Frequently Asked Questions

Please contact insurance@homegroundonline.com for a copy of your policy documents.

Within the policy the interest of freeholders, lessors, lessees, licensees, underlessees, assignees, mortgagees, financiers, lenders, receivers, tenants and occupiers are automatically noted under the ‘Other Interests’ clause, which should satisfy the requirements of lenders. Insurers do not issue individual endorsements or letters.

A building with many inhabitants/dwellings, each with their own water supply, means that the opportunity for a claim is much greater. Should water leak from one property it is likely that it will damage many others in the same block.

The costs of claims for multi occupancy properties are significantly higher and we expect premiums to be considerably more expensive than that to insure a single dwelling house.

Please contact our team of insurance professionals at insurance@homegroundonline.com or call us on 020 3966 2974.

HomeGround have an active role in the administration of the insurance program and often becomes the link between the broker and our customers. We employ a team of insurance professionals available to assist homeowners with any insurance matters.

HomeGround have agreed to undertake a number of activities/obligations on the behalf of the broker that under a more direct placement a broker or insurer would need complete. In return for this work we receive remuneration. This does not increase the cost of insurance. If HomeGround did not undertake these tasks, the cost would be incurred by the insurer or broker.

You may have received an email and/or letter recently from HomeGround, asking you to complete and return a Leaseholder Deed of Certificate (LDoC). We understand that this request may come as a surprise to some customers, and that you may be confused about why we have contacted you in this way.

The LDoC is part of a new process introduced by the Building Safety Act 2022 to gather mandatory information about leasehold properties in buildings above a certain height. We are required, because of the new legislation, to ask you to complete this document to formally record how your property should be treated for the purposes of certain types of cost related to building and fire safety issues.

The Government has issued guidance for leaseholders on its official website, which can be accessed here:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mandatory-information-required-from-leaseholders-and-building-owners

This is an important process, and only needs to be completed once for each leasehold property affected. If we have sent you a request to complete an LDoC, there is a time limit stated in our covering letter by which you must respond. We have put together some “Frequently Asked Questions” to help resolve any questions you may have, so that you can complete the LDoC fully and return it to us as quickly as possible.

You have received the notice because the building in which your property is situated meets the requirements which determine that your landlord must serve the notice under the Building Safety (Leaseholder Protections) (Information etc.) (England) Regulations 2022, in certain circumstances.

Those circumstances are:

• The building owner has become aware that the that the leaseholder's property is to be sold.
• The building owner has become aware of a defect at the building which meets the definitions under the Building Safety Act 2022, for it to be relevant to the regulations referred to above.

The Regulations apply to residential buildings located in England which contain at least two flats, and are at least 5 stories or 11 meters high, that were built prior to 28^th June 2022.

The recent changes brought about by the Building Safety Act and the associated regulations provide some leaseholders with protections against costs arising from certain building safety related costs, in some circumstances. Some leaseholders will still have to pay, up to a capped amount and others will still have to pay in line with their usual service charge apportionments as determined by their lease.

The LDoC enables the Landlord to understand who within a block may, under certain circumstances, be required to contribute towards those building safety related costs, and to ensure that they only pay the amount that the law has deemed appropriate.

You need to complete the LDoC to determine if you qualify for the leaseholder protections against building safety costs, arising from Building Safety act and to enable your landlord to calculate your maximum financial contribution towards those costs.

The information provided in the LDoC will help your building owner to ensure that no leaseholder will pay more than the law now requires in relation to building safety related costs.

Not necessarily. The requirement for a leaseholder to complete a LDoC, in the circumstances where the leasehold properties is to be sold, applies regardless of whether a relevant building defect has been identified.

The LDoC template makes clear that it is the current owner who is responsible for providing the information required in the form. You may however need to contact the previous owner of your leasehold property, or your conveyancer, if you did not own the property on that date, as the previous owner will be required to confirm their ownership status at that point.