Communal area cleaning

Where our homes have shared communal spaces such as hallways and bin stores, we may provide a cleaning service.

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Communal area cleaning

Where our homes have shared communal spaces such as hallways and bin stores, we may provide a cleaning service.

You may pay for cleaning services through a service charge.

We use contractors, Carter & Faraday Associates and A1 Maintenance, to clean any communal spaces at our flats and apartment blocks.

We monitor this contract closely to ensure you receive the high-quality service you expect. You should see a ‘cleaning checklist’ in communal areas to let you know the last date the cleaning contractor was there and when they are next due.

What gets cleaned and when

Here is a summary of services that our cleaning contractor should provide:

Fortnightly:

Wipe clean lifts, communal walls, window frames, skirting boards, banister rails, light fittings and sockets.
Vacuum carpeted communal areas.
Clean entrance doors and door furniture
Remove any cobwebs.
Sweep communal area immediately outside external entrance (up to 3 metres).

Monthly:

Sweep floor and remove litter and rubbish from communal bin stores and bike sheds.

Quarterly:

Clean windows in common parts of the building - inside and out.

Yearly:

Annual deep clean to communal floors and stairways.

Monthly:

Sweep, wash, disinfect and clear litter from floor, stairs and landings.
Wipe clean lifts, communal walls, window frames, skirting boards, banister rails, light fittings and sockets.
Clean entrance doors and door furniture.
Remove any cobwebs.
Sweep communal area immediately outside external entrance (up to 3 metres).
Sweep floor and remove litter and rubbish from communal bin stores and bike sheds.

Quarterly:

Clean windows in common parts of the building - inside and out.

Yearly:

Deep clean to communal floors and stairways.

Our independent living schemes are designed to provide those aged 55+ with the freedom of living independently in their own apartment, whilst still offering support if required. Also known as sheltered housing or sheltered accommodation, independent living schemes often have a variety of communal spaces.

The cleaning work specified below is carried out in the communal lounges, kitchens, guest bedrooms, bathrooms, toilets, halls, laundry rooms, corridors, bin stores, landlord’s cupboards, stairwells and any other internal communal area at our independent living schemes.

Fortnightly:

Clean work surfaces, kitchen sink, taps and draining board.
Clean outside of cooker, fridge and microwave.
Empty bins and leave spare bin liners.
Wash and disinfect toilet, sink, bath, shower area, shower seat, grab rails and tiled areas.
Clear filter to washing machines and driers and empty condensing water.
Wipe clean mirrors.
Dust / polish all surfaces and clean windowsills, radiators and skirting boards.
Wipe down walls, tables, shelving, picture frames and other communal furniture.
Vacuum all carpets and sweep and mop hard floors.
Remove any cobwebs.
Sweep and dust main entrance, back doors and bin areas.
Clean stairlift and building lifts (if applicable).

Quarterly:

Clean windows in common parts of the building - inside and out – including any glass door panels if applicable.

Twice a year:

Descale washing machines.
Clean behind washing machines and driers.
Clean all internal communal strip lighting and covered light fittings.

Yearly:

Clean inside of cooker, fridge and microwave.
Disinfect seat covers in common room.

In addition to regular contracted cleaning services, Cottsway redecorates communal hallways and spaces every 6 years.

When required, we will remove bulky rubbish, but there may be an additional charge on top of your regular service charge for this.

Please remember:

Cleaning inside your flat is your responsibility.
You cannot leave items in communal areas. If a fire happens, your items may be a hazard and could stop people getting out of the building safely. Our Neighbourhood Housing Officers check all hallways on their regular estate inspections; if they find items left out, they will remove them - and you may be charged for these items to be removed.
Dispose of your waste in the correct bin provided and leave the area clean and tidy.
Your local council is responsible for providing and emptying your bins.

Making sure we are succeeding

Estate inspections

Unhappy with the service provided?

Clean and Green survey

Estate inspections

We hold regular estate inspections to make sure that the communal areas of our buildings are well-maintained, with high standards of cleaning and grounds maintenance. We check the condition of your estate, buildings and communal areas and report any maintenance repairs required.

We encourage customers to take part in these inspections. For more information, including how we deal with other issues such as graffiti and abandoned vehicles, see: Estate inspections

Unhappy with the service provided?

This contract is paid for through your service charges and we want to ensure that you receive the high-quality service that you expect. We monitor our contractor’s performance closely and will hold them to account.

If you’re not happy with the service being provided, please:

Or if you’d like to tell us about something the contractor are doing well, please contact us

Clean and Green survey

To help improve levels of customer satisfaction with our grounds maintenance and communal cleaning services, we are carrying out quarterly customer surveys and using the results to robustly manage contractor performance.

If you receive an SMS text with a link to the survey please do take a moment to respond. All feedback is welcome and will be used to monitor and improve services.

Other useful information

Estate inspections

Grounds maintenance

Responsibility for repairs

Communal area repairs