Cleaning and disposal of rubbish

Residents are responsible for ensuring that their own rubbish is disposed of only in the chutes and paladin bins provided. Do not leave rubbish bags in the corridors, on the balconies or stairwells. If you are physically challenged and cannot use the chutes, please contact the Totteridge House office and special arrangements can be made. All rubbish is collected on Wednesday with the exception of bank holidays.

Small rubbish bags can be disposed of in the rubbish chutes on each floor. Items too large for the chutes should be taken to the bin chamber located to the left as you leave the block. Please do not store rubbish, even temporarily, in common areas.  For fire safety reasons no storage of any furniture or equipment is allowed in the common parts or under staircases even for a short period of time.

Bulk refuse

If you have any bulky items that you need help disposing of, please contact the Totteridge House office and we will be happy to assist you. Do not leave any items of rubbish around the estate. This is a fire hazard and a danger to children. Dumping rubbish is a breach of your tenancy conditions / lease agreement.

Graffiti and vandalism

As part of our effort to keep this estate a clean and welcoming environment for everyone to live in, we encourage all residents to work with us and report all graffiti to Totteridge House staff as soon as you see it. Removal of racist or offensive graffiti is a high priority and it will be cleaned off within 24 hours. The Council or Totteridge House will take legal action against any person who damages the estate. The Council runs a graffiti hotline where you can report graffiti which you have seen anywhere in the borough by calling 0208 871 7049.

The Council also have an app called ‘Report it’ which you can download and use to report any such issues.

Dogs and other animals 

All dog owners must keep their pets on a leash on the estate and prevent them from fouling the common areas including the gardens. It is a requirement that pets do not cause any form of nuisance to the neighbours.

You, your friends, relatives, visitors and other persons living in the property, including children, must not do any of the following:

• Keep any animal which is unsuitable, such as; wild, dangerous or poisonous creatures or livestock
• Cause a nuisance by breeding any animals or birds at the property
• Allow any animal you keep at the property to cause a nuisance to anyone in the local area, including our employees, agents or contractors
• Allow animals to foul in the communal areas of the property or on footpaths or in the play areas in the local area. You must remove and dispose of faeces hygienically
• Feed pigeons, squirrels and other vermin either at the property or in the communal areas
• Allow your property to become unhygienic

If any animal causes a nuisance we will ask you to remove it from the property.

Leaks

If you notice that water is leaking in your flat or that the sanitary equipment is leaking please call the co-op office during working hours or the housing patrol out of hours.

Balconies

You must clean your balcony regularly and make sure that the drain is not blocked.  Please call the office if you think that there is a problem with the drain. Balcony ceilings should be painted white as they are considered common parts of the estate.

Plants

Plants put on balcony walls are welcomed but they must be secured to prevent them from falling. The cooperative staff will need to check pots for safety from time to time and can help with securing them.

Stopcocks

You regularly need to check the state of the stopcocks in you property. They should be turned anticlockwise and back again at least once a year to prevent them from seizing up. Most stopcocks can be found in the cupboard in the hallway or under the kitchen sink.

Residents database

Please respond to letters requesting contact information which are sent out to all flats annually. This is to ensure we can keep out database up to date and deal with issues effectively and in a timely manner. Leaseholders who are subletting their property carry the responsibility of informing their tenants about the co-ops rules and showing them all the amenities and facilities available.

Anti-social Behaviour, Nuisance, Racial or other form of Harassment
Totteridge House will not accept any anti-social behaviour on the estate. You, as the legal tenant or leaseholder are responsible for the behaviour of every person (including children) living in or visiting the property. Examples of anti-social behaviour include but are not limited to:

• Using abusive or insulting words or behaviour.
• Using or threatening to use violence.
• Vandalism of council property.
• Offensive drunkenness.
• Persistent arguing and door slamming.
• Noise or fouling from pets.
• Loud music.
• Rubbish Dumping.
• Speeding and dangerous riding of scooters/mopeds.

Grassed Areas Communal Areas and Play Areas
Please do not allow your dogs to foul grassed areas. The staff do their best to keep these areas looking good, you can help by not littering these areas. The play areas are there to encourage your children to play outdoors. Please encourage your children to play sensibly.

Fire safety

There are lots of simple safety precautions you can take to help reduce the risk of fire in your home.

• Do not store flammable liquids, bottled gas or paraffin in your home.
• Always keep fire doors shut, and keep exit routes clear.
• Do not chain bicycles to handrails or store them in the stairways, corridors or in the main entrance area.
• Do not leave any obstructions in the corridors or stairwells.
• Do not overload sockets.
• Ensure there is a working smoke alarm inside your property

In the event of a fire or a suspected fire, please call the London Fire Brigade on 999

Gas emergencies
Make sure you know where your gas meter and the main gas supply tap are. If in doubt, ask at the office. If you think you may have a gas leak or can smell gas you should follow these simple steps:

• Open the doors and windows for ventilation.
• Ensure that all gas appliances are switched off.

If you can still smell gas, turn the gas supply off at the meter and phone the gas emergency service, The National Grid on 0800 111 999

If there is a strong smell of gas when you enter the front door, do not go inside. Gently close the door and telephone the national grid.

• Do not use matches or naked flames or smoke.
• Do not turn any electrical switches on or off.

Electricity emergencies
If you are experiencing problems with your electrical supply, check to see whether other properties are also affected. If only your home is affected, check the main fuse box to see whether the trip switch has turned your supply off. Modern fuse boxes have a tripping mechanism so that instead of ‘blowing’ a fuse, it automatically switches off.

If other properties are experiencing the same problem, call the Electrical Emergency Number 0845 600 0102

If you cannot find the cause of the problem call the Totteridge House office.

Water 
Check where your mains stop cock is for turning water off in an emergency. It is usually in the toilet or the kitchen as this should be the first thing you do in the event of a flood. Please contact Totteridge House if you are unsure where this is.

Condensation
Condensation is caused by a build up of too much moisture and not enough ventilation.

To help reduce condensation:

• Leave the windows open during cooking or taking a bath.
• Do not block air vents or extractor fans.
• Make sure tumble dryers are properly installed and ventilated.
• Keep a constant temperature in all rooms during winter.
• Do not use radiators to dry clothes without adequate ventilation.

General Points

• You must not use or allow the property or any communal area to be used for any illegal or immoral activity such as drug dealing or prostitution.
• Excessive Noise is a nuisance; don’t inflict your preferred music style on your neighbours. If you have a party please inform or invite your neighbours, please always be mindful that they might need to rest and have a quite night.
• Please inform your neighbours and our office when you are planning to do any DIY.