Estate management

It is in the interests of tenants and landlords to ensure that properties are provided within a safe, secure, and pleasant environment. It is therefore important to understand your rights and obligations in relation to estate management and those of the landlord.

Estate management includes matters such as cleaning and repairs of communal areas, boundary issues, grounds maintenance, parking, and the general use of communal areas.

If you have concerns about any element of estate management:

• Consult your tenancy agreement or lease to find out who is responsible for the issue. There may be some matters which you and/or other residents are responsible for dealing with. Your landlord’s website or tenant/leaseholder handbook may also provide information about who should deal with the issue.
• If it is the landlord’s responsibility, contact the landlord’s customer service line to report the issue. Keep a note of any conversations you have or copies of any letters or emails with your landlord, including the name of the person you spoke or wrote to, and any agreed actions.
• Consult your tenancy agreement or lease, any residents’ handbook and the landlord’s website, to see if the landlord has provided set timescales within which it aims to respond to your report. Allow your landlord the specified amount of time to attend to the issue. Your landlord might also publish policies and procedures setting out how it manages estate issues, which would normally be available on its website.
• If you do not hear from your landlord, or the issue has not been resolved within the specified time frame, contact your landlord again (preferably in writing) to explain that the issue is still outstanding. You should keep a record of any communication, written or on the phone, that you have with your landlord.
• If this does not resolve the issue, you may wish to make a formal complaint to your landlord about the issue.
• You should also familiarise yourself with your own obligations under your tenancy agreement or lease, to ensure that your actions do not have an adverse effect on your neighbours or the surrounding environment. For example, there may be specific provisions about how to dispose of your rubbish, or where you are allowed to park.