee any services provided in the building, such as a concierge, for example.

It’s a way to have more say in how your home is looked after and we’re here to help you understand what’s involved.

What do you need?

To apply for RTM, customers must meet certain criteria:

• At least half of the properties owned by leaseholders must be part of the RTM company (leasehold houses do not qualify).
• A minimum of two thirds of the properties in the building must be owned on leases that were for more than 21 years when first granted.
• Non-residential areas in the building such as shops must not make up more than 50% of the building’s entire floor area.
• All homes must be in the same building. You can’t form an RTM company with other blocks.  
• Only leaseholders (and shared owners with qualifying long leases) can form an RTM company. Tenants are not eligible.
  
  

What steps will you take?

If the above criteria are met, you can take the following steps:

Form RTM company: Leaseholders can set up a RTM company with proper articles of association.

Invite participation: A notice can be sent out to other qualifying leaseholders in the building.

Service the notice of claim: The RTM company will then service a formal ‘Notice of Claim’ to L&G.

Landlord’s response: L&G will then have 30 days to respond, and any disputes may go to tribunal.

Management handover: If the notice is successful, then the management of the building will transfer to your RTM company after a notice period. Usually, the RTM will take over 4 months after the initial Notice of Claim.

Running the RTM company: The RTM company will then manage the building, including the issuing of service charges and overseeing maintenance. L&G and your management provider will provide details of existing contractors, informing them of the change in management. We’ll also transfer any service charges that have been claimed but not yet spent. At this point, L&G can also apply to be a member of your RTM company.

RTM company responsibilities

Generally, once set up, your RTM is responsible for:

• Choosing to employ agents to manage the building on your behalf.
• Maintaining communal areas (e.g. hallways, stairwells).
• Looking after the structure of the building (e.g. roof).
• Collecting and managing service charges.
• Dealing with complaints.
• Enforcing any obligations required by the lease.
• Managing the building’s insurance.