Welcome to the world of leasehold /freehold and the building network operator ;-) 

The DNO will tell you their responsibility stops after the main fuses or at the input terminals to the meters.

The meters will belong to each of the suppliers that each flat owner or leaseholder or possibly even a tenant, has a contract with.

The part of the tails and the consumer unit inside each flat will be the responsibility of the flat owner or leaseholder but used by any tenant.

The bit in between that passes though the common areas of the building will be under the control of the freeholder, who actually owns the building and charges the leaseholders a ground rent for the privilige, and who authorizes (and may charge for permission) any work taking place in the common areas, probably via a management agent. It is evebn worse if there is metering in the flats either instead or as well, and then is should be managed as a building network.

It is not in the flat owners or leaseholders gift to request or permit building work in the common areas.

It does not affect you but there are similar divisions of responsibility with things like drains, where ownership of the pipe changes when it gets through the lease-holders plaster and into the freeholders brick.

This leads to junction boxes and switches in odd places so that one part can be worked on without touching the other.

Now, who wants to do what?  because in installations of that quality, it is sometimes easier to be forgiven (just do the right thing) than it is to get all the  permissions first.

Some Freeholders and management companies are easy to contact and on the ball and keep their installations up to date, others can be frankly  slum quality and will try and claim it is not theirs and if the tenants or lease holders want something, they can pay twice, both for the work, and to the freeholder for the permission.

If you are not sure why this county needs leasehold reform, this sort of nonsense should convince you.

Mike.

Welcome to the world of leasehold /freehold and the building network operator ;-) 

The DNO will tell you their responsibility stops after the main fuses or at the input terminals to the meters.

The meters will belong to each of the suppliers that each flat owner or leaseholder or possibly even a tenant, has a contract with.

The part of the tails and the consumer unit inside each flat will be the responsibility of the flat owner or leaseholder but used by any tenant.

The bit in between that passes though the common areas of the building will be under the control of the freeholder, who actually owns the building and charges the leaseholders a ground rent for the privilige, and who authorizes (and may charge for permission) any work taking place in the common areas, probably via a management agent. It is evebn worse if there is metering in the flats either instead or as well, and then is should be managed as a building network.

It is not in the flat owners or leaseholders gift to request or permit building work in the common areas.

It does not affect you but there are similar divisions of responsibility with things like drains, where ownership of the pipe changes when it gets through the lease-holders plaster and into the freeholders brick.

This leads to junction boxes and switches in odd places so that one part can be worked on without touching the other.

Now, who wants to do what?  because in installations of that quality, it is sometimes easier to be forgiven (just do the right thing) than it is to get all the  permissions first.

Some Freeholders and management companies are easy to contact and on the ball and keep their installations up to date, others can be frankly  slum quality and will try and claim it is not theirs and if the tenants or lease holders want something, they can pay twice, both for the work, and to the freeholder for the permission.

If you are not sure why this county needs leasehold reform, this sort of nonsense should convince you.

Mike.