Buying a former council flat

If you are considering buying a flat that is now leasehold, but was previously owned by Thanet District Council, there are several things you should consider.

To begin with, your solicitor should make a Leasehold Enquiry. When enquiring about a lease, your solicitor should:

Find out the level of the service charges. Your solicitor should contact the Leasehold Management Team to request details and copies of the last three years certificates.
The service charge is a debt on the property, and not a personal debt that goes with the former leaseholder. So, if you buy a flat where the service charge has not been paid (arrears), you will become responsible for paying the charges. Because of this, you should make sure that your solicitor gets confirmation from the Leasehold Management Team before you complete the purchase, that the service charge has been cleared up prior to the date of sale.
Check if there are any planned major works to the property over the coming 5 years at least, so that you can assess your future liability.

Your Lease

When you buy a flat, you are buying only part of a larger building. Thanet District Council as owner of the block, keeps responsibility for maintaining all shared areas and services such as caretaking, lighting and cleaning. We are entitled to a contribution towards the cost of managing and maintaining the block. This kind of ownership is called 'leasehold'.

The lease is a contract between you and the council. It sets out details about: