Development Information Document

Home Familiarisation

Moving into a new home is exciting but can also be daunting. Our dedicated Aftercare Team are here to help you during this time and help make your move and the transition into your new home as smooth as possible. As soon as you have exchanged contracts to purchase your new home a member of our Aftercare Team will be in touch to arrange a Home Familiarisation visit which we will look to arrange before you complete on your purchase and move in. You will be given a tour of the development and shown where your bin and bike store is located, how you access the communal garden and, if you have purchased one, where your car parking space is, as well as through your apartment. This visit provides the opportunity to have everything explained to you and for you to ask any questions about the development or the appliances and equipment in your apartment. You will also have the process for logging any defects that might arise in the 2 year defect liability period (that runs from the date that you purchase your new home) explained to you.

To support you further, we’ve also created an Aftercare website packed with useful information about your home, its appliances, warranty registration, and essential maintenance tips. Our Aftercare team will also be on hand to assist you as well as deal with any defects that you may need to raise.

Purchase Procedure

• £2,000 reservation fee (repayable subject to certain conditions),
• 10% of the Purchase Price (minus the reservation fee) payable on Exchange of Contracts, to take place 21 days after receipt of draft legal documentation.
• The balance of the Purchase Price due on Completion of the purchase.
• As the properties are now build complete, legal completion will take place no later than 5 Working Days from the date of exchange of contracts, unless otherwise agreed in writing.

Property Information

Service Charge & Estate Management

Services included in your Annual Service Charge & Insurance

Service charges and insurance charges are charges raised by the Landlord (or in respect of the service charges by the managing agent on behalf of the management company) for all the services provided in managing the estate. These services will include maintenance and repairs, insurance of the building cleaning and running costs. The items in your service charge budget include:

1. Accountancy Fees: Professional fees incurred preparing service charge and company accounts on an annual basis, in accordance with Landlord & Tenant legislation and Company House requirements.
2. Company Secretarial Fees: Professional Fees for Eaves Property Management Services to act as Company Secretary on behalf of the Landlord.
3. Building Insurance: The annual premium for buildings insurance, covering the structure and the envelope of the building. Please note cover for the contents of each apartment is the responsibility of the resident.
4. Engineering Insurance: The annual premium for engineering insurance involving 6 monthly independent inspections of the lifts as required by law.
5. D&O Insurance: Professional insurance covering officers of the Management Company, i.e. those residents that choose to stand as Directors in the future.
6. Lift Maintenance (Contract): Regular inspections and service visits to ensure the smooth running of the lift mechanism, including all general repairs as required.
7. Lift Maintenance (Additional Repairs): A provision for costs incurred repairing the lift outside of the maintenance contract terms, i.e. misuse or vandalism.
8. Lift Telephones: The line rental and telephone calls relating to the lift emergency telephone system and door entry system.
9. Cleaning: A maintenance contract will be put in place to cover the cost of regular cleaning of the common areas on the estate both internally and externally (including vacuuming, dusting, polishing etc) and the cutting of grass and general cleaning and maintenance of the communal garden.
10. Power: The cost of supplying electricity to the door entry systems and for the provision of estate, CCTV cameras and all other items requiring electrical equipment such as lighting, water pumps and lifts.
11. Common Water: Communal water supply costs for water used in the upkeep of the bin and cycle store and used by cleaners and tradesmen within the communal areas within the building.
12. Entry Phone Maintenance: The cost of covering the proactive maintenance and repair of the entry phone system including the costs of the BT Broadband line.
13. External Cleaning: The annual cost for weekly cleaning the external areas of the development including the front and rear entrances.
14. Internal Lighting: Annual costs for the repair and maintenance of internal lighting across the development. This includes light fixings and the replacement of bulbs as required, but the electric usage is covered under a separate heading (see above).
15. Garden Lighting: Annual costs for the repair and maintenance of lighting within the communal garden area. This includes light fixings and replacement of bulbs as required, but the electric usage is covered under a separate heading (see above).
16. Communal Garden: Annual costs for the repair and maintenance of the landscaped communal garden.
17. Emergency Lighting Maintenance: Annual costs incurred undertaking repairs and 6 monthly testing and certification of the emergency lighting systems across the development.
18. Life Safety Systems: Annual costs incurred in undertaking maintenance and repair including testing and certification of the Life Safety Systems and carrying out of annual fire door inspections and fire exit apparatus.
19. Dry Riser Maintenance: Annual costs incurred undertaking repairs and annual testing and certification of the dry riser system across the development.
20. Carrying out of an annual Fire Risk Assessment and the costs of carrying out any tasks identified in the Action Plan.
21. Lighting Protection Maintenance: Annual testing and certification of communal lightning protection systems.
22. Fall Arrest Maintenance: Annual testing and certification of abseil points across the development to facilitate the window cleaning programme.
23. Fire Alarm Maintenance: Costs incurred undertaking monthly testing and certification of the communal fire alarm system.
24. Communal Television Maintenance: Maintenance and repair of the communal television receiver equipment as required.
25. Drains and/or Gutter Maintenance: Annual preventative works undertaken to maintain the free flowing of communal drains and rainwater goods, i.e. clearance of gutters and downpipes of fallen leaves and debris.
26. Cold Water Tank Maintenance: Annual testing and chlorination of the communal cold water storage tank (CWST).
27. Photovoltaic Panels: Preventative Planned Maintenance, cleaning and electrical testing of the photovoltaic cells on the roof.
28. General Repairs & Maintenance: Annual provision for general repairs and maintenance not covered under other expenditure categories.
29. Management Fees: The cost of employing the Managing Agent to oversee all contracts, maintenance, repairs and company secretarial functions for the Landlord.
30. Reserve Fund: Annual contribution to a building reserve fund to provide funding for major repairs and redecorations such as internal redecoration of the communal areas as required under the lease terms.

Terms on which the Charges and Fees may change

The service charges quoted are budgets that have been estimated based on the Managing Agent's experience of managing other schemes and the previous years actual accounts for the development at Urban Picturehouse, Sidcup. Although every effort has been made to ensure they are accurate the actual charges may vary from those currently set out in the Service Charge and Insurance estimate.

The Managing Agent who is appointed by the Management Company will collect in advance a service charge apportionment from each property owner based on the budgeted expenditure. At the end of the accounting year a reconciliation will be carried out and appropriate adjustments for any under/over recovery will be made to the following year's charge. The Landlord's representative will demand the insurance premium separately.

The following are some examples of why the service charges actually payable may vary from the current estimate:

• The estimated consumption in the case of utilities etc is different from the actual e.g. the amount of electricity used in the communal areas.
• The level of service provided by the Manager is increased/decreased e.g. the frequency which the cleaners are asked to attend.
• The cost of procurring the service or contract is higher/lower than that assumed when the estimate was prepared.

Summary of Legal Obligations

The lease will contain the normal covenants dealing with assigning the lease, granting underleases and making alterations to the apartment. Each tenant is also subject to a set of regulations and covenants imposed for the benefit of all of the occupiers living in the development. They will cover:

• Restricting the apartment to residential use and not using it for business.
• Ensuring any undertenants comply with the regulations.
• Behaviour of owners and occupiers to prevent any embarrassment, nuisance or disturbance to others.
• Avoiding excessive noise whether by people, machinery or musical instruments.
• Prohibiting the keeping of animals unless approved by the Landlord.
• Restricting a change to any doors leading onto a balcony or terrace, or communal corridor or a change to the outface and decorative finish of such doors without the prior approval of the Landlord or management company.
• The external appearance of the apartment.
• Requirement for white or cream backed curtains and blinds.
• The use of the balconies, terraces and private gardens (see following page).
• Cleaning internal and external windows on a regular basis as defined in the lease.
• The minimum requirements for floor covering and controls to changing them.
• The use of the common parts including the communal garden, bins and bike stores to ensure they are used properly and without damaging them or causing a nuisance to others.
• Movement of furniture and belongings within the common areas.
• Appropriate use of the lifts.
• Refuse disposal.

The Landlord will be allowed to amend the existing regulations or make new regulations for the control, management, operation, use and enjoyment of the development.

Balcony, Terrace and Private Garden

The following is the current list of covenants in relation to the right to use of any balcony or terrace:

• To maintain the balcony or terrace in a good and neat order and not to make any alterations;
• Not to permit any barbecues on the balcony, terrace or private garden;
• Not to install or construct any hot tub or similar facility on the balcony, terrace or private garden;
• Not to do anything which would make such balcony or terrace structurally unsafe;
• Not to permit any external heater or cooking equipment or fridge or other equipment on any balcony, terrace or private garden;
• Not to lift any paving slabs laid on any balcony, terrace or private garden;
• To ensure that any items on the balcony are secured or safely stored in order to prevent any such item falling from the balcony, terrace or private garden;
• To ensure that any plants on the balcony or terrace are properly maintained and to use all reasonable endeavours to prevent water from such plants encroaching onto any other part of the development;
• Not to enclose any balcony, terrace or private garden with screens, windbreaks or similar structures or to affix anything without previous written consent from the Landlord;
• Not to replace any of the balustrades and to notify any damage to the Management Company, the cost of such repair to be paid by the tenant to the Management Company;
• Not to hang out or place washing or other articles on the outside of the apartment or on any balcony or terrace;
• Not to throw any rubbish or refuse or anything whatsoever out of any window or from the balcony or terrace;
• Not to store any bikes, prams or the like on the balcony, terrace or private garden.

Residents' Car Parking

It should be noted that neither the occupier of the apartment nor their successor will be entitled to apply for a parking permit to park any vehicle in a parking bay or to buy a contract to park within any car park owned, controlled or licensed by Bexley
Council unless they are the holder of a disabled persons badge.

(*) Information correct at time of publication.