The Premises Director and the maintenance contractor had visited and inspected the damp patches reportedin two more flats. They thought
the primary cause was condensation, but would offer the flat owners the option of a second opinion from the buildings surveyor, who had
just been asked to inspect a damp patch that had been reported in another flat. The usual Association rules would apply, distinguishing
damp from condensation as opposed to that arising from structural faults.
The proposal to install kick-plates on the doors to hallways 21-26 and 42-47 had been postponed until the Spring.
The Premises Director had received two quotes for a Fire Safety Risk Assessment (see Premises, below).
The acting chairman reported that repairs to the stopcock outside 18-20 had now been completed. Shane Williams had made good the surrounding
brickwork.
The acting chairman also reported that the solicitor’s work on investigating the legal boundaries between Surbiton Court and SC Mews was now
complete.
There had been no success in the effort to persuade the Council’s Street & Buildings naming officer to revise the numbering of the
flats in SC Mews.
Correspondence
The Services Director had written to Jon Hallas, Chartered Surveyor, acknowledging receipt of his report on the buildings and
15-year plan. Some small corrections were requested for final version.
The tenants of one flat had written to ask whether the owner of the flat above had installed new flooring. They were being disturbed
by increased noise levels coming from above.
Another flat owner reported that the drains behind Flats 11-17 were overflowing. The Permises director had called in DynoRod (now
called “Dyno”) who dealt with the problem.
A resident was concerned about a crack that had developed in the ceiling. The Premises Director had investigated.
Gardens
The process of taking up and moving 90 Geranium plants to the greenhouse was complete.
Plans were in hand to prune all the bushes in the inner and outer Courts..
The Gardens director reported that the electric Scarifier and Aerator, identified at the last meeting for use on the lawns, had been purchased and would
be trialled when the weather was suitable.
The Premises Director had purchased a new Christmas Tree for the terrace.
Premises
The work in clearing the French drains was complete.
The Secretary reported that the annual gate closure had taken place, as scheduled, between 8.00 pm Saturday 19 and 8.00 pm
Sunday 20 November 2022. there was concern, however, that someone had closed and locked the doors to hallway 21-26 while the
gate closure was still in force, thus depriving the residents of SC2 and Tangerby a through route to St Andrews Square. Fortunately,
there had been no complaints.
A flat owner had written to say that the workmen refurbishing the flat had discovered damp on an outside wall. The Premises Director
proposed that this, and another flat, should be added to the list of those to be inspected when the surveyors came to look at those which had already reported
damp problems. The flat owners would be warned, as usual, that if the damp was due to condensation, they would be liable pay a share of the surveyor’s fee.
One flat owner was concerned about a crack that had appeared in the ceiling ceiling (see Correspondence, above). The Premises Director had
inspected and reassured the flat owner that it was nothing to worry about. He recommended that the crack be treated with a flexible filler.
The Premises Director had received two quotes for a Fire Safety Risk Assessment. One was for the whole building), the other quoted per stairwell.
When he asked about follow-ups and taking some legal responsibility, he could not get definite responses. He was then given the name of a company,
William Martin Compliance, who might be able to provide guidance..
Services
The Services reported that one of the CCTV cameras had dropped out a few weeks ago and not restarted, possibly because of rainwater infiltrating
the housing. Fortunately, the same area of the Court was covered by other cameras, so the loss outage would not be serious. He would contact the CCTV
suppliers to have the problem fixed.
The Secretary director had identified a brand of LED lights, costing around £12 each, which include a battery backup to cover situations when there
might be an emergency AND a power cut at the same time. The details would be circulated to the other members of the Board for comment.
AOB
There had been complaints that one resident was abusing the privileges of his parking permit by leaving his car parked in a SCRA
space for much of the day, every day. The director in charge of Parking Controls undertook to write to him warning the resident that,
if he continued, he would forfeit his right to the parking permit..
There was concern that some residents/flat owners might ignore the rules & regulations, or be slow to pay dues on time.
The Board discussed a proposed that, in such circumstances, an administration charge should be levied.
The Premises director thanked the secretary for putting up the Christmas lights on the balconies. He was thanked, in turn,
for acquiring, decorating and putting up the Christmas tree on the Terrace.
One resident had reported banging noises above his flat in the middle of the night. The Premises director discovered an open door
to the Virgin Media control box on the roof and secured it.
A flat owner reported that his tenant had lost their parking permit. The Services director had replied outlining the procedure for
purchasing a replacement at a cost of £50.
Another flat owner reported that the drains behind Flats 11-17 were overflowing. The Permises director had called in DynoRod (now
called “Dyno”) who dealt with the problem.
The acting chairman had been in contact with a company called London & Surrey Water. They would now be coming to replace the worn-out
stopcock outside staircase 18-20 on Tuesday, 15 November.
The acting chairman had been in discussion with a firm of solicitors about establishing the legal boundary between Surbiton Court and
Surbiton Court Mews.
The Premises director had emailed and also posted a letter to Kingston Council complaining about the state of the pavement and the
bins in St Andrews Square. To date, he had received no reply.
Gardens
The process of taking up and moving 90 Geranium plants to the greenhouse had started.
A new Laurel hedge had been planted outside Flat 66.
The Gardens director reported that the bushes were being pruned and growth cut back, especially along the boundary with properties
along the Brighton Road. Another skip would be required to take all the waste from this activity..
There was a discussion about the lawns within the inner Court. The recent rain had improved their appearance considerably and
they were recovering from the summer drought. The subject of professional treatment to improve the lawns was discussed, but the directors
concluded that the benefit would be of questionable.
The Gardens director had asked Mr Shane Williams to inspect all the French drains around the Court and ensure that any soil, plants,
etc liable to bridge the damp proof course were removed.
Premises
A number of flat owners had reported damp patches on certain outer walls within their flats. The Premises director had inspected some
of the flats already to establish the cause. He offered to invite a surveyor to inspect and provide an opinion. If it proved to be due
to condensation,responsibility for mitigating the damp would be with the flat owner. In that case the flat owner would
be liable to pay the surveyor's fee.
The Premises director reported that part of the fence on the boundary with the properties on the Brighton Road had deteriorated and
needed mending. He would contact Shane Williams about it..
Services
The Services director said he had passed on to a request to the cleaners to clean the skylights over the back doors from time to time.
The Premises director observed that the paintwork on these doors was being damaged regularly by people kicking them. He would arrange
for “kick plates” to be installed.
The Services director reported that two of the bins had not been emptied the previous Tuesday. The reason appeared to be presence of a
small amount of builders’ rubble. He had contacted the person who had left the rubble - they would now remove it.
Surveyors Report
After quite a long discussion of the report, the directors agreed that a sub-group of the Board would “take it offline” and work through
it systematically.
In light of new legislation due to come into force at the beginning of 2023, the report highlighted the need for Surbiton Court to
review the Safety & Fire Risk procedures sooner, rather than later. It recommended that we employ a professional company to carry out an
assessment.
The Premises director had recently invited the Fire Brigade to visit his flat and make recommendations. They had done that for the
flat itself, but said that they could not comment on any regulations for the buildings as a whole, or the common parts. They thought
that any legal requirements originating directly from the Grenfell Tower fire Enquiry might be very demanding.
The Services director emphasised that final H&S and Fire Risk procedures instituted as a result of the assessment should be specific
to the construction and layout of Surbiton Court. For instance: only 3 inhabited floors, 12 independent staircases, most open, two
closed; the limited presence of inflammable materials in the common parts; the variable routing of services (gas and electricity)
through the building.
The Services director emphasised that final H&S and Fire Risk procedures instituted as a result of the assessment should be specific
to the construction and layout of Surbiton Court. For instance: only 3 inhabited floors, 12 independent staircases, most open, two
closed; the limited presence of inflammable materials in the common parts; the variable routing of services (gas and electricity)
through the building.
He also asked that the Fire Risk assessors should be cognisant with the latest legal requirements and be able
to advise where the duties of self-managing organisations, like SCRA, differed from those of managing agents.
The Services director said that he would now write to the surveyor requesting some minor changes to his draft report,
invite him to submit the final version and send us the invoice for his work.
AOB
The Board agreed that this year's annual gate closure would take place in the 24 hours between 8.00 pm Saturday 19 and 8.00 pm
Sunday 20 November 2022.
The Services director undertook to print copies of a notice to be distributed to Flats 1-69 Subiton Court notifying residents
of the interruption to the mains water supply on Tuesday 15 November (while the stopcock outside 18-20 is replaced). The notice
would also mention the gate closure on the 19/20 November. He would print extra copies of the gate closure notice (only) to be
distributed to Surbiton Courts 2 and 3, and Tangerby House.
The Premises director expressed concerned about Surbiton Court 3’s recycling bins; they were encroaching onto the footpath
leading to St Andrews Square. He would contact Wallaker’s, the managing agents for SC3 block, about the matter.
The Garages and Parking reminded the Board of the intention to raise the maintenance charge by 5.5%, as discussed at the AGM.
This would require liaison between the SCRA secretary and PB Associates to ensure that revised standing order mandates were
sent out and that future payments by the flat owners included the rise. It was suggested that we included a warning that an
extra charge for administration could be levied for late payment or non-payment (of the increase).
There had been correspondence between a new resident and the directors over the subject of the apparent lack of recycling facilties.
This is a perennial subject. After much research over the years, the directors have identified two problems that need to be solved.
(a) the identification of an area for additional bins that will not inconvenience existing residents, and (b) the agreement of all
flat owners to pay a not-insignificant sum for the regular services of a caretaker/operative to keep the bins tidy.
Experience at Surbiton Court and other blocks has shown that voluntary policing of the bins just does not work.
The acting chairman had corresponded with the developers of Surbiton Court Mews, suggesting a meeting at which various issues that
would involve future residents of the Mews interacting with Surbiton Court (1-98) could be discussed.The developers had agreed in principle,
but no date had yet been set
The acting chairman had also expressed his concern about the proposed numbering of flats in the Mews. There was an increased risk of c
onfusion for mail and other deliveries, visitors, tradesmen and others. He had been referred to the Street Naming & Numbering
department of Kingston Council; their response was not encouraging – they said they were unaware of any problems with deliveries to
date in Surbiton Court, SC2, SC3, the Mews or St Andrews Square.
A quote from the surveyors had been received for the buildings survey and consequent deliverables. This had been acknowledged and a
Confirmation of Instructions form completed and returned.
Gardens
As instructed by the Gardens director, the gardeners had ordered a wheelbarrow. This would be necessary for transporting watering-cans,
which will have to be used for some time now a hose-pipe ban is in force..
The long spell of dry weather had now broken and we were beginning to get a reasonable amount of rain. Plans for new plants and treatment
of existing plants after the drought would become clearer in the coming weeks.
The subject of the poor state of the central lawn was raised. A policy of “weeding and feeding” might bring it up to a better standard.
The Gardens director thought we should consult a specialist who could advise us on the correct way to improve the lawn.
A number of directors commented on the holes in the central lawn. The largest ones were the work of foxes digging for insects and other prey,
but cats were responsible for some of the smaller holes. The Services director asked whether it would be sufficient just to fill the holes
in, but most directors thought that the animals would just dig them up again. The Premises director thought that the only way to mitigate
the problem was to employ a pest controller to remove the foxes. This action would have to be repeated as new foxes moved in.
Premises
Apart from some touching up of the new paintwork, the refurbishment of staircase 42-47 was complete. The Premises director felt that
there was still some “snagging” to be carried out. He said he would also take over the process of locating someone who could fabricate
a replacement for the missing wrought-iron in the railings on the top floor.
The Premises director had noted that the floor tiles on the ground floor of some staircases were now rather scuffed and had lost their
shine. He said he would try polishing a trial area of tiles to see whether he could improve their appearance. The Services director
warned that if the tiles were too highly polished, they could be a slipping hazard if wet due to rain splashing in, or heavy condensation.
The Services director reported that after several attenpts at communication (mainly by the acting Chairman) Thames Water had sent a
two-man crew to Surbiton Court to investigate the leak in the water supply pipe near Flat 1. They had dug a hole and confirmed that there
was indeed a leak. In order to repair it, however, they would need to turn off the mains valve in the pavement outside the main gate.
Although we were able to show them the location of the valve, the valve chamber cover was corroded shut and the crew were unable to open it.
They had contacted their office who had said that the “MR Team” would be along sometime in the next 24 hours to replace the cover.
That was several days ago. The Services director had tried calling the Thames Water “Leakage Team” number, but without success. .
The Services director gave an account of the visit to Surbiton Court by the surveyor. He was shown round the building, with the
former Board chairman providing details about its history and what he had learned about the building's construction.
The Services director reported that there had been recent two visits by an engineer from Power Networks (the Grid company) to
inspect the electricity distribution boxes in cupboards around the Court. There are 12 such boxes, some in Association cupboards,
others in private cupboards. All the boxes and associated cabling passed inspection, though the engineer was concerned that some of
the private cupboards contained potentially inflammable material stacked up against the distribution box and associated power cables.
Garages (1 - 18, 55 - 59)
The Garages & Parking Director had now circulated a survey to the garage owners, concerning the replacement of the asbestos roofs
and any other major repair work. He invited them to vote for one of a number of options to pay for the work. He would then proceed
on the basis of the option that received the most votes.
From the prior consultation he had concluded that there was no real appetite for the installation of EV charging at present. The survey
also asked the owners how often they would want to review the desirability of EV charging in the future.
AOB
The Premises director had prepared a letter/email that he proposed to send to the local Councillors, again expressing concern about
the pavements in St Andrews Square. He circulated a paper copy for the directors present to read and said he would provide an electronic
copy on which they could add their comments.
The acting chairman expressed his concern that there had been no progress on the state of the pavements in St Andrews Square,
which are still obstacle courses due to untidy refuse and recycling bins, food waste, and uneven paving slabs. He said he would
identify a suitable member of the Council and write to them.
Next Meeting
The directors agreed that the should be a short pre-AGM meeting (unminuted) at 7.00 pm on Wednesday 5 October 2022.
The next full Board meeting would be at 7.00 pm on Thursday 10 November 2022.
The acting chairman had replied to the resident who suggested the purchase of “love-seats” for the garden. The suggestion was not
taken up, but the Association’s cast-iron garden furniture had been put out instead and was met with some appreciation.
The Insurance Director reported that there had been a few remaining items of correspondence following up on the major water leak, affecting
several flats, earlier this year. That subject could now be closed.
There had been correspondence with Thames Water and various plumbers regarding the mains stopcock that still needed repairs.
Gardens
Notwithstanding concerns expressed about the tree surgery on the Maple and Ash within the Court and the False Acacia by the
roadway opposite Flat 1, the Gardens Director was able to point out that the trees are now growing visibly, in spite of the
recent lack of rain.
Due to the ongoing dry weather, the lawns were not being mowed.
Many of the bushes and shrubs had also been suffering in the dry spell. The Gardens Director advised doing nothing while it lasted,
but to prune, feed and tidy them up once more normal weather resumed.
The acting chairman thought it desirable to pay more attention to the lawns over the next few years, though he was unsure what
treatment would be required. The Gardens Director recommended a regime of “feed and weed” to improve their appearance. This activity should
start in the autumn.
It had been observed (and appreciated) that several residents had helped with watering the gardens while the Gardens Director
had been away for a short period in July.
Premises
Work on refurbishing staircase one of the two staircases was now complete. Several directors remarked that Mr Shane Williams
and his team had done a good job.
Work to clean the roof was in progress.
The acting chairman had established contact with Thames Water about replacing/repairing the faulty mains stopcock which had been identified some time ago.
TW had said (confirmed) that responsibility for the work was with Surbiton Court. They appeared not to object to our accessing the
TW stopcock in St Andrews Square, which would be necessary for the work, provided an authorised plumber was used.
Subsequently, a water leak was detected in the supply to Flat 1, next to the footpath adjacent to the Ash tree in the inner
Court. Shane Williams has inspected and said that repairing it would also require access to the Thames Water's own stopcock in St Andrews Square.
Mr Williams found that the cover in the pavement above the stopcock was firmly jammed shut. The acting chairman had contacted Thames
Water again. They had arranged to visit on Thursday, 18 August, to address the issue.
Garages (1 - 18, 55 - 59)
The Garages & Parking Director gave an account of the consultation exercise that had been going on with the garage owners over
the last two months. This was to get agreement to raising the garage maintenance charge and sound opinion on how best to raise
the funds to replace the asbestos roofing. We were now considering asking the owners to consider a number of options and vote
for one of them.
Some owners had expressed an interest in having EV charging installed in and around the garages. This topic had been aired as
part of the consultation, so a vote on whether to pursue this now, or over a longer timescale, would also be requested..
Services
A resident had reported that the hallway lights outside their front door were on 24 hours a day. The cause was a faulty sensor,
which Shane Williams had now replaced.
AOB
The Services Director had written to the developers of Surbiton Court Mews, proposing a meeting in which we would seek to express
our preferences on matters like: the naming of the re-developed property, rules for the new occupiers concerning rights of way and
parking, responsibilities for shared services (like drains) and so on. So far, there had been no reply. The acting chairman undertook
to follow this up by writing to them again.
The acting chairman expressed his concern that there had been no progress on the state of the pavements in St Andrews Square,
which are still obstacle courses due to untidy refuse and recycling bins, food waste, and uneven paving slabs. He said he would
identify a suitable member of the Council and write to them.
The Summer Party was re-scheduled to 20 August and new invitations had now been sent out.
An agent responsible for a letting in Surbiton Court had written to report “rising damp” in the flat for which they were rersponsible,
enclosing a report from a local plumber as “evidence”. The Premises Director had said he would call in at the agents to discuss
the matter to point out that “rising damp” has been claimed many times in the past when the cause was actually condensation through
insufficient ventilation.
A resident had written to draw SCRA’s attention to the imminent extension of the London Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) to include
Outer London. The Services Director had responded by including a reference on the web page:
surbitoncourt.com/Notices.html
Another resident was considering moving out of Surbiton Court, but retaining ownership of their flat. They had written to the Board
enquiring whether the flat could be offered as a let for Air B&B. The Services Director had written back that such an arrangement
would amount to running a business, in violation of the Lease, and also in contravention of the Block Insurance. Unlike sub-letting
to long-term sub-tenants, who would have to provide references and would be legally bound by the Covenants of the Lease, AirB&B
is equivalent to running a serviced guest-house or hotel.
A surveyor acting on behalf of a flat-owner considering the possibility of making alterations to their flat, had written to advise that
the proposed change was structural, though the work involved was not substantial. He had advised the flat owner would have to submit
an application to the Council to approve some of the material to be used in the work. The owner was now deciding whether to proceed.
Gardens
The Gardens Director reported that the tree surgery on the Maple and Ash within the Court and the False Acacia by the roadway,
opposite Flat 1, had been completed. There had been a few complaints about the severity of the pruning, but the trees were
expected to develop new growth before long.
The spell of hot, dry weather had slowed plant growth including the grass, which was now brown. The gardeners’ main activity
at the moment was weeding and tidying up.
Several people had volunteered to help the Gardens Director with the watering. If the dry spell continued, there might well be a hosepipe
ban and the necessity to switch to watering-cans. If that were the case, the Gardens Director pointed out that a new wheelbarrow would
be required to move the watering-cans about.
The acting chairman had been tackling the broad-leaf weeds in the lawn and re-seeding the bare patches left behind. We would have to wait,
however, until rain returned before we could see the result of his work.
A resident had suggested that “love benches” should be procured for the gardens. It was observed that there were already 11 places
in the garden where seating was provided. The love benches would be quite awkward to move, so locations would have to be found that
complemented the existing seating and would not get in the way of the gardeners. A place to store them in the Winter would also have
to be found. On due reflection, the Board decided not to go ahead, but they would keep the subject of garden seating and, possibly,
the provision of some tables as well, under review.
Premises
One of the mains stopcocks has needed replacing for some time. The acting chairmman had now been in touch with a second plumbing
contractor. Their representative was due to visit on 15 July to inspect and provide a quote..
The crazy paving at either end of the central lawn, and at other locations in the Court, had loose slabs that could be a hazard.
Our maintenance contractor, Mr Shane Williams, had agreed to add them to his list of jobs around the Court.
A question was raised about the status the towers. Shane Williams had worked on one of them last year, repairing the guttering
and some of the rotten woodwork. Scaffolding had been hired for the purpose. Two aspects of the tower had not been addressed, namely
repointing the brickwork and repairing/replacing any damaged tiling. When it came to completing that and further work on the remaining
three towers, it was suggested that specialist companies with the required skills in pointing and tiling repair should be invited to quote.
It was now up to the Board to say how they wished to proceed.
One of the outstanding jobs was the painting/repainting of white lines on the edges of the treads in all staircases. The Premises Director
had offered to provide information about the type of paint that should be used.
Services
The Services Director had spoken to the cleaners about paying attention to cobwebs. The spiders are particularly active at this time
of year so the webs tend to reappear soon after the cleaners have completed their work
BT had recently installed a new cable and trunking on the SE wall outside Flat 61.
AOB
The acting chairman had been looking into the subject of sub-letting flats and the difficulty the Board has of keeping up with incoming
and outgoing tenants, ensuring they were aware of the Lease and the rules in the Handbook, and establishing clear lines of communication
with letting agents and landlords. Some residents associations have addressed this by establishing a Licence to Let. To introduce
something like this, we would first need legal advice. Associated with the Licence might be a small administration fee, as is charged
for the Sales Pack.
The current developers of Surbiton Court Mews had emailed to propose a meeting between themselves and representatives of Surbiton Court.
The Board agreed that a small group of directors would meet them at 11.00 am Wednesday, 15 June, on the Mews site.
The acting chairman reported that following the visit by Thames Water on 3 May, during which the supply valve had not been fixed,
he had tried and failed to get a response from them. He was considering making an approach to the Water Ombudsman
(more particularly, the Consumer Council for Water).
The Insurance Director reported that there had been considerable correspondence about a serious water leak that had occurred
in one of the top floor flats and which had affected surrounding flats. Resolution was ongoing. Apart from the tenants in the affected
flats, their landlords, letting agents and SCRA’s insurers had all been involved.
Gardens
The Gardens Director reported that the Council had now approved the application to carry out tree surgery on the Maple
and Ash within the Court and the False Acacia by the roadway opposite Flat 1. The Tree Association would start work on 24 June.
Tree surgery on the Ash tree by the greenhouse has been completed.
Rose bushes had been planted. A few more rose- and other- bushes would be planted at various locations around the gardens.
The acting chairman said that the weedkiller treatment of the broad-leafed weeds in the central lawn appeared to be working,
though bare patches were left behind as a result. He wondered whether grass seed could be applied. The Gardens Director said
that the patches needed to be left until the weedkiller had dissipated before they could then be seeded. In the meantime,
more seed was on order.
The Services Director said that he had seen more activity by foxes recently. The Buildings Director reported that that he had seen at least
5 fox cubs on the back lawns. They were dragging litter onto the lawns and digging holes.
Several directors said that they had seen more animal excrement around the Court recently. It appeared to be as much from cats as
from foxes. It might become necessary to ask cat owners to be more vigilant.
Premises
Work on refurbishing two of the staircases had now commenced. The residents on those staircases had been circulated with
a note saying that the work would last 4 to 6 weeks and asked to take due care when coming and going.
A new workman had been employed to jet-wash the roof on a temporary basis.
The Buildings Director questioned why there was a sign on one of the back doors saying: “this door to be kept locked”.
The door was secured with bolt and a padlock; he asked if a key was still available. The secretary had the key and had the duty of
unlocking the door once a year to allow residents of Surbiton Court 2 access once a year, when the large gates across the driveway
by the greenhouse were locked to prevent that area becoming a public right of way.
The Premises Director observed that a key safe was still needed to hold the collection of keys in the SCRA office. He said
he would purchase one.
Services
The Services Director had nothing to report on cleaning, but asked the Board members whether they had any comments.
Most thought that the standard of cleaning was good at the moment. The cleaning personnel themselves were currently
people who had worked for Crystal Clear for quite a long time.
The Buildings Director requested that attention be paid to cleaning the tops of the lights in the hallways.
Planning Permission (re- Surbiton Court Mews)
The Council decision meeting to consider the latest proposal for the Mews has yet to take place.
AGM
As agreed at the last meeting, the AGM will take place on Thursday 13 October 2022. The acting chairman has now booked the venue.
The first notification letter to Flat owners needs to be sent out 21 days before the date.
AOB
The Services Director suggested that the wording of the signs in the bin areas should be revised to remove ambiguity about what
can, and cannot be put in the bins and bin areas. The Board considered the wording he submitted. It was recommended that reference
to Christmas trees should be on a separate (seasonal) notice. Also that the use of CCTV should be indicated.
The Garages & Parking Director had been away recently and asked whether there had been any serious violations of the parking rules.
The acting chairman said that he had placed polite notices on the windscreens of some occasional offenders; that had appeared to have
been sufficient to prevent reoffending. The Secretary had spoken to one resident who claimed she had nowhere else to park her car.
The Secretary pointed out that was not a valid reason to exempt her from the parking regulations. The resident had complied.
The Garages & Parking Director said that if he could be notified of any offenders who, after a warning, continued to park against
the rules, he would initiate the ticketing process.
The subject of holding a Surbiton Court Jubilee Party was raised. Board members thought this was a good idea and agreed that it
should take place on Sunday, 5 June. Attendees would be asked to bring their own refreshments. The acting chairman said he would
organise the sending out of invitations.
The Board was informed of the the sad demise of Mrs Carole von Zweigbergk, who had lived at Surbiton Court for many years.
The Board agreed unanimously that a donation should be made to Water Aid in her memory.
The acting chairman reported that Thames Water had informed him that they would be coming on Friday, 20 May, and turning
off the water supply to the whole block. This would make it possible to replace the worn-out stopcock outside staircase 18-20.
The Services Director undertook to write and distribute a note to all residents of Surbiton Court to notify them of the
interruption to the water supply.
The Insurance Director reported that there had been considerable correspondence about a serious water leak that had occurred
in one of the top floor flats and which had affected surrounding flats. Resolution was ongoing. Flat owners and residents were
encouraged to check the plumbing in their flats regularly, identify any problems and have them fixed as soon as possible.
Gardens
The Gardens Director reported on the forthcoming tree surgery. The contractor was waiting for approval from the Council before
starting work. The Council meeting to discuss the matter was scheduled for 26 May.
In anticipation of a skip arriving soon, there had been considerable tidying and clearing up in the gardens. This included
removal of the dead hedge outside Flat 66 and prunings from a number of bushes.e.
Most of the bedding plants had now been put out. A few more plants were on order and would be put out when they arrived.
The Insurance Director said he had been trying to tackle the broad-leaf weeds in the central lawns by treating them with a
selective weedkiller. There was discussion as to whether the bare patches left when the weeds died could be re-seeded with
grass seed. The Gardens Director said we would have to wait until the weedkiller had dispersed. In any case the grass would
grow back, so re-seeding might not be necessary..
There had been an infestation of ants in some parts of the gardens. Those parts were being treated with ant-killer/deterrent.
Premises
Concerning the reported water leak in one of the flats, the Insurance Director felt that the lines of communication could
have been clearer. Different tenants had contacted different people instead of the specified route tenant => letting agent /
landlord => SCRA Board. In one instance, the tenant had complained that a Board member had committed trespass by being admitted
to the flat to inspect the likely source of the leak, although the Lease permits such an action. This was a case for insisting that
letting agents / landlords should be required to provide incoming tenants with an information pack that includes instructions
on how to handle incidents and emergencies.
The Premises Director thought that the Association should maintain a list of approved plumbers and electricians who can be
called out to such incidents. He already had contact details for some contractors that he would share with the Board.
In answer to a query about which staircases and hallways had been refurbished when, The Services Director produced a timeline
(derived from information provided by the retired chairman) showing approximately when each of 8 staircases had last been refurbished
and redecorated over the last 11 years. It also listed the four outstanding staircases, including the two next on the schedule
(66-69 and 42-47). It was clear from the timeline that staircase 48-53 had last been refurbished around 2012, long enough ago
for some deterioration to have occurred.
The Premises Director made an observation about the 4 doorways with wooden mouldings above the entrances. The mouldings themselves
were not easily accessible, but they were grubby and needed thorough cleaning. It was suggested that the Association’s jet wash equipment
might enable the cleaning to be done. He would speak to Mr Shane Williams about carrying out the job.
The question of painting front doors to flats was mentioned. Some flat owners had painted their own and used different colours.
Even when the colour was white – in an attempt to match neighbouring front doors – the shades of white had been different. The acting
chairman was in favour of the same colour being specified for all front doors.
The Gardens Director observed that the bolt securing the double doors to the bin area next to garage 11 was too short. The
wind would sometimes blow the doors open creating a hazard. The Premises Director said he would contact Mr Williams about acquiring a
longer bolt – or fitting an extra one at the top of the door. Whatever was chosen would have to be proof against damage by the refuse
collectors.
Services
The Garages Director reported that he now had two quotes for the garage roofs (garages 11-18, 55-59) to include removal of the
asbestos, repair of any wood beams and installation of new roofs designed to last at least 25 years. Both quotes were of the order
of £20,000. It was proposed that the Board members who owned Surbiton Court garages should now form a sub-committee to manage the
garage roofs project. It would involve contacting all the owners of garages 2-18, 55-59 to obtain feedback on financing and
scheduling of the work.
The Services Director recommended that the notices in the bin areas should be updated to be explicit about what types of waste are,
and are not, acceptable in the bins.
Planning Permission (re- Surbiton Court Mews)
The Council decision on the latest proposal for the Mews had been delayed because of the recent local elections.
AGM
The Board agreed that the AGM should take place on Thursday 13 October 2022, subject to a suitable venue being available.
AOB
The acting chairman had now produced a draft Newsletter to distribute as a one-off to all flats. Copies of this were distributed
to the Board members present for them to examine and provide comment in due course. It comprised two sides giving news and
contact information, followed by pages entitled “How Surbiton Court (Flats 1- 69) is managed”. These echo the contents of the
online Handbook, but are more descriptive. Before circulation the Newsletter would be checked for consistency with the Handbook,
which continues to be the definitive document should there be any discrepancies.
Some residents had asked whether there were facilities for storing bicycles at Surbiton Court. The Premises Director pointed to
the “bicycle hangar” recently installed in St Andrews Square by the Council; hiring space in one costs around £70 per year. He
observed that they are not universally popular with local residents, who can be affected by the noise of people accessing their
bikes in the middle of the night. He also said that some space for storing bicycles is available in the Association cupboards.
Anyone interested should contact him, or another member of the Board)
The subject of holding a Surbiton Court Jubilee Party was raised. Board members thought this was a good idea and agreed that it
should take place on Sunday, 5 June. Attendees would be asked to bring their own refreshments. The acting chairman said he would
organise the sending out of invitations.
The acting chairman observed that the last time an increase in the maintenance charge was discussed was on 30 January 2020.
At the time, the Directors agreed to propose an increase of 5.5% (from £128/month to £135/month) at the AGM on 27 February
2020: the increase was discussed by Members, voted on and carried unanimously. The increase was to be effective from September
2020. Subsequently, owing to Covid-19, the Directors agreed to defer the increase. In view of the length of time and the
inflation prospects, the acting chairman suggested that the increase should now be to £140/month or more (instead of £135).
This should be proposed, and voted on by Members, at the next AGM.
Gardens
The Gardens Director reported that quotes had been received from two tree surgeons companies to carry out work on the
Maple and Ash within the Court and the False Acacia by the roadway opposite Flat 1. The quotes were: Connix £2,700 and
The Tree Association £1,518. Both quotes had included applying to the Council Trees Officer. The Gardens Director had
decided to accept the Tree Association quote. Following on from the quote acceptance, a Trees Planning Application had
been raised on the Gardens Director’s behalf which the Council then circulated to neighbours for comment.
Under an earlier contract, work on the Ash tree by the greenhouse would be done on 28 April. This date had been agreed
so as not to coincide with the delivery of a skip, hired by Surbiton Court separately for garden waste.
Work on planting out the geraniums had started and would continue over the next two weeks.
It was reported that the hedge outside Flat 66 had now died and was a potential fire hazard. The Gardens Director
said it would be replaced by a Privet hedge, in two instalments.
Premises
The subject of removable posts were discussed. The purpose would be to deter unauthorised parking in the two spaces near
the main entrance to the Court. The Premises Director thought that such posts would cause inconvenience to our own visitors
and contractors, as well as being difficult to administer.
The Premises Director expressed interest in strengthening the enforcement of our parking rules. He would liaise with the
Director who is currently in charge of parking enforcement and knows the correct procedure for identifying offending vehicles
and passing the details onto PESS, our enforcement company.
The Services Director read out two emails received from the surveyor following his inspection of two flats whose owners were
considering renovations. In one case the proposed alterations had structural implications and a detailed scheme, including
structural calculations, would be required. The other had no structural implications, but the owner would still have to submit a
Building Control Application to the Council or to an improved inspector. This led to a Board discussion about the fact that
building regulations have tightened up in recent years and, consequently, nearly all alterations to flats will be subject
to much more rigorous procedures than before. The Board agreed that the Surbiton Court Handbook should be updated to
emphasise this.
Services
Since the last meeting, we had experienced an incident involving "fly tipping" builder's rubble in our bins, and those of SC3.
While the rubble was there, the Council bin men refused to empty the bins and we had a two-week build-up of rubbish. The fly-tipper
was eventually identified and agreed to remove the rubble. The Board decided to take no further action.
There was a short discussion on the possibility of modifying the bin areas to accommodate twice the number of bins, some
of which could then be used for recycling. Before any further discussion about feasibility, careful measurements would be required
and estimated costings carried out.
AOB
A draft of the Newsletter was now under way and would shortly be circulated to the directors for comment.
At the last meeting there had been discussion of directors’ roles and reports that some residents had complained about the lack of
information about what directors were doing. For this meeting, the Services Director had drawn up a list of the more common topics
residents were likely to be concerned about and invited the directors to nominate – or volunteer to be – the first or second point
of contact for that topic. He would then create a number of xxx@surbitoncourt.com email addresses and publish them, with the list,
on the “Contacts” page of the web site. Any enquiries, complaints, etc would then be forwarded automatically to those who had
volunteered. (At the same time, personal email addresses would be protected from spammers.)
The Gardens Director reported that two Tree Surgeons companies had been invited to provide quotes for pruning
the Maple and Ash trees in the inner Court and the False Acacia by the roadway opposite Flat 1. They would be
coming to inspect the trees next week. Tree surgery was also required for the Ash tree behind the building,
next to SC2’s driveway. Because of the tree preservation order on that tree the tree surgeons are currently
waiting for the Council to give the go-ahead.
A skip for the garden waste generated over the course of the Winter had been filled and then taken away.
Another skip would soon be required to take the ivy that had been removed and prunings from the large bushes.
Efforts were currently underway to find effective treatments to remove the moss on the tarmac
Half of the box hedge outside Flat 66 was dead due to infestation by moths. The plan was to replace the dead
half and then extend the hedge using privet throughout.
The acting chairman asked whether anything could be done to reduce the broad leaf weeds in the central lawn.
The Gardens Director said that they would be subject to spraying with weedkiller, though the spray would have
to be reapplied weekly for some time.
There were comments on the large holes in the lawn. These had been made by foxes. Attempts to fill them and
grass them over not had not been very successful as the foxes would come and dig them out again. Suggestions
on how to defeat them were welcomed.
Most of the plants overwintering in the greenhouse, bar a few geraniums, had survived successfully and were
due to be planted out when the Spring weather arrived.
Premises
There had been a number of complaints by residents and garage owners about the water tap in the garage area
which had been locked shut. The Premises Director had now provided the Secretary with 6 keys, which could be distributed
to regular users of the tap. One key would be retained to lend out to less-regular users who requested them and
were also entitled to use the water.
Two “To Do” lists had been drawn up, one of relatively small jobs that needed to be completed over the year. The
second list identified larger projects that might include formally commissioning outside contractors. Both lists
were discussed ath the meeting.
Several of the stairwells need to be redecorated. The Board confirmed that those of staircases 66-69 and 42-47
are in most urgent need and would be prioritised in that order. Work would start as soon as the weather and
the availability of labour permitted.
The Health & Safety Director asked what were the regulations requiring residents associations to consult leaseholders
and to go out to tender. The Services Director observed that section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 provided some
guidance: leaseholders must be consulted where the contribution from any one lessee exceeds £250; plus, at least two
estimates should be obtained. In the case of the 68 flats of Surbiton Court this would mean that, in theory, a maximum
of £17,000 could be spent before consultation would be required by law.
The state of the garage roofs was raised. The wooden beams in some garages appeared to be suffering from
mildew or rot. The Insurance Director reported that one or two neighbours who owned garages had complained
of leaks and water ingress in stormy weather. The Services Director said that this was really an issue for the garage
owners; he was already in the process of drafting a circular to them. The circular would list a number of issues,
including asbestos, roof leaks and the possibility of installing EV charging, and invite feedback. He would send
the draft to a sub-set of garage owners for comment, then to all garage owners and the full SCRA Board.
During the storms, the plastic roof of Surbiton Court 3’s bin area had been damaged. As we own the half of the
compound facing Surbiton Court, the question has arisen as to who should repair the roof. The acting Chairman said
he would contact Wallakers, SC3’s managing agents. It was suggested that we should ask Mr Williams for a quote to
carry out the repair. If Wallakers agreed to this, we would send half the bill to SC3.
Services
The Health & Safety Director had now taken on responsibility for parking control and had been in touch with PESS, our
parking control contractor. To date, one offending vehicle had been issued with a Control Notice and PESS was pursuing them.
The Health & Safety Director asked to be kept informed of cars violating our parking rules, especially serial offenders.
Planning Permission (re- Surbiton Court Mews)
The acting Chairman reported that the developers had submitted yet another application to the Council. The main difference
between this and the previous one was that the rooms in 3 of the proposed flats would be remodelled to allow for higher
occupancy. A second change involved small alterations to the so-called “amenity areas” to increase the area – marginally.
The developers claimed this was to meet some of the Council’s objections to earlier applications which had been overridden
by the National Planning officer.
A template objection to this application would be drafted and circulated for the use of residents who had lodged objections
to the previous applications.
AOB
Considerable change had happened in and around the Court in the last two years and because of Covid,there had been less communication
to and between residents. The acting Chairman suggested the publication of an occasional Newsletter on paper, to be distributed to
all flats. Among other things, it would highlight the existence of the www.surbitoncourt.com
web site and provide details of each director’s role(s) and how to contact them. He said he would provide a draft of such a Newsletter
and circulate it to the Board for comment.
The Insurance Director reported that some residents had complained to her about the lack of information about the SCRA Board meetings
and what the directors were doing. It was suggested that she should draw their attention to the "Blog"
page (this page) on the web site. The page contains most of what is recorded in the Board meeting minutes (after they have been agreed and signed), with redactions to
protect sensitive information and the names of individuals.
The Gardens Director reported that a considerably amount of ivy had been removed from around the building.
The borders next to the approach to the garage area had been re-structured and large stones had been added
to prevent the soil from spilling onto the roadway
There was also a general clean-up in progress, in preparation for Spring
Premises
The Premises Director had noticed that the colour of the lightbulbs in the communal areas varied in colour and brightness.
He asked that they should all be uniform – preferably a “warm white”. Other directors reported that other bulbs had failed.
Shane Williams would be contacted to sort out all the lightbulb issues.
AOB
A garage owner had responded to information that The Technology Director had provided concerning the costs and feasibility, or otherwise, of
installing EV charging points in the 23 garages of which Surbiton Court is the freeholder. One suggestion was that there should be additional
charging points in the parking bays near the SE archway and that the number of bays should be increased, extending into the adjacent area of
grass. The grass, however, is on land belonging to Surbiton Court 3. In addition, the installation of charging points near the archway was
contingent on extending any infrastructure installed in the garages (for which agreement, let alone funding, was currently lacking).
The Technology Director asked for the Board’s approval, and support from Board members who were also garage owners, to contact all the
garage owners and solicit their responses to several matters relating to the garages. These would include the desirability of increasing
the garage maintenance charge to build up reserves to cover, for example, replacement of the asbestos roofing, tackling leaks,
contributions to resurfacing the garage area and, only if a substantial majority of owners agreed, the possibility of installing EV
charging in a number of years’ time, when the garage fund would bear it.
With the departure of the current Chairman, it was agreed that the Directors would take turns in chairing future Board meetings for a while,
at least. Communications by email could still be addressed to
chairman@surbitoncourt.com,
secretary@surbitoncourt.com, etc
and they would be auto-forwarded to the relevant director(s).
Gardens
The Gardens Director said that the gardens were now in Winter maintenance mode. Bushes and rose-bushes were being pruned.
135 geraniums were overwintering in the greenhouse.
The area next to the greenhouse was now nearly full of garden waste and a skip would be required. Authority was granted to order one.
Premises
The acting Chairman reported that the surveyor would be coming the following Tuesday, 11 January, to continue his inspection of the buildings
at Surbiton Court. He would then be in the position to prepare a report and a maintenance schedule for the block.
As a result of unauthorised work at one of the flats, plumbers had tampered with the stopcock outside the entrance to Flats 18-20 and left it
leaking badly. An emergency repair had been made, but action by Thames Water was required. The Scretary reported that a text from them said that they
would fix the problem ‘in due course’.
Planning Permission (re- Surbiton Court Mews)
The acting Chairman reported in response to complaints about the short time allowed to respond to the latest application from the developers,
Kingston Council had extended the final submission date for comments from 03 January to 15 January.
In order to gauge the amount of traffic on the forecourt and along the roadway alongside the building the CCTV footage had been examined for a number
of typical days. The results for a day:
Vehicle movements: 158
Pedestrians across forecourt: 348, of which 136 were to or from the side road
AOB
The outgoing Chairman offered to act as an Associate Director after the end of the financial year (28 February)
if the other Directors agreed. The Directors said they would be very happy for him to do so.
A padlock which had been placed on the electrical point in the garage area (see Correspondence), one of the directors queries this.
The Premises Director replied that the purpose of the point was primarily for garage owners vacuuming their cars and contractors working in the garage
area. There could also be a Health & Safety issue/trip hazard if a cable were left trailing.
The Premises Director calso proposed writing, once again, to the Council about the state of St Andrews Square (bins obstructing the
pavement, rubbish strewn about, uneven flagstones). He also questioned the point of the new bicycle ‘hangar’, which was unused and
in the wrong position, thereby depriving the Square of at least one parking place.