On-Going Maintenance Concerns List  

example

FIRST THINGS FIRST:
THE DAY AFTER YOUR FIRST MEETING

what to do about dirty communal  floors for which the Caretaker is responsible

what to do about your own dirty floors (vinyl, marble, linoleum - NOT wood, cork, carpet)

Walkabouts

If you don't have an open communal notice board, put up a temporary Notice Board in a communal area, made of cardboard, using blue tak so you don't damage the wall, if you haven't a proper Notice Board. (It's good to put up a temporary one first, to be sure you have chosen the best position for it). Post an On-Going Maintenance Concerns List and invite people to write their concerns.

Gather this information for three days, and then send the list in to your District Housing Manager. If you haven't already, request a Walkabout with Council workers from your District Housing Manager. The council must reply to you within ten days; if they don't, complain to your local ward councillor, and send the list in again, reminding them how many days it is since the first dated letter.

Once you have sent the list, print it up and place it on the notice-board, and put up a fresh  blank list for people to write their concerns. Submit your complaints every four weeks and if you don't get results, complain upwards (preferably by e-mail, which makes sending copies easy.) Keep sending the list in monthly; it may take time, but eventually they are going to have to address your concerns, and you will want to keep a record of what has and hasn't been done, so leaseholders can ask for a rebate on the Service Charges for the year. Remember to submit your Maintenance list records to any panels which ask about Maintenance or Caretaking (Suzie Osborne was sitting on the one circa 2002).

You don't need the approval of Camden to hold a communal inspection of your building. Try to borrow someone's video camera or camera to record your findings, as proof for your follow-up complaints. If you have serious concerns about your building,  contact the Health and Safety Department.

You might find it useful to schedule TRA general meetings for the evenings after the Walkabout, so everyone can discuss Maintenance issues, if they are a problem. If you don't want to do this, please use the four meetings a year system (you can always schedule extra meetings in emergencies)

first Tuesday in April,
first Tuesday in June (AGM),
first Tuesday in October,
first Tuesday in February

These dates avoid most holidays, long weekends and busy times. Post this yearly list on your communal notice board, so everyone knows well in advance when the meetings will be.

Always support the people in your building as fully as you feel able. if your TRA lapses, or the Council senses you aren't united on issues, they will start to ignore you.

How to set up an e-mail account for your Tenants and Residents Association.

Continue gathering information, and send the maintenance list in to the Dristrict Housing Manager and Holborn Repairs every three weeks or so.

If the jobs on the list are not completed, add various people to the list of people you are sending copies to (the Ward Councillor, for instance). If your Council is conducting a 'Best Value' survey of caretaking, send it the that e-mail address as well, so that your complaints are in writing, and noted.

If your maintenance concerns haven't been addressed within three months, request another Walk-about the property from your District Housing Manager with your ward councillor present.

If after  another three months, you are still finding things unsatisfactory, invite your ward councillor and District Housing Manager to your TRA meeting. Bring  several copies of a printed list of your Maintenance concerns.

ON-GOING MAINTENANCE LIST FORM:
(TO BE POSTED ON YOUR NOTICE BOARD)
EXAMPLE:

To print this form

Caretaking Check list

how to clean and seal a dirty floor (linoleum, vinyl, marble, NOT carpet, wood, cork)

We have found that a 99p non-scratch scrubber or cloth (nothing that will scratch the floor) and some FLASH or Fairy liquid (not bleach) cleans the floor, if you're prepared to get down and scrub (be sure to also clean in corners and doorways). Once the floor is clean, the key is to seal the clean surface, which will make maintaining the floor very easy (and give it a non-slip shine as well). Once you have sealed the floor, you can simply mop or sweep the floor, or rub it with a damp cloth, to remove dust and superficial marks and mud.  

Although we have three flats sharing each landing, we have been told we are responsible for maintaining our shared landing floors. We have found for our communal corridors that  so far,  we only have to clean and seal the floor once a year (probably less often for corridors which have less heavy use). The sealant we use is  a professional product, recommended and used by caretakers taking care of the floors in Imperial College, London.

Johnson Wax LTD
CAREFREE
UNDERCOAT
A water-based semi-permanent seal for most porous floors for improved durability and greater gloss. Use on vinyl, linoleum, rubber, marble, terrazzo, etc. Not suitable for wood or cork floors.

as of April 16th 2003:
5 litres    £ 35.53 (includes VAT)
Benzl Cleaning
Unit 9
Ellerslie Square Industrial Estate
8 Lyham Road,
Clapham,
London SW2
closest tube: Clapham North
020-7-733-9771

2 x 5 litres     £52 (includes VAT)
Thames Mead Business
Reliance Mill
29 Pomeroy Street
London WE14
free delivery
0207-639-0348

Call  the Johnson Wax free service line for your nearest stockist
0-800-525-525

to print this form