Management of housing land and communal areas

1. Statement of intent

Woking Borough Council recognises the importance of maintaining housing land and communal areas to a high standard to ensure a safe and pleasant environment. The management of housing land needs to be effective, efficient and consistent in its approach.

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Housing Land

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2. Pest control

2.1 Tenant and Leaseholder Services will take necessary action against:

  • any pest infestations in empty properties

  • rats and wasps in housing communal areas

  • bed bugs, cockroaches and pharaoh ants in individual tenanted and leasehold properties.

2.2 When pests need to be eradicated in a communal area, an appropriate apportionment of the costs will be made to any leaseholders through the leaseholders' service charges.

2.3 Tenant and Leaseholder Services will arrange eradication of grey squirrels free of charge where they are damaging the structure of the property.

2.4 It is tenants' responsibility to deal with pests within their home.

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3. Provision of signs

3.1 The Council recognises the importance of providing suitable, clear directional and informational signs on its land and buildings to enable people to find their way around and understand the Council's role.

3.2 Signs should be provided where the information is either functional or enforceable in practice. Funding is subject to funding availability.

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4. Maintenance of trees and general grounds maintenance on housing land

4.1 The Council recognises its responsibility to take care of trees, grass and shrub areas on land which it owns for reasons of safety andoverall appearance of the environment.

4.2 The management and maintenance of these areas is carried out through a partnership contract managed for the borough as a whole by Neighbourhood Services. Tenants assist with monitoring through a monitoring panel supported by Neighbourhood Services.

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5. Reserved gardens / licences

5.1 The Council retains information about possible development areas including tenants’ gardens.  Tenants are given a licence to use and maintain garden areas which may in the future become part of a development scheme.  The council will maintain such areas if the tenant does not with to use them. 

5.2  Tenants with a licence who apply to buy their home are not permitted to buy the land under licence.

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6. Management of play areas on housing land

6.1 The Council recognises that young children who live in homes without private gardens need play facilities. However, older tenants may be annoyed by the noise near their homes and it aims to strike a balance between these different needs.

6.2 Right-to-Buy has led to diversified tenure on estates. The Council believes that tenants' rent should not be spent on maintenance of amenities enjoyed by all the community. Where possible play areas should be maintained by the General Fund.

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7. Management of shops on housing estates

7.1 The management of commercial leases is carried out by Valuation Services, with maintenance contracted to Woking Repairs Service. Whilst Valuation Services seeks to maximise incomes the emphasis is on providing services to local communities.

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8. Removal of abandoned vehicles from housing land

8.1 Vehicles that are untaxed, unroadworthy, have a Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN) or are abandoned are a potential danger and the Council intends to remove them from its housing land as quickly as possible whilst ensuring that vehicle owners have an opportunity to repair or remove their vehicles before they are removed or destroyed by the Council.

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9. Vehicle crossings over amenity greens owned by housing

9.1   The Council requires applications in writing and consultation is carried out with nearby residents where appropriate.  If agreed, the Council will grant a licence to cross housing land.

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Communal Areas

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10. Building cleaning contract

10.1 The Council has a contract for cleaning all communal areas within blocks of flats and maisonettes. The service is monitored by Officers and takes into account views of residents.  Some residents belong to a monitoring panel and base their observations on the contracted allocated tasks and frequencies for cleaning applicable to their block.

10.2  All tenants and leaseholders are subject to a service charge based on contract costs.

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11. Key targets / standards

11.1 Remove dangerous vehicles from housing land within seven days of expiry of List Notice and all others within 14 days.

8.2 Transfer the management and maintenance of play areas to Community Services if funding arrangements equitable to tenants and Council Tax payers can be negotiated.

Date Approved: 18 September 1995
                               23 March 2005

Date Amended: 6 June 2003
                                  March 2005 (Amalgamation 49 Pest Control)
March 2005 (Amalgamation 79 Provision of Estate Signs)
March 2005 (Amalgamation 58 Reserved Gardens)
March 2005 (Amalgamation 54 Provision of Play Areas on Housing Land)March 2005 (Amalgamation 76 Maintenance of Trees on Housing Land)November 2005 (7.1)
February 2008
July 2008 (to add grounds maintenance, vehicle crossings, building cleaning)