news for leaseholders
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October 2010
Issue 13
Your service charge invoice
BY now you should have received your service charge invoice for 2010-11.
These are the charges that you pay to us for your share of the cost of managing,
maintaining, repairing, insuring and providing services to the block you live in. The actual
charges you pay depend on the terms of your lease.
What certain items mean on your invoice
Management fee - the management fee part of your service
charge shows a small increase in cost this year. Efficiency
savings have enabled our fee to remain competitive despite
a reduction in income from charges relating to assignments
and solicitor enquiries. We regularly compare our fee to other
local landlords and believe that our fee is fair and reasonable.
Other costs - all the costs we incur on your behalf are
subject to quotes or formal tenders to ensure the work
offers good value for money.
Fire risk assessments - a number of invoices may show
a charge for a fire risk assessment. The Regulatory Reform
(Fire Safety) Order 2005 places a duty on Cross Keys
Homes to take general fire precautions to ensure, as far
as is reasonably practicable, the safety of the people on
the premises and in the immediate vicinity. We expect to
undertake these assessments every five years.
Some leaseholders will have received higher priced
invoices following the essential repairs carried out to their
building which can include fascia, soffits and guttering
work; structural roof repairs and new roofs; communal
boilers and external repainting work.
Please note to help leaseholders with this charge we
can offer an instalment repayment plan which can permit
payments over two years for large amounts. Payment
by instalments must be made by direct debit. For further
details call Anthony Knight on: 01733 385022.
Essential repairs Painting
programme
WE are currently compiling a
list of the work we may carry
out to your property from
April 2011 onwards. As soon
as details are available we will publish them
on our website and in our next newsletter.
These essential works will preserve and enhance the fabric
of the building and should ensure that your property is more
attractive to purchasers when you come to sell.
In the last newsletter we informed you of a review Cross
Keys Homes is undertaking to look at essential repair costs.
This piece of work is incomplete and we will inform you of
the outcome as soon as it becomes available.
FORMAL consultation with leaseholders in Gunthorpe,
Paston, Stanground, parts of Fletton and Far Pasture
has now taken place and contracts are due to be
awarded to either Mears or CML decorators Ltd shortly.
External areas are to be completed by November
2010 and internal areas by March 2011.
If you would like to discuss the
painting programme please call
Steve Ball on: 01733 385042.
Annual General Meeting (AGM)
YOU are invited to attend the annual general meeting of the leaseholders' forum (this includes shared owners of
flats) to be held at our head office in Shrewsbury Avenue on Tuesday, November 16, at 6.30pm.
The meeting will be followed by the regular forum meeting. The agenda and minutes of previous meetings can be found on
our website: www.crosskeyshomes.co.uk.
www.crosskeyshomes.co.uk
Shops to let
Contacting us
HAVE you ever thought about starting up your own business? Interested
in finding new business premises? Or perhaps you are currently running a
business and need to expand?
Cross Keys Homes often has shops to let around the city. For an informal
discussion and to find out what shops we have available now, call: 01733 385037.
Gas safety, your safety
LEASEHOLDERS are being reminded of the importance of having their gas
appliances checked once a year for gas leaks and carbon monoxide.
Checks should be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. All engineers
carry a Gas Safe ID card. To find an engineer in your area call: 0800 408 5500
or visit: www.gassaferegister.co.uk.
Repairs
Freephone: 0800 328 2742
This number can also be used for
emergency repairs, out of office hours.
Email: housingrepairs@
crosskeyshomes.co.uk
Building insurance queries:
01733 385036
Leasehold and
service charge enquiries:
01733 385036
Email: leaseholders@
crosskeyshomes.co.uk
Keeping your records up-to-date Our telephone
statistics
IT is important that you make us aware of any change in
your contact details so that we can update our records
accordingly.
This is particularly important when an emergency arises such as
a water leak in a neighbouring property so that we can inform you
straight away and stop the situation from getting any worse and
affecting your property.
Customer satisfaction survey
ALL leaseholders will shortly be receiving a satisfaction survey.
Please be sure to have your say and respond by Friday, December 17. Entrants
will be entered into a free prize draw to win a £25 shopping voucher.
Board member election results
CONGRATULATIONS to Jason Merrill who recently joined the board as a
new tenant board member following a recent election.
A total of four candidates stood for election and the ballot received a turnout of
20 per cent of voters.
Sue Nightingale is the leaseholder board member following her election on to
the board last year.
New independent board member
CROSS Keys Homes has also appointed a new independent board member
following the recent departure of Ben Lee.
Ken Wood was appointed to the board in September following approval by the
board. Ken is a regional operations director for Cyril Sweett Ltd and an active
regeneration consultant in the housing sector.
Difficulties in paying your bills?
DID you know that the leasehold
team on average receives around
478 calls a month?
Out of those calls 99.5 percent are
answered within 20 seconds.
Credit Union
CROSS Keys Homes in partnership with
other local housing associations and
Rainbow Saver Anglia now provides
a credit union initiative to help people
save and invest their money safely and
easily within their community.
A credit union is a financial cooperative owned and run by its
members to provide an alternative to
banks, building societies and high
interest lenders. The money you save
with a credit union is just as safe as
money in the bank.
You can also borrow money, but only
what you can afford to repay. Once
you have saved regularly and for a
minimum of three consecutive months
you can apply for a loan for up to three
times the value of your savings.
For further information call:
01502 584854.
TO access free, confidential and independent debt advice call National
Debtline free on: 0808 808 4000 or visit their website at:
www.nationaldebtline.co.uk
www.crosskeyshomes.co.uk
Cross Keys Homes Limited is registered in the United Kingdom, registered number: 4557701
Cross Keys Homes Limited is a registered charity, registered number: 1104746
If you require an audio, language, large print or Braille translation of this
newsletter, email: [email protected] or call: 01733 385116