Q: Bins, Recycling and Waste collections 🔗
As at January 2021, the bins are emptied as follows:
- General Waste – Collected every Thursday
- Recycling – Collected every Monday and Friday
- Food Waste – Collected Saturdays
Please flatten cardboard boxes and recycling to make the most of our limited bin space, quickly wash recycling to prevent vermin, and remove your recycling from bin bags before being put into the bins. Generally Southwark accepts paper and card, plastic bottles and trays (not plastic films or bags) glass, metals, and food and drink cartons, but more details are available on the Southwark recycling pages and the what can I recycle poster.
Bulky Waste should be taken to the Southwark Reuse and Recycling Centre (Google Maps Link) or collection should be arranged on the Southwark Website for a small fee. Items from works in your residence, and bulky large devices, appliances or furniture, should not be disposed of in the general bins, and you should arrange for commercial disposal or take to the Reuse and Recycling Centre.
These dates are subject to change, and do change usually around the Christmas and New Year period. To check for updated collection dates, check the Southwark Council timetable and for more information about Bin collection generally check the Southwark Council waste portal.
We were aware that the Bins (in particular the recycling bins) were in high demand and have increased the size of the bins where Southwark Council was able to provide (2022) and will review if others also need to be swapped out for larger bins.
Q: I’m a tenant – does any of this apply to me? 🔗
A: Yes. If you breach the rules of Brunel Point, your Landlord will have to deal with the consequences – which is unlikely to make you their favourite person.
Q: Car Parking and Bike Racks 🔗
A: Parking rights across the development vary depending on your property. Please refer to your property ownership documents for specific details, however in general:
- If you have a garage, that is your parking space;
- If you do not have a garage, typically you have an assigned parking space; and
- There is no right to park anywhere else on the development other than in a garage or a defined parking space.
There are a limited number of visitor parking spaces around the development for temporary visitor use. Note that visitor bays should not be used for regular parking. Please be sensible and considerate if you need to temporarily park in another person’s parking space as this is completely at their discretion.
The Bike Racks have recently been replaced and car parking lines and numbers repainted (2021). Check out the page about car parking and bike racks for more info.
Q: How do I get access through the gates? / How do I get a gate fob? / How do I report a broken gate? 🔗
A: Various fobs, remotes and keys are used to access to different areas of Brunel Point. You should have been provided with the right access items when you moved into Brunel Point. Fobs or keys for car gates can be issued for a small charge to owners only, and the gate code can be sent to you. You can also have your phone connected to the gate so you can communicate with visitors via the intercoms, again for a small fee. Gate codes are changed regularly and new codes communicated to residents from time to time. Please only disclose this code sensibly so as to help maintain the security of Brunel Point. If you think you are missing an access item, or would like to connect your phone to the gate or update your phone number, please contact HML as per the details on our contact us page.
Q: Can I rent out my flat or parking space? 🔗
A: You can rent out your flat subject to the restrictions in your lease. Please check your lease carefully for restrictions that are applicable – BPMC enforces these restrictions. Short term lets (Airbnb style) are not allowed at all. Please also consider that regularly changing tenants cause significantly increased wear and tear on communal property – which will increase your service charge.
Use of parking spaces by your own private visitors is of course fine, but you are not allowed to rent out your parking space to others. Lending out key fobs and other security measures also reduced their effectiveness significantly – please do not do it.
Q: I want to get Sky TV, internet connected from a provider – what do I need to do? 🔗
A: Community Vision provides satellite and aerial connections for the flats, please contact HML as per the details on our contact us page to arrange your connection. Houses must install their own satellite dish or aerial.
Openreach provides ADSL and Community Fibre provide FTTP Fibre Broadband to all residences at Brunel Point. Hyperoptic Fibre and BT Fibre Internet is available for some. We continue to evaluate internet provision on site and handle requests from providers looking to install at Brunel Point.
Q: I have another general Maintenance question not covered in this FAQ? 🔗
A: Please contact HML as per the details on our contact us page. If your question is asked regularly enough, it’ll likely end up on this page soon enough!
Q: I want to have a pet at Brunel Point – what do I need to do? 🔗
A: Check out our guidance and rules for pet requests on our Policies and Byelaws page.
Q: Cleaning of the communal areas 🔗
A: The communal areas of the flats (the stair cases and corridors) are regularly hoovered and cleaned. If you notice a problem with this (and are unable to sort it yourself) please do contact HML as per the details on our contact us page so this can be sorted.
Q: Gardening 🔗
A: The development has gardeners who maintain the communal plants, shrubs and keep the grounds generally tidy.
Currently the various pots around the development are not maintained. Their replacement and subsequent maintenance is under discussion.
Q: When are the windows in the flats cleaned? 🔗
A: The outside of the windows in the flats are cleaned twice a year using brushes and rods from the ground. If you have any problems with the work that is performed, please contact HML as per the details on our contact us page who will be able to pass this along to our supplier so that this can be addressed at the next scheduled cleaning.
Q: I’ve seen some Graffiti which needs removal, who do I contact? 🔗
A: Please report any Graffiti on the outside of the development using this Southwark Council form here. This is a free service and is provided for all walls etc which face a public highway or walkway.
In the unlikely event that Graffiti is inside the development (within the gates), Please contact HML as per the details on our contact us page so we can arrange for removal (which will be charged to residents), as inside Brunel Point is a private space and Southwark Council will not remove this for us for free.
Q: How often are the trees maintained / I’ve seen a tree which needs to be maintained, who do I contact? 🔗
A: The trees are monitored by HML and the Directors of Brunel Point, and are scheduled for regular annual maintenance to ensure they are kept in good health and are kept safe. If you see a tree which has been damaged by the weather or otherwise, or something which you think needs attention, please contact HML as per the details on our contact us page.
Q: I want to make changes to my flat/house? I want to change the windows / change the boiler / cut or drill through the walls of the buildings etc. 🔗
A: Check out our guidance and rules for these items on our Policies and Byelaws page.
In addition, we’ve long highlighted the need for new boiler installations in our development to be adequately sealed to ensure weather tightness. The National House Building Council has highlighted two common areas where air leakage occurs (1) around service penetrations (i.e. pipework); and (2) behind fitted units.
Part L of the updated Building Regulations now makes sealing these a legal requirement. Pipe grommets and pipe collars need to be used on all service penetrations to help maintain air tightness and requires photographic evidence of compliance.
Any further installations, new holes or adjustments to existing equipment will be expected to meet these requirements in addition to the Boiler Policy.
Q: I have an emergency about an issue with Brunel Point which is not covered by the above, who do I contact? 🔗
A: If it a a non life threatening emergency in relation to the building, please contact your fellow resident directly if the problem can be resolved this way, and if not possible or appropriate, please follow the Emergencies and Incidents process as set out on emergency pages of the HML website. The HML Emergency line during business hours is 01737 333 780. Outside of those times, the out of hours emergency ONLY phone number is 0345 601 2422. Please do not misuse this telephone line as this is for emergencies only.
If there is an immediate threat to life or property, please call the emergency services on 999 as normal.
Q: I’ve been asked if my building has an EWS1 form, or if a survey is being undertaken – what is the status of this? (last updated March 2021) 🔗
The most recent UK Government (8 March 2021) and RICS guidance (8 March 2021) (including a recently issued RICS FAQ document (8 March 2021) excludes our buildings from the requirement to perform an EWS1 assessment or produce the EWS1 form. For the avoidance of doubt, the buildings at Brunel Point do not have any sort of “External Wall System”, ACM or MCM panels on the building, nor do we have any exterior balconies. In particular, our walls are solely Brick and Mortar conventional construction with a concrete substructure, with no cladding attached to the exterior of the buildings.
We have heard reports of some mortgage lenders erroneously requesting an EWS1 form for mortgages/remortgages on properties in buildings such as ours, when it is not appropriate, whilst other lenders are taking a more pragmatic approach and recognising when a building’s construction method and materials are out of scope. Our buildings are not caught by the requirements.
To be clear, our current understanding is that there’s been no change in the fire safety or to the fire risk of our buildings, and all flats have fire doors and staircases suitable for evacuation. However, the management company is continuing to monitor developments and will keep this matter under review to ensure that we adhere to the latest requirements.
Q: How is fire safety dealt with in our buildings? 🔗
A: Flats are fitted with compliant fire rated front doors and there are smoke detectors in communal areas. Flats were also originally also fitted with their own fire alarms inside, but these are the individual residents responsibility to maintain. We obviously recommend that smoke and/or heat detectors be fitted around each flat and in particular near to any appliances which present significant risk.
Houses must adhere to their own requirements for fire safety in accordance with the law. We obviously recommend at least one smoke and/or heat detector be fitted on each floor of houses and near to any appliances which present significant risk.
Fire alarm systems are regularly tested and their provision is reviewed in line with timescales set out in law during the health and safety checks of the development that are carried out.
Please also take a look at the question above about how to deal with emergencies.
Remember: If there is an immediate threat to life or property, please call the emergency services on 999 as normal.
Q: I’d like to be more involved in running Brunel Point, what do I need to do? 🔗
A: We’re always keen to have new Directors join the Board of Brunel Point Management Company Limited who own and run Brunel Point. Typically, Directors volunteer to serve at an AGM, and are voted in. More information about how the development is run is available on the Management page. If you’d like more information, please speak to the existing Directors to find out what is involved.