Lewisham Homes & other freehold stories...

[peekaboo83]

Hello!

I'm finally joining the ranks of the SE13 crowd after living in neighbouring SE8 for eleven years

I am buying an ex-council flat in Lewisham managed by Lewisham Homes and I was wondering if people have had any experiences with them - good and bad (I have seen a fair bit of BAD stuff online so I'm hoping for some good stories).

I understand that dealing with freeholders is always a bit of a nightmare but should I brace myself for the worst?

The flat I'm looking to buy has a very small bedroom adjacent to the kitchen and I was hoping to knock the wall through and make a bigger kitchen. I've done my bit of research and I am getting a structural engineer to look at it as soon as the house is mine, but I fear the wall will be a load-bearing wall (which is possible as all walls in the house are concrete according to a builder friend of mine who's seen the property). Now I heard that other people in the building have knocked this wall through, so it's not technically impossible, but will Lewisham Homes absolutely refuse point blank to allow this job if it's a load bearing wall? What grounds to appeal do I have?

 

[ViolentPanda]

Hello!

I'm finally joining the ranks of the SE13 crowd after living in neighbouring SE8 for eleven years

I am buying an ex-council flat in Lewisham managed by Lewisham Homes and I was wondering if people have had any experiences with them - good and bad (I have seen a fair bit of BAD stuff online so I'm hoping for some good stories).

I understand that dealing with freeholders is always a bit of a nightmare but should I brace myself for the worst?

The flat I'm looking to buy has a very small bedroom adjacent to the kitchen and I was hoping to knock the wall through and make a bigger kitchen. I've done my bit of research and I am getting a structural engineer to look at it as soon as the house is mine, but I fear the wall will be a load-bearing wall (which is possible as all walls in the house are concrete according to a builder friend of mine who's seen the property). Now I heard that other people in the building have knocked this wall through, so it's not technically impossible, but will Lewisham Homes absolutely refuse point blank to allow this job if it's a load bearing wall? What grounds to appeal do I have?

Most local authorities fund an organisation akin to a "leaseholder's council" in their area, for people who are leaseholders on estates, so contacting them is a good way to find out how Lewisham are with Section 20 notices (notices of charges for communal maintenance and repair).

Regarding knocking through, it depends how you do it. I've seen people get round the issue by knocking out part of the wall (to form a wide doorway), and inserting an RSJ lintel-style across the opening. That way the support is still there, but you still get your bigger kitchen.

 

[peekaboo83]

Ah great points, both of them. I'll inquire about the leaseholder's association. I fear that it'll be a total no no to even open part of the wall if the wall is load-bearing, because in essence you're still modifying their original structure, but sounds like a compromise for both of us... I don't know how open to negotiation freeholders are with this sort of thing though. You have to pay even to submit a proposal which sounds a bit like a con to me!