The Services We Provide

Why we have the service?

Everyone living within mixed tenure areas has an interest in keeping the area safe, pleasant and a well maintained environment in which to live. Every Owner, Tenant, Sharing Owner and Homestake Owner has an obligation in law to contribute to the cost of the maintenance and repair of all common areas.

Tenants living within these areas pay their share of common maintenance and repair costs within their monthly rental charges. Owners in accordance with their deeds of condition and the Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004 are required to pay their percentage share of any common works carried out within the block, close or estate where they live.

The services we provide

As Factors we have a legal responsibility to ensure proper upkeep of the common areas and as such we provide regular estate inspections, note and action common repairs, potential improvements and the upkeep common grounds. In addition, as Factors we can provide to you building insurance cover through our block policies at competitive rates.

Estate, Close and Block Management

As part of your Factoring Service Cunninghame Housing Association staff provides Cunninghame Enterprises with an Agency management inspection service to ensure that your close, block or estate is well maintained

Regular inspections will be carried out as follows:-

• Technical inspections of common areas or common parts of your building to assess the need for any repairs, replacements or improvements. After each inspection the Technical Officer from Cunninghame Housing Association will post an inspection card through your letterbox on our behalf to confirm that they have visited.

• Observance of common stair cleaning rotas

• Anti-Social Behaviour such as fly tipping.

In cases where repairs or improvements exceed £250 (excluding VAT) on an individual basis as Factors we will call a meeting of the close or block to discuss the costs in order to seek a majority of owners to proceed with the works in question. In this respect each property owners will have an individual vote for each property they own.

During their regular Technical Inspections our Agents will log and issue common repair jobs to our contractors. However, owners can also report common repairs

Common repairs can be reported in person at our Ardrossan Office, 82-84 Glasgow Street or by calling our Freephone Number (0800 068 1466)

What is a Common Repair and Response Times

For illustration common repairs include door entry system faults, front / rear close door problems, stair head window problems, handrails and common lighting faults.

Emergency Cases

Most Common Repairs will be routine or non-routine repairs. However, there may be occasions that are of an emergency category. For example if there is no electrical power within your common close area you should call our Freephone Number on (0800 068 1466)

Your Home

If there is no electrical power within your own property you should in the first instance check with your neighbours to see is they have no power. Power faults should then be reported to your electricity supplier.

Escape of Gas

Escape or smell of Gas-Call TRANSCO immediately on (0800 111999)

Grounds Maintenance

A grounds maintenance contractor is employed by our Agents to maintain grassed and landscaped common areas. This service is predominately provided over the summer months and comprises grass cutting, soft landscaping, weeding and weed treatment in hard landscaped areas such as monoblock.

The costs of providing the ground maintenance service is shared between Cunninghame Housing Associations Tenants, Shared Owners, Homestake Officers, and Tenemental Owner Occupiers.

By applying your overall individual percentage share to the costs of the service your fee is calculated and will then be applied to your quarterly factoring invoices.

Building Insurance

The Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004 requires owners to ensure that their property is adequately insured and in tenemental stock where you share this responsibility with other owners and Cunninghame Housing Association.

Cunninghame Enterprises offers common block insurance cover and around 65% of factored owners currently participate in this scheme. The current cost for this cover is £47.52 per annum (£11.88 applied per quarter)

This insurance covers all common parts of the fabric of the building including the structure, gable ends, roof, common stairwell, closes including common lighting and solum but does not include any feature specific to your property e.g. your windows or front door.

Any owner who does not wish to participate in the common block insurance policy is required to provide us with a copy of their private building insurance certificate. If this is not provided Cunninghame Enterprises will apply the annual premium of the common block insurance over 4 quarters and charge you for this on your factoring invoices.

Cunninghame Enterprises does not provide any form of home contents insurance

Property Sales

Owners and their Solicitors are required to contact Cunninghame Enterprises when their property is on the market for sale. Solicitors should contact us to establish whether their Client owes any factoring charges and Solicitors will be required to forward this sum as part of the property sale.We regularly write to Solicitors in North and East Ayrshire drawing this to their attention. A Notification of Potential Liability for costs can be applied to your property (registered against your property Title) by Cunninghame Enterprises (and/or its Agents) and this will affect your ability to sell.

Planned & Cyclical Maintenance of Common Areas

Cunninghame Enterprises is committed to ensuring that your views are taken into account where possible and we will consult on maintenance requirements, colour choices for painting programmes, contract specifications, timing of works and any other important matters.

The title deeds of your property sometimes specifically state the monetary level where consultation is required and the decision requires to be approved by the Factor or by a close meeting. Other times the law of the Tenement will apply and as Factors we can generally instruct the works if each share is under £250 (excluding VAT).  However, we will endeavour to ensure that we provide owners with effective communication, appropriate consultation and a price that represents value for money.