Living with a Lease FAQs – What does the lease allow you to do?
Living with a Lease FAQs – What does the lease allow you to do?
For more on life at Hooper Square, visit our Residents Area
You can have a party, but bear in mind that, by signing the lease, you agreed not to play any music or make any noise that causes any nuisance or annoyance to any of the other occupants of the building. In particular, any music must be switched off by 11pm.
Can I have a barbecue?
Although the lease does not specifically mention barbecues, it does prevent you from keeping anything flammable in your flat, and from doing anything which will cause the buildings insurance to be void. Barbecues on terraces would certainly be a fire risk and could invalidate the buildings insurance. In addition to the danger, the smoke and smell would cause a nuisance to your neighbours, which you agreed not to do by signing the lease. The central garden cannot be used for barbecues as the lease points out it is for rest and quiet recreation only
No. The lease says you may not keep any bird reptile dog or other animal without the previous consent in writing of the Landlord or the Managing Agents. The Hooper Square Residents Association Ltd will never give consent to the keeping of any animal.
Why can’t I leave bulky items in the bin store?
Bulky items are never collected by any bin collection service, which is for general waste
only. There is a free bulk waste item collection service available to residents via Streetline,
a Borough operated service. Please speak to Reception staff for more details.
In addition, your lease prevents you from leaving any object or obstruction in any part of
the estate except your own premises, and states that if you leave any such item in a
corridor or in the garden or car park or the bin store, you will have to pay the costs
incurred by HSRAL in removing it. This will include a charge for staff time spent on
dealing with it.
What alterations can I make to my flat?
Any alterations or renovations you intend to make must have the permission of Hooper Square Residents Association Ltd.
The lease specifies that you may not change the plan or design of your flat, or alter it, without the permission of HSRAL. In addition, it says you may not open up floors, walls or ceilings to alter or renew any pipes, wires or conduits.
You can obtain a form from the Estate Manager so that you may apply for permission to make alterations or renovations. In practice, HSRAL will grant permission for renovations as long as the renovation makes no major change to the design of your property. Permission will not be given to re-locate kitchens or bathrooms, or to change the design of the flat so as to add extra bedrooms.
Why can I not park my second car in the visitor parking spaces?
Your lease specifically prevents you from doing this, stating that the Visitor Parking spaces are only for the use of visitors.
You may be able to rent an unused garage or space from another leaseholder or tenant. You can ask the Estate Manager or the Concierge if they know of anyone who has such a space to rent. If you cannot find such a space for your second car, it will need to be parked outside the Estate.
Can I install my own satellite dish?
No. The lease gives you the right only to connect your TV with the central television
systems in the building, which is administered and maintained by Community Vision. You
cannot install anything on the walls or roof of the building because, by the terms of the
lease, they do not belong to you.
Why can I not hang my washing on my balcony or patio?
This is because your lease specifies that you must not allow any washing to be visible
from outside. By signing your lease, you agreed not to ‘hang or expose in or upon any
part of the premises so as to be visible from the outside any clothes or washing of any
description’
Are there rules about smoking?
The lease does not prevent smoking, though rental tenants may find the flat owner has specified that the flat be non-smoking. Smoking on your balcony is discouraged, as it may cause a nuisance to your neighbours. Any cigarette ends thrown over your balcony will land on a neighbouring balcony or even on a car, and this will constitute a fire risk, as well as a nuisance. Additionally, in the past, numbers of discarded cigarette ends have blocked drains, causing flooding. Throwing cigarette ends over your balcony will be viewed as breaking your lease.
Are there rules about litter?
The lease does not specifically mention litter, but littering will be viewed as committing a
nuisance or annoyance, so you need to take all your litter back to your flat. Once there,
nothing should be thrown from the balcony or any of the windows.
Can I put down wooden or laminate flooring?
No. The lease says you must cover your floors with carpet or (in kitchen and bathroom)
other suitable sound deadening material – this means vinyl flooring or similar. If your
flooring leads to your neighbours complaining about the resulting noise, you will be
obliged to remove it and reinstate carpet at your own expense.
Can I let a bedroom or my whole flat via AirBnB or similar?
No. There are three clauses in the lease which prevent this.
The lease specifically prevents you from subletting part of the flat. By signing it, you agree ‘not at any time to sublet … part with or share possession of part only of the premises.’
The lease also prevents your using ‘the property or any part of it for business purposes.’ Renting the whole or part of your flat on AirBnB will be defined as running a business.
Finally, you agreed, by signing the lease, not to do ‘any act of thing which my render void or voidable any policy of insurance maintained in respect of the building or may cause an increased premium to be payable’. Our insurers have advised us that, should they discover AirBnB or similar advertisements for properties at Hooper Square, they would re-classify Hooper Square as a hotel, resulting in a probable doubling of our insurance premium. The cost of insurance for 2019 being £88,431, the cost today could then rise to £176,000. By signing the lease, you agreed to ‘repay to the landlord all sums paid by way of increased premium … and all expenses incurred in or about the renewal of any such policy’. The company would immediately seek to recover the increase in cost and any resulting expenses from the leaseholder of the AirBnB property.