FAQ

How can I pay my Service Charge or Grounds Rent?
Payment can currently be made by bank transfer or cheque.  Our tenant portal is launching soon, and you will be able to pay your account online.

What do I do if there is an emergency out of office hours?
Our telephones automatically divert to a dedicated out of hours team who will assess and deal with the matter (only genuine emergencies will be dealt with; other non-urgent issues will be referred to the office for action the next working day). Alternatively, you can call directly on 01628 563899 outside of office hours.

What is my reference?
Your reference will be at the top of each piece of correspondence we send you. Your reference will be in the following format; AA00-000-00

How can I report an issue?
You can call us on 01628 947 908 during office hours, 01628 563 899 out of hours or email us if the issue is non-urgent at info@eavespropertymanagement.co.uk

How can I update my contact details?
You can email us at info@eavespropertymanagement.co.uk providing us with your property address and current contact details and we will update our system.

How do I obtain a management pack/sales information pack (LPE)?
When selling your property, the solicitors usually require a management pack. Please email conveyance@eavespropertymanagement.co.uk with your request. Once payment has been made, the information pack is usually completed within 5 working days.

Where can I get further advice?
If you would like further advice, ARMA and Leasehold Advisory Service have lots of helpful information.

What is a section 20 notice?
By law (as detailed in the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985), leaseholders must be consulted before a landlord carries out works where any one leaseholder’s contribution is estimated to, or does, exceed £250 (or £100 per annum for qualifying long-term agreements). There are several stages to the consultation process –

Stage 1 – the Notice of Intention. A notice must be served detailing what works are proposed and why. It will invite leaseholders’ comments and nominations for contractors. At least 30 days must be provided for responses.

Stage 2 – the Statement of Estimates. Once estimates for the works have been obtained, a notice must be served to all leaseholders detailing the costs, how to inspect the documents and inviting any comments.

Stage 3 – the Notice of Reasons. Once the contract is awarded, the landlord must send a notice if they did not choose the cheapest estimate or did not choose a contractor nominated by the leaseholders. It must explain why they chose that contractor.

What is a balancing adjustment?

Service charges are payable on account and in advance, and demands are issued in accordance with the anticipated expenditure.  At the end of the financial year, accounts are finalised to reflect actual income and expenditure for the year. Sometimes, there is a surplus of income over expenditure and the money is either credited to your service charge account or placed in reserve funds (depending on what your Lease or Transfer dictates). Alternatively, there may be an overspend (deficit) and you may have to contribute some more funds for the services received.

Why do I pay Service Charge?
Service Charge is payable for the up-keep of communal areas. Your Lease or TP1 details your contribution to the service charge fund and the items of expenditure applicable.

How do I know what my Service Charge contribution is spent on?
At the start of each financial year you will receive a budget which details estimated costs for each heading you contribute towards (known as the anticipated share of service charge expenditure). This could be items such as cleaning, gardening and buildings insurance. At the end of each financial year, you will receive service charge accounts to show how money has been allocated and spent.

How can I make a complaint?
We aim to provide an efficient and effective service to all our customers. Our aim is to deliver a service which exceeds your expectations. However, we understand that sometimes things may go wrong and we would like the opportunity to improve the service we provide by thoroughly investigating any complaints and correcting any mistakes.

Click Here to download a copy of our complaints procedure.

The property above has leaked into my property, what do I do?
As soon as you notice any water ingress, you should contact your neighbour in the property above and let them know where the water is coming. The leaseholder will need to thoroughly check their apartment for any escape of water and instruct a plumber if necessary. They should turn off their water to stop any further damage. If your neighbour is not home, please leave a note for them to contact you and let us know, we will then try and contact the leaseholder directly.

Where can I find my utility meters and stopcock?
Each development will vary but you will usually find water and electric meters within the riser cupboards in the communal hallways.

How do I report a missed collection of bins?
The bins may not have been collected for several reasons including, they are contaminated (non-recyclable items present in the recycling bin), the bins are blocked by large dumped items or the council have just simply missed the collection. If the bins have been contaminated, the council will usually leave a sticker, it is important that you contact us so that the bins can be sorted. Unfortunately, if the bins have been contaminated, the council will not return once they have been sorted. You should also contact us if someone has dumped any large items in the bin store, so the bins can not be moved.
Should the council have simply just missed your collection, please check their website or call them directly.
Payment of bin collection services is funded through your council tax, not the service charge.
The cost for removal of dumped items or decontamination will increase your service charge.

Rubbish & Recycling Advice
If you have a bin store at your development, please be respectful and keep it in a clean and tidy state.

Should the bins not be collected by the council they must be notified within 24 hours in order for them to reallocate a collection to your property.

We often receive complaints that the bins have not been collected due to contamination (where the wrong item is in the incorrect bin) and where black sacks have been thrown on the floor and not placed in the bins.

We also receive complaints that large items have been dumped in the bin stores. These items will not be removed by the bin men and will incur charges against the service charge for removal.

What steps do I need to take to let my property?
Should you wish to sub-let your property, you will usually require consent from the Landlord or resident’s management company. This will depend on what is stipulated in your lease as a requirement.

Fire Safety
Fire safety in a block of apartments is of paramount importance. It is vital that you not only ensure the safety of yourself, but neighbours too. Please do not store any items in the communal hallways, this is a health and safety hazard and can affect access for emergency services and block your escape route. We place a copy of a fire action plan in the communal hallway of each development (usually on the notice board) and send a copy with each welcome letter. You can download a copy here.

Parking etiquette
Unfortunately we receive many complaints regarding parking at residential developments.  If you are in a leasehold property you should familiarise yourself with the plan that will tell you either your demised parking space, or which space has been allocated for your use.  Where we have a parking plan for your development it will be available to owners for review via the portal.  Please do not park in turning spaces, or anywhere that is not marked as a designated parking space (such as grass verges).  There should always be free passage for emergency services.

What should I do if someone is parking in my space?
You should first leave a polite note on the vehicle to advise that this space is allocated and to contact us to find out where they can park. Unfortunately, it is very hard to patrol parking as we do not hold information as to who owns which vehicle. If the vehicle has been parked in the same space for two weeks without moving, we can start the process of contacting the DVLA to find the registered owner of the vehicle and contact the local authority.

As of 1st October 2012, it is a criminal offence to clamp or tow away a vehicle on private land unless done so by the police or local authority.

The only other alternative is to instate a parking control mechanism, whereby vehicles not displaying the correct permit or are incorrectly parked are issued a fine. This is usually a last resort and would have to be discussed with all relevant parties.

Noisy neighbours

Please visit https://arma.org.uk for information

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