Frequently Asked Questions

HomeGround offers the following methods of payment.

HomeGround Portal

View and pay your invoices online; successful payments appear on your account straight away.

Automated payment line

Call 03300 887953 and follow the instructions. You will need your 12-digit customer reference number. Standard call rates apply. Calls from mobiles or landlines may be included in free call packages.

Standing order/BACS Payment Plan

A payment plan may be offered in exceptional circumstances, with the option to make payments by BACS or standing order. Please contact our customer services team at enquiries@homegroundonline.com or 020 3966 2974, to discuss your options.

HomeGround does not currently offer a direct debit facility. Please see our FAQ on our alternative payment options available to you.

You will need your 12-digit customer reference number. Just call 03300 887953 and follow the instructions – do remember to press the # key after you enter your reference number. Standard call rates apply. Calls from mobiles or landlines may be included in free call packages.

We accept Visa, Visa Debit, Visa Electron and Mastercard.

HomeGround's banking services are supplied by Coutts & Co, part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group. Our online payment services are supplied by Opayo and conform to their codes of conduct ensuring protection and privacy. Our automated phone system is PCIDSS Level 1 accredited, which is the highest possible level of accreditation and means that the security of your card is in good hands. For more information please see our terms and conditions and our privacy notice.

HomeGround does not apply any fees for payments made via the portal or the automated phone line. Please check with your card provider about processing charges associated with using your card.

Your ground rent is paid directly into your landlord's bank account, which fulfils your legal obligations to your landlord. Our banking services are supplied by London-based bank, Coutts & Co, part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group.

A receipt is sent to your registered email address immediately after you make a successful online payment. If you do not receive one, or if you pay through the automated phone line or by cheque, you will need to ask us to send you a receipt. You can access your payment summary through your account on the HomeGround portal.

Residential leases

A typical lease contains restrictions on what a leaseholder can do with their property, including making changes or alterations. The restrictions are not only for the benefit of estate residents and for estate conformity, but also to make sure that any alterations do not adversely affect the structure of the house, insurability of the building or its neighbours.

Normally, the landlord needs to give prior written approval, or consent, for alterations to the property. Flats may need this for any alterations and houses may need this for exterior alterations (including extensions) and alterations to the internal structure. Whether consent is required depends on the alterations you wish to make and the terms of your lease, so each application is looked at individually.

Commercial Leases

Depending on the lease terms, most alterations to a property (including signage) will need the landlord’s prior written approval (a licence for alterations).

Some alterations are entirely prohibited (in which case the landlord has no obligation to grant consent); others may be permitted subject to the landlord’s consent; in some cases consent cannot be unreasonably withheld or delayed.

How to Proceed

HomeGround's Consents Team deals with these requests for alterations on behalf of the landlord, on a day-to-day basis.

You can get in touch with the team through the online enquiry form or by post at HomeGround Management Ltd, PO Box 81918, London, WC1A 9WH.

For speed, we highly recommend that you use the enquiry form rather than apply by post. Alteration requests cannot be accepted over the phone as we need them in writing.

Residential Leases

A licence to alter is written consent from the landlord for you to carry out alterations to your flat. It can be either a letter (a Letter Licence) or a formal Licence Deed (see FAQ). Both are legal documents that record what is being agreed and any conditions attached to the consent. Any drawings, plans and supporting documents that have been reviewed will be attached to the document.

It is important to get a Licence to Alter if your lease requires it because:

1. If you carry out the alterations without one, you may be in breach of the terms of your lease and legal action may be taken against you. You may have to either put the property back to how it was before you carried out the alterations or to compensate the landlord for any loss of value to the property as a result of the works. You may also lose your lease. Whatever the outcome, it will probably cost you a significant sum of money.
2. You may find it difficult to sell your property as the buyer’s solicitors will ask to see evidence that you have complied with the terms of your lease.
3. It is more expensive to get retrospective consent for alterations.
4. You may be in breach of your mortgage conditions.

Commercial Leases

If the landlord agrees in principle to the alterations then, usually, they need to instruct their solicitors to prepare a Licence for Alterations. This is a legally binding document and will need to be executed by all parties as a deed.

For some minor works (e.g. signage), HomeGround can issue a letter licence. This is a short, but legally binding, document that sets out the terms of the consent.

Each request for alterations is treated on a case-by-case basis and HomeGround and the landlord will decide which form of licence is the most appropriate for your alterations.