If you’ve ever tried to read your lease and felt your eyes glaze over by page two, you’re not alone. Leases are written in a legal style that can feel confusing, repetitive and, at times, completely detached from everyday life. Yet this document quietly governs almost everything about how your home is managed.
Most people only open their lease when they absolutely have to, and when they do, they’re met with long sentences and old-fashioned language.
At JMJ, we spend a lot of time helping leaseholders navigate their leases, not by drowning anyone in legal terminology, but by translating key clauses into plain English so people can understand how their building works and what their responsibilities are. When residents understand their lease, communication improves, budgets make more sense, and expectations become clearer on all sides.
So, let’s break down some of the most common lease clauses and what they actually mean in practice.
1. The Repair and Maintenance Clause
Almost every lease has a paragraph that begins with something like:
“The Lessee shall keep the interior of the Premises in good and tenantable repair”
- “Lessee” means you.
- “Premises” usually means everything inside your four walls.
- “Good and tenantable repair” simply means keeping your home sound, safe and in good condition.
A few paragraphs later, the tone often shifts:
“The Landlord shall maintain the structure and exterior of the building including (but not limited to) the roof, foundations, external walls and common parts.”
This is the part people worry about, but the part that matters most. It explains what you’re responsible for and what the landlord or management company must look after. Once you know who handles what, the rest of the document feels far less intimidating.
2. The Service Charge Clause
You’ll usually find a sentence such as:
“The Lessee shall pay by way of service charge a fair proportion of the costs incurred in the maintenance, repair, management and insurance of the building.”
This means – You pay your share for looking after the building, and the lease decides what can be included.
Sometimes the wording feels vague, referring to things like “lighting,” “cleaning,” “management,” or “expenses reasonably incurred.” This is why ensuring your managing agent has a clear understanding of lease clauses is key.
3. The Alterations Clause
If you’re thinking of knocking down a wall, replacing windows or installing hard flooring, this clause is the one to look for. The lease may say:
“The Lessee shall not make any structural alterations or additions to the Premises without the prior written consent of the Landlord.”
Getting consent isn’t about restricting your home. It’s about protecting the building’s structure, acoustics and long-term value, and avoiding expensive mistakes or insurance issues later.
4. The Use Clause
Leases are polite but firm:
“The Premises shall be used as a private residence and for no other purpose.”
This is the quiet way of saying:
- No Airbnb
- No running a busy business from the living room
- Keep the peace so everyone can enjoy their home.
It’s less about rules for the sake of rules, and more about creating a harmonious living environment.
5. The Access Clause
This clause often sounds stern:
“The Lessee shall permit the Landlord, and its agents access to the Premises upon reasonable notice for the purpose of repair, inspection or maintenance.”
It’s not about intrusion, it’s about practicality. If something affecting the whole building needs fixing like water pipes, safety systems and shared infrastructure there has to be a way for people to access your flat to get the work done.
6. The Forfeiture Clause
It sounds dramatic, but it’s simply the lease’s ultimate enforcement tool if obligations are repeatedly ignored. You may see:
“If the rent or service charge shall be unpaid for twenty-one days, the Landlord may take such steps as are necessary to enforce payment.”
It’s rarely used. It’s not designed to frighten people. It exists so the building doesn’t fall into disrepair because service charge funding dries up.
7. The Insurance Clause
A typical insurance clause begins like this:
“The Landlord shall keep the building insured to its full reinstatement value against loss or damage”
This means the landlord – not individual leaseholders insures the whole building, and the cover must be enough to rebuild it if necessary.
You may also see:
“The Lessee shall pay to the Landlord a due proportion of the insurance premium”
“The Lessee shall not do anything which may void or prejudice the policy of insurance.”
Insurance depends on the whole building being properly maintained – not just the communal areas, but your flat too. A slow leak, damaged fire-stopping, or unnotified structural changes can all affect risk.
Some leases go further:
“The Lessee shall notify the Landlord of any alterations which may affect the reinstatement value of the building.”
Upgrading a kitchen or reconfiguring a layout can increase the cost of rebuilding your flat and therefore the entire building. If changes aren’t reported, the building can become underinsured, and insurers may reduce or even refuse claims.
And finally:
“The Lessee shall permit access for inspection in connection with the insurance of the building.”
Insurers increasingly require surveys and checks. This clause makes that possible and protects the whole building.
In short, the insurance section is about shared responsibility.
- The landlord must maintain the building
- Leaseholders must maintain their homes
- And both must communicate anything that affects risk.
So, why does all of this matter?
When leaseholders understand the basic structure of their lease, everything becomes clearer: service charges, maintenance responsibilities, communication with the agent and long-term planning.
At JMJ, that’s exactly what we want – clarity, collaboration and confidence in how your home is managed because a lease doesn’t need to feel intimidating.
With the right explanation, it becomes the helpful guide it was always meant to be.
