Homeowners
From buildings insurance to deciding to sell, we answer your questions about living in our leasehold and shared ownership homes.
Our homeownership standards
Our clear service standards define the service you can expect to receive from us as a shared owner or leaseholder.
We will:
- Ensure our buildings are safe places to live
- Follow all relevant law and best practice in leasehold management
- Build a service around your needs
- Keep you up to date with important information about your service via email and our website
- Maintain high standards in the appearance, safety, security, and desirability of our estates and properties
- Live up to our reputation for delivering quality homes and services
- Make it easy for you to talk to us about your home and take a consistent approach to systems, policies and processes
- Give you a chance to have your say and shape how we deliver our service
- Make sure we deliver these standards consistently.
Buildings insurance
Usually, we arrange buildings insurance for your home. You should take out home contents insurance to protect your belongings. If you have an older lease, you may need to arrange your own buildings insurance. Your lease will clearly state if you are responsible for your own insurance. We will need to see evidence that you have a valid policy in place.
Making a claim
CKH building insurance is provided by Protector Insurance.
To make a claim, you must contact Proctor directly. If you don’t make your claim as soon as possible, your cover could be restricted or your claim denied. If you make a claim, you might be charged an excess.
How to Report a Claim
Claims are to be notified as soon as possible, with full details to be provided within 30 days of the claim (7 days in respect of riot or malicious damage) including supporting evidence in writing.
The Police must be notified as soon as possible in the event of theft or malicious damage.
Claims Route:
- Phone: during office hours 9am-5pm Monday to Friday telephoned through to your dedicated claim line: 0161 274 9077.
- Email via claims@protectorinsurance.co.uk
- Online through Proctor's website www.protectorinsurance.co.uk
For calls made out of office hours, your call will be redirected to the emergency provider, Sedgwick.
You must not settle, reject, negotiate or agree to pay any claim or repair costs without their permission.
Buildings and permanent structures are insured for:
- Damage caused by fire, storm, flood, collision
- Malicious damage
- Subsidence
- Accidental damage
- Escape of water/frost damage.
If your home is unoccupied for more than 90 days, a number of restrictions and policy conditions will apply.
Download a summary of buildings insurance cover or ask us for a full copy of the policy.
Mortgage interest clause
Your mortgage lender may ask for details of your insurance cover.
We're unable to mention individual mortgage providers but our policy does include wording that's usually acceptable.
Maintaining your home
You are responsible for maintaining your home – your lease explains all the details.
We will take care of communal areas. Login to MyCKH report a communal repair. If there’s an emergency in the communal areas, we will repair or make safe within 24 hours. Otherwise, we will sort it within 28 days.
Emergency repairs: call us on 01733 385030 – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
If you see something, report it. If it’s already been reported then we’ll tell you we are on the case.
New build defects
Things don’t look quite right? New build properties have a one year defect period. This starts from the date the property is handed over to CKH, not the date you move in. We told you the end date for your defect period when you moved in.
We don’t deal with defects ourselves, we pass all the information over to the developer, and it’s the developer who would attend to these if applicable.
Your handover pack will tell you all you need to know about defects or take a look at our defects page to learn more about defects and how to report them.
Planned works
Our planned maintenance programme sets out the plan for replacing items we’re responsible for.
Planned maintenance is based on the age, type and condition of each item. These works ensure the building doesn’t fall into disrepair (and help protect your asset). We understand it’s important to consider the financial implications.
Reserve funds
Reserve funds help you prepare for major works or emergencies.
Paying in helps spread the cost of major works, so you are less likely to have to pay extra when they happen.
Your lease will tell you if you have a reserve fund. We don’t offer payment plans, so start putting money aside to cover future works if you don’t have a reserve fund.
Changes to your home
Structural works to your home need our permission before work can begin. Login to MyCKH and submit the details of the work you would like to complete using our changes to your home form. Permission from CKH does not replace the need for planning permission or building regulation certification from your local authority. Talk to us on live chat to check which works require permission.
Selling your home
Contact Millie on 01733 385066 or email sales@crosskeyshomes.co.uk to talk to us about selling your home.
We aim to support with the sale of your home and work with experienced partners to help you find a buyer.
The Government says that as a shared owner, you can only sell your home to a buyer who will benefit from a shared ownership home. There are specific steps you must follow before putting your home on the market but it’s a simple process and we’re here to support you throughout.
Tell us you want to sell your home
First, email us stating your intention to sell along with your name, address and telephone number at sales@crosskeyshomes.co.uk. A member of the team will be in touch to discuss the next steps and how we can help.
What to expect
1. A formal valuation will tell us how much your home is worth. The government dictates that this valuation is final and your share can only be sold for the amount set by a qualified surveyor.
2. After the valuation, you confirm you still want to sell and provide photos of your home. Then we have eight weeks to find a buyer for you - this is known as the 'nomination period'
3. If we don't find a buyer for your home, you'll need to instruct an estate agent. You can choose your own or we can pass all the details onto our estate agents who will market your home to prospective buyers for a fixed fee of £2,000, plus VAT.
4. One you have a buyer, you appoint a solicitor to take care of the legal side of things. We can put you in touch with a solicitor with experience in shared ownership sales.
5. Everyone’s solicitors will work on getting the paperwork in order before a moving date is agreed.
Please note, this information is provided as a general guide, there may be variations to the process and within your lease that need to be considered. Costs may vary and we will confirm these with you at the time.
Contact the Sales team if you want to find out more before deciding to sell:
Call Millie on 01733 385066 or start a Live Chat (9am-5pm, Monday-Friday)
Email sales@crosskeyshomes.co.uk
Service charges
Leaseholders pay an annual service charge which must be paid in full each April. There are a choice of ways to make a payment.
Shared owners pay a monthly fee which includes service charges for the year.
It’s essential that your pay all of your charges when they are due.
You could lose your home if you miss your payments and do not talk to us about how you plan to pay your rent or service charges.
Missed payments will be chased by our Income Management team, they may even visit your home. If we can’t get hold of you, we will pursue your debt in line with your lease (which may lead to added interest). If necessary we will get solicitors involved and contact your mortgage lender.
Don’t risk losing your home, talk to us if you’re worried about your payments. The key is to communicate with us as early as possible. Speak to us on Live Chat or call: 01733 385000 (option 3).
Budgeting for your service charge will help you manage your payments.
The service charge process
We write to our leaseholders each spring with details of your invoice for the year - this is when we expect your payment. This invoice is an estimated cost for works completed during the year but is a good forecast of what your final cost for the year will be. In September, we’ll send you a final reconciled account balance listing any outstanding charges or balances for the period covered in your spring invoice. If you are in credit at that point, you can either request a refund or carry the credit over towards your service charges for the following year.
We write to our shared owners every spring with details of your monthly rent and service charges. If you pay by monthly Direct Debit, your payments will be adjusted automatically to cover your new monthly total.
What's included in my service charge?
Details of your service charges are included in your lease. Homeowner’s service charges are used to keep your surroundings in good condition. The services you pay for depends on where you live, but they may include:
-
Cleaning, maintenance and general up keep of communal areas i.e. lifts, lights and heating
-
Caretaking and security
-
Grounds maintenance
-
Audit fees
-
Bin hires
-
Communal building insurance
-
A reserve fund towards the cost of cyclical repairs or major works.
We do our very best to make sure these charges are reasonable and offer you good value for money.
The leasehold advisory service also offers free, independent assistance.
Planned works and reserve funds
If you live in an apartment, you will pay service charges for maintaining or cleaning communal areas. Sometimes we need to invest more significantly in communal assets, for example the roof of the building. Our planned maintenance programme sets out the plan for replacing items we’re responsible for. We will contact you when planned works are due to take place.
Planned maintenance is based on the age, type and condition of each item. These works ensure the building doesn’t fall into disrepair (and help protect your asset). We understand it’s important to consider the financial implications.
Reserve funds help you prepare for major works or emergencies. Paying in to a reserve fund helps spread the cost of major works, so you are less likely to have to pay extra when they happen. Your lease will tell you if you have a reserve fund.
If you don’t have a reserve fund, we recommend you plan to put money aside to cover future works. We don’t offer payment plans, so you will be asked to pay for any works in full when they occur.
Staircasing
If you would like to talk to us about buying a bigger share in your home, please call our Sales team on 01733 385066, complete our quick enquiry form or email sales@crosskeyshomes.co.uk. The team are also available via Live Chat from 9am until 5pm, Monday to Friday
Buy a bigger share in your home. The more you own, the less you pay on fees each month.
The process is simple and we’re here to help throughout.
The cost of your additional shares are based on the current market value of your home. An independent valuation will tell us both what your home is worth at the moment.
Other costs to consider include:
-
Solicitors fees
-
Mortgage fees
-
Surveyor costs
-
Stamp duty – your solicitor will tell you whether this will apply.
We call it ‘staircasing’ because it might take a couple of steps until you own your home outright. Each time you staircase, you’ll have to pay for a solicitor and a valuation so it’s worth buying the biggest share you can each time.
Call the Sales team on 01733 385066 or email sales@crosskeyshomes.co.uk.
Before you get in touch
- Make sure your rent and service charge payments are up to date, we will not be able to go any further if you are in arrears
- Have details about any substantial improvement work you’ve done (i.e. adding a conservatory). If you’ve done work which adds value to your home, we will make sure you benefit from it. Decorating is not considered a home improvement.
- Have an idea of how much you would like to buy. On a small number of our developments there are some restrictions on how much more you can buy, which will be detailed in your lease and should have been explained by your solicitor when you first purchased.
What’s involved?
The process is simple. We all do some paperwork and you own a bigger share in your home. Completion times can vary, but we will keep you to up to date with progress every step of the way.
- You need to arrange an independent valuation of your home by a certified RICS surveyor. Your local surveyors can be found at www.ricsfirms.com. (The law requires an up to date RICS valuation to be in place throughout the process. Valuations are only valid for three months and will need to be renewed until the sale completes. It is worth asking your valuer what their costs are for desktop refreshes and full revaluations so you can plan ahead.)
-
You will be referred to one of our financial advisers who will confirm you have the funds you need.
-
You appoint a solicitor and let us know their details. We have created a panel of recommended solicitors. We know from experience how important it is to work with companies who have an in-depth knowledge of the shared ownership product to process your sale as quickly and efficiently as possible. You can choose any solicitor you prefer, but using a solicitor who is already familiar with shared ownership can help things run smoothly.
-
Your mortgage provider will give you a mortgage offer. Again, we have a recommended panel who are experienced at working with shared ownership sales.
-
The solicitors liaise before we all sign the paperwork and confirm a completion date.
- We update our systems to reflect your new percentage share and your updated rent payments come into effect.
To get started, contact our Sales team on 01733 385066, email
sales@crosskeyshomes.co.uk or complete our staircasing enquiry form: