Leasehold Forum 16 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 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