If you are a 100% owner of the property you purchased from Riverside Home Ownership there are still set procedures for selling. These procedures are contained within your lease and it is important that they are adhered to. For example, Riverside has to grant consent for the lease to be assigned to a new owner.

The most important thing is that when you are thinking of selling your property you should notify Riverside Home Ownership immediately.

We will do everything we can to help you complete your sale quickly. We will supply the various documents that require signatures and legal processing and advise you and your solicitor of all the conditions of sale arising from your lease. Please remember that if you do not Contact us straight away you may incur extra legal fees or delays in the completion of your sale as a result. So when you want to put up the 'For Sale' sign, remember to put in a call to Riverside too.

If you own a percentage of your property, you also should notify us straight away if you want to sell. There are similar conditions in your lease and you will require our consent to any resale of the property.

You must also supply us with a valuation of the property. You can get valuations from property surveyors and estate agents, however you must make sure that any valuation you get is signed by a member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors - what we call a 'RICS Certified' valuation.

Any potential purchaser of your property must meet Riverside's eligibility criteria. They must complete an application form and return it to us before we can approve the sale. 

Contact our Sales team on: 0845 111 0000 or email sales@riverside.org.uk for further details .

Of course you may want to buy a bigger share of your home from Riverside, known as 'staircasing'. For example if you own a 50% share of your home at the moment, you can staircase up to a 75% or even 100% share (depending on the terms in your lease). You are under no obligation to staircase.

If you decide to increase your share of ownership, Contact us straight away. 

You must obtain a valuation of the property, which will determine the price of the extra shares you are buying; we must agree to your choice of Valuer or we can nominate one for you if you wish, but you must meet the cost of the valuation yourself and we will require a copy of the report. 

We do ask that the Valuer disregards any increase in the valuation of your property as a result of improvements you may have carried out. This is so you do not have to pay for the added value of any improvements that you have already paid for, so it works to your advantage.

We will then assist you throughout the legal side of the staircasing process.


Please note that charges for the administrative costs of both selling and staircasing do apply - contact our Sales department on sales@riverside.org.uk for any further information.

If you are intending to carry out major improvements or alterations to your home we would like to know about them first. We would ask that you Contact us before ordering any work or beginning any jobs. The reason for this is to ensure that it does not cause any ongoing repairing obligation for us as your landlord. This is especially important if you live on a development where all residents pay a service charge that covers repairs. We also need to know whether the improvement will affect the value of your home should you wish to sell in the future or if you have an insurance claim.

We do not need to know if you are carrying out minor works such as decorating, replacing internal doors or having fitted bedroom cupboards.

However, we do want to know if you are proposing such items as:

• Building an extension to the property e.g. enlarging the kitchen, lounge, etc.
• Building a conservatory
• Building a garage
• Installing replacement windows and external doors e.g. UPVC double glazing
• Carrying out internal structural alterations e.g. knocking two rooms into one
• Installing a shower
• Installing a burglar alarm (flats and retirement properties only)
• Carrying out work to the gas, electricity or water supplies to your home
• Replacing a fitted kitchen or bathroom suite

Please note we will NOT give permission for extensions, conservatories, garages, sheds, etc. to be built or erected where these will encroach on communal areas i.e. on land that you do not own. For example if you live in a retirement development of bungalows with communal gardens then you will not be given permission to extend your home.

Before work commences you should, where necessary, obtain and provide us with the following:

• Planning permission from your local council (if permission is required) 

• Confirmation that proposed alterations and improvements conform to current Building Regulations where required.

If you intend to carry out home improvements, please complete the form below, providing as much detail as possible, and return it to us for consideration. We will contact you within 5 working days of receipt of the form. We will not unreasonably withhold approval to your request to carry out the improvements, however, the following conditions will apply:

1. A skilled trades person or other competent person must carry out the work to a good standard. If the work is be carried out by a trades person you should ensure that they have all relevant insurances in case of accidents or mishaps.

2. An inspection may be carried out by a member of our staff before work commences and after completion. You will be advised if this is necessary.

3. In all cases you need to notify us when the work has been completed.

4. If the work has not been carried out to an acceptable standard, we reserve the right to reinstate the property back to its original condition and recover the cost from you.

5. It will be your responsibility to rectify any damage caused to fittings or the structure of your home as a result of the improvement.

6. In certain cases you may be liable for the removal of the improvement along with making good when you sell the property. You will be advised of this when approval is given. 

7. If you are a shared owner, you may not recover the full cost of the improvements when you come to sell your home. Your improvements will be included in the Open Market Valuation and relevant sale price.

Please note you must obtain written permission from us before carrying out any major improvements or alterations to your home. This is a requirement under the lease that you have with us.

If you have any queries please Contact us on 0845 111 0000.

Home Improvement Request Form

Riverside Home Ownership has responsibility to arrange and provide buildings insurance cover on leasehold properties under its management. The insurance is provided as part of The Riverside Group's block policy. The current insurance provider is Zurich Municipal. 

Leaseholders can now contact Zurich Municipal directly in the event of wishing to make a claim under the buildings insurance for your home. RHO has produced 'A guide for Shared Owners & Other Leaseholders' which gives details of how residents can make a claim under the policy, available to download below. 

A Leaseholder can request, free of charge, a copy of the Summary of Cover for the buildings policy. If you require a copy of the full policy, we can send one to you, however an administration charge will apply.

To open the documents click on the links below:

Buildings Insurance Guide

Our Customer Charter explains how we provide our services and what you can expect from us. We want to provide the best level of service we can. Download a copy.

Our Leaseholders Guides provide much of the information you need to know, but we appreciate that some residents may want help and advice from organisations independent of Riverside Home Ownership.

There are a number of organisations that offer guidance on the management of leashold properties both for the landlord (lessee) and the resident (lessor). Below are links to some of these organisations. We hope that they will prove useful for you. Click on the link for each organisation and you will be taken to their websites. Please note all links open in a new window.

(ARHM)
The Association of Retirement Housing Managers (ARHM) represents providers of retirement housing for sale and gives good practice guidance. Its guidance has statutory recognition.

(RICS)
The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) issues good practice and advice on the management of long leashold properties. 

(AIMS)
Age Concern provides a mediation service for residents living in retirement housing. The service is called AIMS (Advice, Information and Mediation Service) and is available through annual subscription. Its charges are modest and are to cover basic expenses such as travel costs, subsistence etc. 

(LEASE)
The Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) is an independent advice agency, funded by Government grant. It gives free advice on all laws affecting residential leasehold property to leaseholders, landlords, professional advisers and other relevant parties. 

(RPTS)
The Residential Property Tribunal Service (RPTS) is an independent body which aims to provide a high quality, cost effective, fair and accessible tribunal service to assist landlords, tenants and leaseholders settle disputes about rents and any other issues concerning leasehold property. 

The Homes and Communities Agency
The Homes and Communities Agency is the government body charged with investing public money in Housing Associations. It is the regulatory body that ensures Housing Associations are providing good quality and affordable homes and services to their residents.