Please contact the Front Desk between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday to discuss routine maintenance issues. Out of hours, please see the out of hours emergency details on the documents page of this website. Telephone: 07595 820 548

Yes, you are allowed to sublet you flat under the terms of the lease. However, lettings must be subject to a bona fide Assured Shorthold Tenancy of not less than six months. Please see the separate document Additional Regulations for Flats for further information. 

The Service Charge payable is the figure which we estimate will be required to cover the expenditure in respect of your property. Your share of this is charged as “On Account Service Charge”. Shortly after the end of the financial year, we prepare end of year accounts which show the actual expenditure incurred in the year. This is then offset against the estimated costs and the balance is then transferred to or from reserves to bring the service charge account balance to zero at the year-end.

At the end of each financial year, full service charge accounts are certified by an independent firm of Chartered Accountants, showing all the income and expenditure. The certified accounts are circulated to all leaseholders.

The reserve fund is collected to cover the costs of major, periodic expenditure, such as internal / external decorations, boiler replacement, lift refurbishment or major roof repairs.

The amount collected each year ensures that we do not have to make sudden unexpected demands for additional funds.

All funds are held in named client accounts, on your behalf, at Natwest Bank in accordance with RICS Client Account Rules.

The service charges are payable under the terms of the lease, by the owner, regardless of whether you are living in the property or not.

This usually occurs because you have recently purchased the flat and your solicitor has not registered the assignment with us as required by your lease. You should contact your solicitor immediately to ensure that the Notice of Assignment has been completed by your solicitor.

Until registration has taken place, we are unable to amend the record relating to your property. However, as the owner, you are responsible for the charges and should pay these even though you may be resolving matters with your solicitor.

We understand that due to personal circumstances change some property owners may find that they have difficulty in meeting their service charge obligations. Please contact our Accounts Department immediately to discuss payment options, particularly if you have received a letter from our Credit Control department.

As the current owner, you are now liable for making this payment. However, your solicitor should have retained an amount of the money due on completion of your purchase. You should check this with your solicitor.

As the current owner of the property, the payment is due from you in full. You should request a receipt, when you pay, as your solicitor will require this to agree who pays what on completion.

If your sale is due to complete before the invoice falls due, please pass the invoice to your solicitor so that they become aware of it. For most sales, solicitors write to ask us if there are any payments outstanding; if you have not paid it is possible that this may delay your sale.

We understand that due to personal circumstances change some property owners may find that they have difficulty in meeting their service charge obligations. Please contact our Accounts Department immediately to discuss payment options, particularly if you have received a letter from our Credit Control department.

You should contact the managing agent via the Contact Page on this website or by telephoning 020 8232 6620 between 9am and 5pm – Monday to Friday.

If you require a copy of the residential block insurance policy this can be obtained online by logging on to the Account Management Area from the home page of this website, or by contacting the managing agent during office hours.

If you require a copy of the residential block insurance policy this can be obtained online by logging on to the Account Management Area from the home page of this website, or by contacting the managing agent during office hours.

The building insurance covers the damage caused as a result of an incident caused by an insured peril. For example, you can claim for the damage caused to your decoration by a burst pipe. You cannot, however, claim for repairing the pipe. Whilst fitted kitchens and bathrooms are covered under the building insurance, your contents (including carpets and curtains) are not and you should arrange your own contents insurance. Please note that the insurance policy carries an excess. Where damage has been caused by a leak from a neighbouring flat, you will be required to recover the excess from them. For further information on making claims, please contact the managing agent. Details can be found on the “Contact Us” page of this website.

Structural alterations such as replacing windows or the removal of internal walls require the Freeholders consent. The purpose of these covenants is to maintain the structural integrity and aesthetic appearance of the building and to adhere to other restrictions. If you wish to make an alteration, you should apply to the Managing Agent, in writing, including appropriate plans and specifications for the intended work. An administration charge is made to cover the processing and inspection of applications. The alterations may also require local authority planning approval and we would require copies of any consent to proceed.

The Managing Agent regularly visits Portsea Hall and will take appropriate action where it is found that alterations have taken place without consent. Such action may include ensuring that the property is returned to its original condition at the flat owner’s expense.

In the first instance, you should make contact with the resident of the flat above; quite often they are unaware of the fault and will rectify the problem straight away. If you experience difficulty making contact with the resident in question, please contact the front desk Porters who will assist you. Details of how to contact the front desk can be found on the Contact Us page of this website.

In the first instance you should speak to your neighbour and try to resolve the issue amicably. They may not be aware that there is a problem. If the issue remains unresolved, keep a log of the incidents and notify us in writing of the issues that you are experiencing. Where there is a clear breach of the terms of the lease, we will write to your neighbour and keep you advised of progress.

If this fails to resolve the issues that you are experiencing please log a formal complaint with the Building Manager, who will speak with the offending Owner.

Legal action to resolve the issue may be considered as a last resort. However, such action is very costly and protracted and not undertaken except in the most extreme cases. Where the incident relates to excessive noise, loud music and / or shouting, you should call the Noise Abatement Team at your Local Authority immediately. They may have powers to take immediate action. In cases of anti-social behaviour, you should immediately report the matter to the police.

We welcome any customer who would like to come and visit our office during working hours. Please get in touch with us first so you can arrange a time to come in and see how we work and ask us questions.

Fire safety is something we take very seriously. We operate a ‘stay put’ policy that involves the following approach:

• If a fire occurs within a flat, the occupants should alert others in the flat, make their way out of the building and contact the fire and rescue service by dialling ‘999’
• If a fire starts in the common parts, anyone in these areas should make their way out of the building to a place of safety and alert the fire and rescue service.
• All other residents not directly affected by the fire would be expected to ‘stay put’ and remain in their flats, unless directed to leave by the fire and rescue service.

For full details of the Fire Safety Policy please refer to the Residents’ Handbook section of this website.

The name of the account holders should always reflect the registered owners of the property. Therefore we ask that any change to our records is supported by legal evidence noting the change e.g. a marriage or deed-poll certificate. If the registered property owner is a company, then any change in the company name should be evidenced with a certificate of name change.

Property owners can update the correspondence address by logging on to the Account Management Area from the home page of this website or by contacting the Managing Agent during office hours.

All queries relating to sales and remortgages are dealt with by the Managing Agents who have a set process for dealing with these matters. There is a charge for dealing with sales enquiries and replies will be provided within 10 working days of the fee being paid to the managing agent.