Improving your shared ownership home
We consider improvements to be work that has added market value to your home. This can sometimes be confused with increasing the homes ability to sell. Take a look at the information below to find out the difference.
What is an improvement?
- Installation of double-glazed windows/doors (if there was no double glazing before)
- Installation of central heating (if there was no central heating before)
- New fitted kitchen
- New bathroom suite
- Addition of a conservatory
- Extension
- Loft conversion
- Addition of a porch
- Addition of a new garage/car port
- Addition of a new driveway and dropped kerb
- Cavity wall insulation
- Solar panel installation
- Conversion of garage into living space
- Installation of electric car charging point
- Installation of outbuilding to use as living space / office
- Adding additional bedroom.
What is repairs and maintenance
- Redecoration
- Fitted wardrobes
- New fence
- New patio/decking
- Garden landscaping
- Garden structures (e.g. summer houses, sheds)*
- Replacement central heating boiler
- Rewiring or re-plumbing
- Replacement windows
- Rendering or texturing to the exterior of the property
- Repairing damage or wear and tear to the property
- Floor coverings (e.g. new carpets, laminate, or wooden flooring).
*bpha still need to know about summer houses or sheds as they can affect the amount we have to insure your home for.
Getting consent
It is important that you get consent from bpha to carry out work on your home. By doing this, you will stay compliant with your lease and it will stop any delays when you come to sell, extend your lease or buy more shares in your home.
If you have carried out work on your home and did not get consent from bpha, you can apply retrospectively.
Consent cannot be guaranteed but will not be unreasonably withheld.
To get consent or ask any questions about improving your home, please contact us.
Important information
If you don’t get consent, it can put you in breach of your lease and make you vulnerable to action being taken. It can also mean that your home is not insured fully in the event of a total loss, for example after a fire.
If you are given consent, it will be conditional that all works are undertaken by qualified persons. bpha will need to see certificates of completion, such as gas safety checks, a Fensa certificate, planning permission and building regulations. You may also be asked to provide receipts for the work carried out.
