Your rights
In addition to the rights set out in your lease you are protected by various acts of parliament. This includes how we calculate your service charge, what you can do if you disagree with it, and in some cases how you can apply for a loan to help pay your bill.
CBHA must ensure that both your actual and estimated service charge are reasonable and the work and services you are being charged for are of a reasonable standard. If you disagree with either the charges or the standard of service, you have the right to question it and can withold payment for the parts that you are dissatisfied with. However, you do not have the right to withhold the whole of your service charge payment.
You should contact CBHA with your query first, but if you are not happy with our response you have the right to go to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal, an independent panel of professionals with expertise in handling leasehold disagreements. There is a fee for this, currently up to £500, but you can apply yourself or in a group with other leaseholders.
If your home was bought from CBHA under the right-to-buy scheme, even if you are not the original right-to-buy purchaser, you have the right to a loan from the Housing Corporation for service charges relating to major repairs. This does not apply to homes bought under the preserved right-to-buy scheme and it only applies to service charges for repairs due in the first ten years after the original sale.
For more information and advice contact:
