Homeowner frequently asked questions

Check our pet policy here.

If you live in a house, you may only extend into your loft space when you have purchased the freehold to your home.

If you live in a flat, you do not own the space above your ceiling rafters and may not extend. No consent will be given for storage of items as this may present a fire hazard and interfere with the efficiency of the loft insulation.

Please be careful when choosing flooring, as hard flooring may lead to noise transference to other parts of the building.

If you live in a ground floor flat we will normally give consent for hard flooring, unless there are restrictions imposed by a head landlord. If we need to ask consent from a head landlord there is usually a charge for dealing with the request; we’ll find out what the charge is and ask you to pay before we seek consent on your behalf.

Unless it involves structural work or access to another part of a communal building, you do not need permission to:

• replace your bathroom suite
• install a new fitted kitchen
• rewire your home
• carry out plumbing work
• install central heating

Please complete this form and send it to us with your plans if you would like to carry out alterations or improvements.

Check your lease to see if your plan shows which fence(s) you own – they’re usually marked with an inward ‘T’. If fences are not marked, you can reasonably assume that fences between gardens are shared with your neighbours.

Please consult your neighbours before removing or altering any existing fencing.

We will normally give consent for a satellite dish to be fitted to your house or flat unless there are estate conditions imposed by a head landlord or third-party management company. If you need consent there may be an administration charge to pay. Please contact us before you sign up for your TV subscription.

There may also be planning restrictions on the number of dishes on a block of flats – please speak to the planning department of your local council.

Under the terms of your lease you should ask our consent before operating a business from your home. We will usually give consent, unless we feel your proposed business may cause a nuisance to your neighbours.

If you’re a shared owner, your home was sold to you on the basis that it is, and will remain, your main residence. In special circumstances we will consider requests to allow short-term renting, but you may not rent out your home long term.

As a leaseholder, you may rent out your flat providing the lease allows it. Please contact the homeownership team who can advise on this matter.

If you rent your property, you will still be liable for any buildings insurance, rent and service charges and responsible for rectifying any problems caused by your tenant.

Yes, however please remember that you are responsible for any nuisance caused by members of your household, which would include any lodgers.

We need to have your correct details at all times. Please send us proof of any change of name such as a marriage certificate or decree absolute.

Please also ensure we have an up to date email address or telephone number.

We recognise that parking is often a problem, especially where demand for spaces exceeds availability. We will help to resolve issues where we can, but we do rely on the co-operation of residents.

Your lease sets out how many parking spaces you’re entitled to and where they are. Please don’t park anywhere else. Where there are visitors’ spaces they are for the benefit of all residents’ visitors and should be left free for that purpose.

Call or email our homeownership team if there are problems with the collection of refuse or recycling from your communal bin store, or if you see anyone dumping items or misusing the bin store. We treat all calls in strict confidence.

If you have large items, eg white goods or furniture, that you’re unable to get rid of yourself, please call your local council who will be able to arrange for it to be collected for a small charge.

Please contact resales@soha.co.uk

As a shared owner your lease gives key details of what you have to do, but these notes give you an easy step-by-step guide to use as your checklist.

The first and most important things to do when you decide to sell are:

1. Tell Soha by emailing homeownership@soha.co.uk
2. Wait for Soha to acknowledge your email.
3.  You can then sell or market your property through an estate agent.

You will need to take the relevant steps as outlined below:

Selling your share – fixing the property value

You need to obtain a RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) valuation at your own cost. (This is different from an estate agent’s valuation.)

Please read the example given at the end of these notes as this is the easiest way to show the impact on you as an owner

Approval of buyer/s

1. Once you have found a buyer, they need to be approved by Soha before the sale process can begin.
2. Your agent needs to ask them to complete a Soha Application form available by following this web link:

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL (sohahomeownership.co.uk)

3. Your buyers must return their completed form directly to our dedicated financial advisor Indigo Mortgage & Financial Services Ltd on info@indigomfs.com

Indigo Mortgage & Financial Services Ltd financially assess all Soha’s buyers to ensure they can afford both the initial purchase and ongoing costs of home ownership.

Your purchasers can receive mortgage advice from Indigo if applicable and they wish, but are free to use any existing lenders or brokers they have.

4. Soha will confirm if the buyers have been approved and the sale can be set up by your agent.

Memorandum of Sale and Instruction Forms

Once Soha has approved your purchaser, please obtain a Memorandum of Sale from your estate agent and send this to us on homeownership@soha.co.uk

Please ask your solicitor to contact us directly on homeownership@soha.co.uk  as Soha requires them to complete a resale instruction form for our solicitors. Soha’s solicitors will tell your solicitor of our fees and those for the LPE1 (sales enquiry pack).

Soha needs to instruct a solicitor to act for us in your sale.  This can’t be done unless we receive a copy of your agent’s Memorandum of Sale or our solicitor’s instruction form.  Delays or failure to receive this promptly could delay your sale.

Selling a higher percentage of the property than you currently own

This could possibly happen for 2 reasons:

1. You are selling your current share, (e.g. 50%) and your buyer can afford a higher percentage at purchase (e.g. 75%) to benefit from a lower rental figure but still can’t buy outright.
2. Your agent advises that selling outright at 100% may work better due to location, economic circumstances etc when you market

Selling a higher percentage than is currently owned is known as a simultaneous sale and staircase.

How a simultaneous sale and staircase works

1. You sell your share to a buyer.
2. Soha sells their share directly to your buyer (staircasing).
3. Buyer then owns 100% of the property.

If a sale is agreed using this method your buyer must instruct their solicitor to contact Soha as soon as possible to arrange to buy the relevant extra share of the property from us (staircasing).

Worked values example

Assumed whole property RICS valuation        £100,000

If you own 50% your share value is                            £50,000

Sale agreed at £100,000 value returns you £50,000 and Soha retains £50,000 or receives £50,000 if simultaneous sale and staircase to 100% ownership.

Marketing above RICS whole property value at    £120,000

Offer received and agreed for whole value                  £110,000

If you own 50% your share value is                            £55,000

Sale agreed at £110,000 value returns you £55,000 and Soha retains £55,000 or receives £55,000 if simultaneous sale and staircase to 100% ownership

Accepting offer below RICS whole property value of £100,000

Offer received and agreed for whole value                  £95,000

Soha retains value of 50% of RICS whole property value £50,000

Owner receives remaining balance of sale value £45,000

Reminders

The RICS valuation used for a sale is valid for six months from the date carried out, so it is important to keep on top of the sale. If the valuation expires, you may have to get a further desktop valuation.

Once you have decided, you must let us know whether you will be instructing the estate agent to market just your share of the property or 100% of it.