Leasehold Forum16 July 2014

Why do our leaseholders need a forum?

• Julie and I are always on the end of the phone if you have questions or issues

•But - the same questions keep coming up – and it is clear that not all leaseholders really understand the terms of their lease

• We want to keep you informed about leasehold issues and the services provided by the Council

• We want to give you the opportunity to hear from our service providers and to speak directly to them

STAR Survey 2014

•You gave us your feedback recently in the STAR survey

•Comments were made anonymously – but we have listened to you!

•Some examples of your comments follow – and our responses:

Landscaping

• “Grass cutting isn’t always as regular and the lawn outside my property is often missed. The landscapers NEVER sweep up and there is grass cutting all over pavement and property pathways”

It would be much more expensive for the team to pick up the grass cuttings – both for the equipment needed and the man-hours. We would have to charge leaseholders a lot more

Leasehold Services

• “When you installed new front door I went to the same

company and had to pay full price for one, you should

offer us leaseholders’ the same services at a reduced

rate as we have to pay and tenants don’t”

In the terms of the lease, you are responsible for repairing or

replacing your own windows and doors. Tenants have the cost

of repairs factored into their rent. We do hope to offer

leaseholders the option to have their windows and door

replaced at the same time as tenants, with our new contractor

Cleaning Services

• “Cleaning is a bit hit & miss. It's not always

regular & cobwebs are left for weeks at a time”

• “The landing windows are never cleaned, inside or

out, & the flooring in the entrance way is lifting

badly”

Please report these kind of issues to the Cleaning

Service. You can also complete a Cleaning Survey so

that your issues can be recognised and dealt with

General comments

• “My main problem is parking as most flats

now have 2 or even 3 cars. I get home

from work after a stressful day to find more

stress when I can't find a parking space”

There is a parking project on-going across the

borough, installing parking pads on Council-

owned verges. We are working on it!

Repairs

• “Communal areas are run down, dangerous &

appalling - they should be safe, practical &

usable, i.e. to dry washing & sit out/play out

when weather is good. It pulls the area down

which is a great shame as 15-20 years ago the

areas were immaculate & gave residents a sense

of pride & responsibility”

We are working on improvements to communal areas to

make them more secure and pleasant places to use

Leasehold Forum

• We are proposing an open meeting every three months

• Each meeting will be on one given subject (such as

cleaning or repairs) whatever you ask us for

• We will aim to invite the relevant services to attend

• We will give an update in the News & Views quarterly

magazine – for those who cannot attend in person

• Please give us your requests for meeting topics on the

sheets provided and leave them with us – along with any

personal issues you may want us to look into.

New Contractor - Osborne

As of 1 July 2014, all repairs (planned and responsive)

are being provided by Osborne Property Services

Osbornes are very keen to engage with tenants and

leaseholders and have offered to give an introductory

presentation this evening