Frequently Asked Questions

For example:

• I have a dripping tap

• My radiator is leaking

• My fuse has blown

• I’ve locked myself out of my flat

• I have a large object to dispose of such as a TV or a sofa

Under the terms of leases in the Village, anything that is contained within your flat remains your responsibility to manage. As issues of this type all fall within your flat, you must make your own arrangements to call a plumber, electrician, locksmith or whatever other assistance you may need. You will be responsible for any costs associated with this work.

If you rent out or sub-let your flat, please ensure that:

• You must have in place a process for managing any maintenance issues raised by your tenants

• Your tenants are aware of that process

• Your tenants are clear that it is not the responsibility of the Estate Manager to manage these issues

It’s worth remembering that while the disposal of large objects such as beds, furniture and the like is your responsibility, the Estate Manager may be able to help and advise on how best to arrange for their disposal.

For example:

• Water is leaking into my flat – either from the flat above you or the roof

• Water is leaking from my flat into the flat beneath me

• An outside drain is backing up

• Damp is coming through the walls

In general, for issues that extend beyond the boundaries of your flat, for example, blocked drains, it’s best to contact the Estate Manager immediately, so that he can offer support and advice. He may be able to take immediate action himself or he may have to arrange for other people to get involved, for example, plumbers or builders acting on behalf of CVRL.

Begin by checking which radiators need bleeding. A good indicator is that the radiator is cool towards the top when the heating is on.

Wait until the radiators have cooled before attempting to bleed them.

Have a cloth or towel to hand as this will be required to catch drips of water.

Locate the bleed valve, located at the top of the radiator on either the right or left hand side.

Ensure you have the correct key to fit the valve. Usually a standard square ended key is required which are available from local hardware stores.

Carefully turn the bleed valve anti-clockwise until escaping air can be heard, wait until water is drawn out via the valve into your cloth and the air bubbles stop ensuring you hold the key in place throughout this process.

Tighten the valve back into place and wipe off any excess water.

Please be aware, CVRL staff cannot assist with this so if you are not confident with this task please consult a qualified plumber or heating engineer.

We fully understand how important the companionship of pets is to our Residents.

However, as stated in the Handbook, Residents must have written consent from the Managing Agents to keep any pets within their flat.

Please do not allow cats to roam in the common parts of the building.

Unfortunately, we are not able to allow the use of the Village Green by dogs. Dog faeces represent a significant public health risk, even when the bulk of material is removed manually. This risk is particularly significant for the elderly and young children, both of which groups frequently use the Green.

Please ensure that when walking your dog in any other part of the Village gardens, for example, in the gardens to the front and rear of each block, that your dog is on a leash, and ensure that any dog faeces is removed and disposed of carefully.

We regret that due to the risk to the safety and health of our Residents, failure to comply with these conditions may result in withdrawal of the consent to keep a pet.

Where the issue relates to water leaking into your flat from another flat, or where you believe water may be leaking from your flat into another flat, it’s imperative that action is taken immediately to limit the damage as much as possible:

• Knock on your neighbour’s door immediately to alert them to the problem, so that they may take action to limit the damage

• Contact the Estate Manager, or where they cannot be contacted, the Managing Agents, to make them aware of the problem. Their contact telephone numbers are as follows:

• Estate Manager – (+44) (0)7595 820534

• Managing Agents – (+44) (0)20 8232 6620

• If your flat is occupied under a rental or sub-letting agreement, you must also follow the emergency procedure provided to you by your landlord to ensure that they or their Letting Agent are aware of the problem

Where water damage has occurred due to a leak from another flat, our Estate Manager will ensure that our Managing Agents are included, so that they can discuss any arrangements for damage repair with the Shareholding Lessee for your flat.

It’s essential to be aware that our Estate Manager neither holds spare keys nor is able to do so. Responsibility for your regaining access to your apartment depends on whether you are a Leaseholder or a Tenant.

If you are a Leaseholder, it remains your responsibility to arrange for a locksmith to attend your apartment, to provide you with access and to secure your apartment both temporarily and permanently. CVRL is not able to recommend any particular locksmith.

If you are a Tenant, you must contact your Leaseholder or their appointed managing agents to manage the issue.

While it is important to keep the Estate Manager up to date with events, that should be done only during office hours, as he is not able to provide assistance with regaining access.

In reinstating the door and its associated locks and hardware, please remember that this must be done in a manner compliant with the UK FD60 Fire Door Standard. Failure to do so may result in additional work to return the door to the standard required by current UK building standards.

We understand just how frustrating it can be to lose internet access and cable television services, especially so when so many of us rely on internet access to allow us to perform so many daily tasks.

When problems arise however, it’s important to be aware that CVRL has no control over the provision and maintenance of these services. The choice of internet and cable television provider remains in the hands of the leaseholder for all properties in the Village.

Any issues with these services must be raised with the relevant provider.

The following providers commonly used in the Village can be contacted as follows:

Virgin Media – call 150 from a Virgin Media landline, or call 0345 600 0789 from any line

Hyperoptic – call 0333 332 1111

The Village has a large, diverse population and we all live in a comparatively compact location. That means that from time to time, there will be friction between neighbours.

Where you are experiencing problems with your neighbours:

• In the first instance, try to have a chat with them about the problem. Not everyone is aware that noise carries in the Village, occasionally in some surprising ways. For example, conversations, even quite quiet conversations, held in the “courtyard” entrance to the blocks can often be heard quite clearly even from the top floor balconies. Smoking outside the blocks is prohibited because while it might appear harmless and “outside”, the smoke often ends up in flats above ground, drawn in by air currents in the “courtyards”

• If discussions with you neighbours do not achieve a solution, the Estate Manager, supported both by the Board of CVRL and the Managing Agents, will make all reasonable efforts to manage these issues. Please remember however, except where a Resident is clearly in breach of their lease, CVRL is in no position to take further action beyond an informal discussion

• As a last resort, you may have to contact Hounslow Council or the Metropolitan Police:

• Hounslow Council’s advice on noise nuisance is located here

• The Metropolitan Police can be contacted. For non-emergency issues including harassment and noise, call 101. In an emergency, always call 999 immediately

CVRL does not manage or control any aspect of parking in the Village.

Free roadside parking is available in parking bays at times as outlined on the signs posted on nearby lampposts.

"Pay and Display" parking spaces are also available outside the free parking period. Payment can be made via the parking payment machines located around the Village.

Residents’ Parking Permits can be obtained from the London Borough of Hounslow Residents Parking Team. In addition to being able to park your own vehicle, if you hold a residents’ permit, you may also buy visitor permits, allowing for short term parking by those visiting the Village.

The off-road car parks and bike lockers are neither owned nor managed by Chiswick Village Residents Limited. Full details of how to lease a parking space or bike locker can obtained from Callaway & Co. who can be contacted on +44 (0)20 8452 5601.

If you’re thinking about carrying out renovation or construction work in your flat, it’s essential that you think through the arrangements for the removal of any waste created.

It’s no surprise to anyone that the Village is a comparatively small space in which a very large number of residents make their home. As a consequence, we must insist that building and refurbishment waste created by your project is dealt with promptly.

Any waste created by your work, whether created by you or contractors working on your behalf, must be removed at the end of each day. There simply isn’t space for waste to be allowed to build up on-site, for example, behind or in front of blocks or in the bin store areas.

That means that your contractors must commit to removing waste each day, our you must make your own alternative arrangements for that to happen. You may consider using “wait and load” waste removal services, or you may consider removing the waste yourself to a local recycling centre.

If you need any advice about how best to deal with waste, please speak to our Estate Manager ahead of the start of works.