Living in your home
Keeping pets
You can keep pets in your home as long as you care for them and
do not let them cause a nuisance to neighbours or cause damage to
the property. If you live in a flat, you must not keep any animal
that is unsuitable for this type of property and must not have more
than one dog. If you live in a flat or maisonette which leads into
a corridor, shared area or other shared walkways, you should
be
aware of the effect your pets have on neighbours.
If you have a problem with your neighbour’s pet, try to speak to
your neighbour. Contact us if the problem continues. If it is a
stray dog causing a nuisance, contact the dog warden at the local
council.
Dog mess
If you have a dog, please make sure that you clear up any mess
and get rid of it appropriately. Do not let dogs foul on your
estate, causing a nuisance to the general community.
Pest control
Please do all you can to stop rubbish building up in your garden
and around your home because this can lead to pests such as rats
and mice invading your home.
We are not normally responsible for dealing with pest problems
in the property, including wasps’ nests. If you suspect you have a
problem with pests, please contact the environmental health
department at the council who will give you advice and help to deal
with this. Our experience is that councils may make a charge for
this service, depending on the nature of the problem.
Parking
Always use the authorised areas for parking your vehicles.
Parking in the wrong place may cause problems for emergency
services, refuse collectors or visitors.
You can only park your car in your garden if there is a proper
car-parking space. It is illegal to drive a motor vehicle across a
footpath or verge without the kerb being dropped. You can only
lower kerbs with our permission and that of the local
authority.
You must not park any vehicle on paths or shared grassed areas
on our estates.
We will ask the council to tow away any untaxed and abandoned
vehicles on our land, and they will charge the owner the cost of
doing this.
Parking caravans and boats
You should not park large vehicles, caravans or boats on any of
our parking areas. You should not park caravans, motor homes or
boats in front of your home.
Repairing cars and other vehicles
You are not allowed to carry out repairs to any vehicle anywhere
on your estate, shared car parks, on roads, drives, footpaths and
other shared areas. We appreciate that you may need to carry out
minor car repairs to your own vehicle when it is parked on your
property, but please make sure that this is not on a regular basis
and does not disturb your neighbours.
Household rubbish
You should store household rubbish carefully and safely.
You should not put large items of household rubbish in gardens or
shared areas. In the interests of hygiene, you should put it out
for collection in the appropriate bags on the day the refuse
collectors are due.
Please contact your local council to see if they provide a
dustbin or whether you will need to get one yourself. Please wrap
all your rubbish carefully or use bin bags tied at the top. You
should carefully wrap broken glass and sharp objects before you put
them out as rubbish.
For large items of furniture, the local council may offer
a
collection service (there may be a charge). Please do not dump
large items outside your property, or in and around shared areas,
as this can be unsightly and dangerous and is illegal. Bath and
North East Somerset Council offers a free collection and disposal
service for fridges and freezers.
If you live in a flat, please follow these guidelines.
- Shared bin stores should be kept clean and tidy, with
all rubbish wrapped and placed inside the bins.
- You should not leave bulky rubbish in the bin areas.
- Never leave rubbish in the shared areas.
- Never throw rubbish or any other items from windows or
balconies.
Along with the council and the Environment Agency, we will take
action against anyone caught dumping rubbish, under the
Environmental Protection Act 1990. The maximum fine is £50,000 or
five years in prison, or both.
Shared stairways and entrances
Please make sure that any shared stairways, entrances and
landings are not blocked with personal belongings such as bicycles,
pushchairs or discarded items such as old fridges and
armchairs.
You must not keep motorised scooters and wheelchairs in shared
halls without asking us first.
Under no circumstances should you keep any petrol-driven
vehicles or machinery in any shared area.