A guide to planned works
As a Leaseholder, we provide you with advance notice of planned works that we intend to carry out at your building.
In this guide, we provide additional information about these works, answer some questions you might have and provide a description of some words and phrases that may be unfamiliar.
What are planned works?
Planned works are repairs, maintenance, or improvements to a building or any other premises that Onward Homes/Contour Property Services are responsible for.
Generally, planned works are required to keep the building in the same habitable condition that it was in when the lease was granted. This can mean adding something new to the building or improving an existing component.
Some leases do not allow us to carry out improvements and in those cases, we will replace them with like-for-like components instead.
We will always review your lease before carrying out planned work.
Am I responsible for repairs and planned works?
As a Leaseholder, you are responsible for maintaining and repairing the inside of your home.
As your landlord, we are required to repair and maintain the building and associated areas. This includes the structure, exterior and common components. Under the terms of your lease you are responsible for contributing toward the cost of this work.
It is important that you read and understand your lease to understand your responsibilities as a Leaseholder. When purchasing your home, your Solicitor will have provided you with a copy.
If you don’t have a copy of your lease, you can ask your Solicitor or complete a Land Registry Search for land and property information.
You can also request a copy from us (fees apply) by emailing homeownership@onward.co.uk, calling 0300 555 0600 call or messaging 07793 795 882 on WhatsApp between 8am-6pm Monday to Friday and 10am-6pm on Wednesdays.
How do you decide what planned work needs to be done and when? Are they necessary?
The investment works we deliver are necessary to ensure the upkeep of your building as specified within your lease. Our properties are assessed by third-party surveyors, who use industry recognised lifespans for each building element to estimate when they might need to be improved or repaired.
Before any works are delivered, we survey again to confirm whether they are still required. At this point, we may need to bring the work forward if the building element has deteriorated quicker than expected. If the condition of the building element is better than expected, we may delay the works.
How do you calculate the cost of planned work contributions?
Before work starts, we will issue a Section 20 Notice which will include estimated costs.
We use these estimated costs to calculate the cost per property, which will determine your individual contribution. Using this information, we then set your reserve fund contributions to ensure, where possible, that funds are built up over time to cover the cost of planned works.
There are fees for project management and a consultant included in the costs. Why is this?
When we carry out planned work, we charge a project management fee. This fee covers our costs to manage the planned works including things like Section 20 Consultation, procurement, technical assessments, site assessments and quality inspections.
In some cases, we may also need to employ specialist Consultants to advise us on complex planned work, such as work relating to the Building Safety Act 2022.
My reserve fund is insufficient, and you are increasing my contributions. What happens if I cannot afford to pay?
We know that this rise in contributions may be a concern and appreciate that you might have questions about what this means. If you are unable to pay, we will work with you to agree a payment plan.
If you think you’ll struggle to pay, or wish to speak to us, please get in touch by emailing homeownership-customeraccounts@onward.co.uk or calling 0300 555 0600.
You can also access support from Citizens Advice and Step Change.
When will you tell me about planned works? Will I receive updates?
We recently issued you with a plan which included advance notice of planned investment work that we intend to carry out at your building over the next five years. This plan will be reviewed regularly and we will keep you updated.
Below is an example of the five-year plan you received. For any other planned works, we will contact you to let you know.
What is your consultation process?
Under Section 20 of the Landlord & Tenant Act 1985, we must consult with you if works will cost any one Leaseholder more than £250. This is different from minor routine repairs, which we do not have to consult on under Section 20. In these cases, repayments are included in your annual service charge.
We understand that planned works can have a financial impact on Leaseholders, so have developed a consultation process specifically for large projects, which goes beyond the legal requirements of Section 20.
Stage 1 – engagement meetings
When we are planning to carry out a large project or a project that will cost a significant amount of money, we will write to you describing the work we plan to undertake, why it is required and how much it is likely to cost. We will do this before we start the formal consultation process.
We want to provide you with advance notice of the planned work and an idea of what your share of the cost is likely to be, so you can comment on the proposals and plan how you might arrange to pay. We will invite all leaseholders to an engagement meeting, at which we outline our initial proposals and seek views.
Stage 2 – formal consultation process
The next stage is the start of the formal consultation process, when we will send you a Section 20 Notice.
This is often called ‘Section 20 consultation’ because it was introduced by Section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (as amended by S151 Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002).
The consultation arrangements set out in the Act are detailed and involve different arrangements, depending on the type of contract and will affect which consultation we undertake with you.
When you receive a formal notice, you have the right to give us your views and comments, these are referred to as ‘observations’. Observations must be made about the proposed work, as we won’t be able to address other queries during this process. If you write to us with any observations during the consultation period, we will respond to you within the required timescales.
Depending on the type of work, we may hold a pre-commencement meeting for all Leaseholders. This provides an opportunity to talk to the contractor and Project Manager and to ask any questions you may have about the works themselves or about what will happen while they are taking place.
To learn more about the Section 20 consultation process, take a look at our guide.
How do you manage planned work?
We are committed to achieving good quality outcomes and a Project Manager will be allocated to monitor planned works and ensure high levels of customer satisfaction.
In some cases, the best way to deliver projects will be through a long-term agreement with specific contractors. We may need to consult with you under Section 20 before we enter a long-term agreement, which you can learn more about in our guide.
If you have any questions or concerns whilst the work is taking place, you can get in touch by emailing section20@onward.co.uk.
I want to give feedback on the work taking place. How can I do so?
If you’d like to give feedback whilst the work is taking place, you can get in touch by emailing section20@onward.co.uk.
At the end of each project, we also carry out a satisfaction survey so you can tell us how you feel about the work that has been done. We review the results carefully to understand how we can improve in the future.
In some cases, you may be invited to attend a meeting towards the end of the project, so you can raise any questions or concerns about the quality of the work. This will happen before the project is signed off, so we can ensure you are satisfied. If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of the work, contract management or delivery, we will work with you and aim to respond to queries and disputes within four weeks.
From time-to-time, we may not be able to resolve some of the issues raised. If you are unhappy with our responses in relation to disputes, we will explore mediation.
You can also refer a dispute to a First-Tier Tribunal (Property Chambers) or arbitration panel. A tribunal or panel may include fees, and you will be responsible for covering your own costs. Any decision made by a tribunal or panel will be legally binding.
Further information about First-Tier Tribunal (Property Chambers) can be found by visiting the Government’s website, emailing rpnorthern@justice.gov.uk or calling 0161 237 9491.
Glossary
This guide may include some unfamiliar words and phrases, so we have provided a description of what they mean below.
Consultation
This is the process Onward/Contour Property Services will go through to tell Leaseholders about proposed works or long-term contracts for services where the costs are above a financial threshold. Some of this process is legally required (Section 20) and some is good practice.
Contour Property Services
Contour Property Services (CPS) is a subsidiary of Onward Homes that provides management services to Leasehold customers. CPS is responsible for maintaining your building and external areas, as well as delivering major and planned works.
Deferred repayment
Onward/Contour Property Services may allow an extended time to repay service charges for planned works where they are expensive, and the Leaseholder is unable to repay immediately. Generally, Onward/Contour Property Services will assess the financial circumstances and affordability of each Leaseholder applying for extended time and tailor a solution from a range of options.
Lease
A legally binding contract between the Leaseholder and the owner of a property (Freeholder) giving conditional ownership of the property for an agreed time.
Onward Homes
Onward Homes provides management and housing services to a range of customers, including Leaseholders. Onward is responsible for maintaining your building and external areas, as well as delivering major and planned works.
Planned works
Where works to a block will cost any Leaseholder over a set financial threshold, the Landlord must consult with Leaseholders. The current financial threshold is £250, however in some cases, the costs can be much higher. For example, if the roof needs replacing.
Section 20
Section 20 of the Landlord & Tenant Act 1985 (as amended by the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002) sets out the formal process for consulting with Leaseholders and Tenants about certain items charged through service charges.
Reserve fund
If Onward/Contour Property Services is responsible for maintaining any elements of the building you live in, including communal areas or green spaces, you will be responsible for the cost of planned works such as a roof replacement. Your lease allows us to collect funds from you that will be placed in a ‘reserve fund’ or ‘sinking fund’ to cover the cost of these works in advance of them being carried out.
We’re here to help
If you have any questions or concerns, we’re here to help.
You can get in touch with us by emailing homeownership@onward.co.uk, calling 0300 555 0600 or messaging 07793 795 882 on WhatsApp between 8am-6pm Monday to Friday and 10am-6pm on Wednesdays.
Please note, this guide is for customers of Onward Homes and Contour Property Services who have purchased their home through traditional Leasehold, Shared Ownership, Right to Buy or Right to Acquire.
This guide is not a comprehensive interpretation of the law, nor does it override or affect the terms of your lease. Each lease is different, so you should always refer to it for information specific to your home. It is important that you read your lease carefully. If there is anything in your lease that you do not understand, we recommend that you seek independent legal advice. If there are any differences between this guide and your lease, the lease will always take precedence.