The consultation process
Camden must consult with leaseholders if we intend to carry out works, repairs or improvements to your block or estate. How we consult with you depends on the type of contract we use to carry out the works.
Qualifying Long Term Agreement (QLTA)
This is an agreement with a contractor to provide goods or services lasting more than 12 months. If leaseholders will be required to pay more than £100 per year we must consult with them. Examples of a QLTA include: building insurance, grounds maintenance, lift and door entry maintenance contracts.
Where a QLTA includes works to properties, for example, general building maintenance, and leaseholders will be required to pay more than £250 each, an additional consultation must be carried out. Please refer to the section below called ‘Qualifying Works’.
Qualifying Works
We consult with leaseholders if a QLTA includes works to properties, such as general building maintenance where leaseholders will be required to pay more than £250 each. There is one stage of consultation with leaseholders.
Stage 1 - Notice of Intention
We write to each leaseholder and Residents Tenants Association (if one exists) who may be affected by the contract to:
- describe the proposed works and why we think they are necessary
- provide the total amount of expenditure estimated as likely to be incurred in connection with the proposed works
- allow leaseholders 30 days to send us their observations in writing
European Union
Contracts have to be advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) if they are over a certain value. For Qualifying Long Term Agreements the value is 221,000 Euros for goods or services or 5.5 million Euros for Qualifying Works. Contracts below these amounts do not have to be advertised within the Official Journal of the European Union and in these cases leaseholders have the right to nominate contractors from whom Camden should obtain an estimate.
In addition to the consultation we are legally required to carry out, Camden has introduced a Better Homes and a Mechanical and Electrical planned works pre leaseholder consultation process. This resident engagement is managed by the planned works teams.