Leaseholders

May I make alterations to my home?

Yes, you can do a range of alterations such as putting in a new kitchen or bathroom, but you must get permission from Poole Housing Partnership before starting work. Please contact our HelpDesk and they will send you the necessary form. Alterations Form [87kb] (opens in a new window)

Some alterations require Planning and Building Regulation approval and/or a Structural engineers report e.g. removing partition walls and additions to your home.

Repairs Helpdesk

Our Repairs Helpdesk is staffed by a team of Customer Services Officers and they mainly deal with repair queries but can also help with general housing enquiries, see the contact details on the right of this page. In the case of Willow Park, Lessees can report repairs to their Sheltered Housing Officer.

What are the response repair priorities?

Emergency call-out: outside normal working hours. Where there is imminent danger to you or your home, please call 0800 50 60 50

Urgent:  work to be carried out and completed within 5 working days.

Routine: work to be carried out and completed within 20 working days

Asbestos

As a leaseholder the responsibility for any asbestos within the home becomes yours.

Asbestos can be potentially hazardous to health, but only when it is in a poor condition and is releasing fibres into the air. The use of asbestos as a building material was banned in 1999, but as most council properties were built before this date, it is likely that many homes do contain asbestos in some of their construction materials.

A copy of 'Asbestos in the Home' leaflet provides further details, and is available on request. If you have any queries or concerns, please contact the Helpdesk.

Insurance policy

The policy is for Buildings Insurance only and a block policy covers all our residential stock. There is an excess of £100 on each claim made. If you have a claim you should contact the Leasehold Services Officer at Poole Housing Partnership.

In the event of a claim, you will be asked to complete an Incident Report Form, which when complete, will be forwarded to the Insurance Risk Manager in Financial Services at the Borough of Poole. The decision as to whether a claim is valid is that of the Insurance Company NOT Poole Housing Partnership.

You are advised to take out your own Contents policy as the Council's Insurance Policy DOES NOT cover personal belongings.

If you are not occupying your home permanently or it is vacant, then we would advise you to protect pipework adequately to prevent frost damage.  The buildings insurance will not cover you for damage caused by escape of water or malicious persons or for a property unoccupied for more than 30 consecutive days.

Communal areas

We ask that residents respect these facilities. These include: bin chutes, stores, door entry systems and washing areas. These areas often require ongoing maintenance and when repairs are required they are recharged proportionately through reactive maintenance charges to Leaseholders.

Noise

Residents are requested to respect their neighbours, and to play music and to listen to televisions at a reasonable level of volume and at reasonable times. In some cases it may be advisable to consider using headphones.

Pets

We expect you to look after your pets in a reasonable way. They must not cause a nuisance to your neighbours, for example by creating a lot of noise or excessive smell. If a pet does cause a nuisance then the owner will be requested to rehome the offending animal.

It is important that you clean up after your pets, dogs in particular. Many areas have special red bins for the disposal of dog faeces.

If you are purchasing a Leasehold property then serious consideration should be given as to the suitability of the accommodation if you have pets that may cause a nuisance.

Rubbish

Take care when disposing of your rubbish, especially glass and tins. Broken glass should always be wrapped in newspaper/cloth before disposal. If your block has a refuse chute, please use it. Do not leave rubbish beside the chute, where people may trip or cut themselves on it.

We expect you to dispose of your rubbish carefully. Please make sure that you put your rubbish in the appropriate bin for the refuse collectors to collect. Please tell us if someone has dumped rubbish on your estate. We will move the rubbish and charge the person who is responsible for dumping it, if we know who it is. If there are bins for recycling please try to maximise their use. Please follow the instructions that are posted on the bins.

Vandalism

Vandalism should be reported to the Police and Poole Housing Partnership. When possible a log number and crime number should be obtained from the Police, so that those responsible can be recharged and/or prosecuted.

Sub-letting

A leaseholder may sub-let their home. The Lessee is responsible for the conduct of their tenant(s) and will be invoiced and held responsible for all Service Charges and other costs involved in enforcing the conditions of the lease. Remember, the contract you have is between you and Poole Housing Partnership.

Sub-letting is not permitted at Willow Park. Occupation must be by the Lessees(s). Purchasers should be over 60 years of age or in the case of a couple, one of the joint purchasers must be 60 years or older.