Extending or changing your lease

In certain circumstances it is possible to extend or change your lease. Your lease runs for a certain time and when it ends you may, depending on a number of factors, become a tenant of the property.

You can apply to extend the length of time your lease has to run, although there are conditions. The law is complicated in this area so you will need to consult a solicitor.

The government is making this easier for leaseholders, but there are some circumstances where leaseholders are not able to extend the term of their lease - for example if the property is part of our charitable housing stock.

If there is something wrong with your lease, we can ask a court to have it corrected, However, your lease is a legal document and there are specific rules governing this.

Building your share of your home
If you have a shared-ownership lease, or bought your home through the home-equity scheme, you can usually buy more shares in the property, and eventually buy enough so that you are the sole owner.

The more of your home you own, the less rent you pay. Increasing your share of your property like this is known as staircasing and certain rules and conditions apply.