Your deed summary

What you own

Your flat, and the airspace and internal parts within it. You also co-own a share of the building's shared parts and the surrounding grounds, along with the right to use them.

What you share with your neighbours

• The roof, outside walls, foundations, bin stores and gutters — shared by everyone in your block
• The close, stairs, stairwell windows and door-entry system — shared by the flats on your stair
• Gardens, paths, roads, parking spaces and outdoor lighting — shared across the whole development

What you're responsible for

• Your own flat — and any pipe or cable that serves only your flat
• Your share of shared repairs — split equally between the flats affected. So a roof or bin-store repair is shared by the whole block; a stair repair by your stair only
• If a neighbour can't pay their share (for example, an absentee landlord who can't be traced), the rest of you cover it and reclaim it later

How decisions are made — and how to change your factor

• Decisions are made at a meeting of owners, not by collecting signatures
• Any owner can call one— you don't need the factor's permission. Give everyone at least 7 days' written notice, stating what will be decided
• One vote per flat. A decision passes on a majority of the votes cast
• To be valid, you need a quorum of one third of the flats. If too few turn up, the meeting is postponed 7–28 days — and at the second meeting, whoever attends counts as the quorum
• Dismissing and replacing your factor is an owners' decision made this way. The factor cannotrequire you to “meet with them” first — that's not in your deeds

Your money and insurance

• Any money your factor holds is held in trust for you— it's your money, not theirs
• You have the right to demand a full, vouched statement of account once a year
• You paid a £200 deposit on moving in, returnable when you sell (once the new owner pays theirs). Note: cyclical maintenance-fund contributions are not refundable
• Buildings insurance must cover full reinstatement value and is arranged through the factor — but you, the owners, have the right to vote to fix the level of insurance cover at a meeting. The factor doesn't get to set it unilaterally

Unusual things in your deeds

• No allocated parking — all spaces are shared; nobody owns a specific bay
• No business use — flats are private homes only; no trades, no subletting to multiple households
• Restrictions you might not expect: no satellite dishes, no window boxes on external ledges, no changing the external paint or appearance without it being a common decision
• Various utility wayleaves and access rights run under and across the grounds for services and maintenance