Our rights and responsibilities are set out in the flats’ leases, and this Guide cannot change them. But we hope this section will be a useful guide to the problem areas that have caused difficulty in the past and where, sadly, it has been necessary to enforce various terms in the leases against a minority, in order to protect most residents’ quiet enjoyment of their flats.
A copy of a standard lease is available on the website. There are small variations in individual leases.
Noise
Noise from flats is the issue that causes more problems than any other between neighbours. The Mansions, built in 1898, were not constructed to modern soundproofing standards, and we therefore need to insist on reasonable quiet here. In particular:
- No music (live or recorded), or other noise, is permitted between 11 pm and 8 am or at any other time if the volume causes any nuisance or annoyance to any of the other residents.
- Please keep the noise down in the hallways and on the staircases. Avoid conversations there, especially late at night. Ensure you and your visitors enter and leave quietly at night.
- Do not run washing machines or tumble dryers at night – they can be surprisingly noisy in the flat below.
- Do not install hard flooring without permission from the board. The lease requires all floors except kitchen and bathroom to be carpeted with suitable underlay, to keep down noise in neighbouring flats. But see ‘Renovations’ below.
- Try not to slam any flat doors.
We do not hesitate to take action if there is a persistent problem with noise from a particular flat. The leases set out a number of safeguards to avoid residents being disturbed, and these are legally enforceable.
Leaseholders are responsible for the actions of their sub-tenants (in this area as in others).
Residents who are troubled by noise are asked first of all, of course, to approach the occupants of the flat in question. Most problems have been amicably sorted out in this way. If necessary, please then contact the managing agents as soon as possible. If the noise is late at night on a weekend and the problem cannot be resolved you may also wish to contact the Council’s noise hotline (see notice board).
Security
Living in London there is always a risk of burglaries. It is therefore very important for everyone’s security that strangers are kept out of the communal staircases, and the gardens, at all times. So, please:
- Do not buzz people in that you don’t know. Do not allow anyone through the front doors into the Mansions unless they are visiting you personally or they have a delivery for your flat. Do not let canvassers or leaflet-droppers in. There is a ‘Circulars Only’ box outside each front door into which leaflets may be dropped. The porter will clear these periodically and deliver to the flats where appropriate.
- Do not leave doors or gates propped open at any time. Please ensure that all doors and gates are closed after you.
- Be aware of anything odd. All the staircases and the gardens remain private property, and only residents of the Mansions, their guests, and those with business at individual flats are allowed anywhere in them. Challenge anyone you suspect to be an intruder: unless they have legitimate business in the Mansions they are trespassing.
Each front entrance hall and the rear gardens are covered by CCTV cameras. They are motion activated to record only periods of activity. The recorded information from all cameras is retained for a rolling period of 31 days, with longer records erased. The system would only be accessed for essential maintenance or to investigate an incident. Images would only be retained should the incident be reported to the police.
Please note that residents are responsible for their own home contents insurance.
Staircases
The staircases, both front and rear, are in common ownership and they are communal space for residents. They are also fire escapes. For both these reasons, staircases must be kept clear of all personal items (including scooters, tricycles, etc), with the exception of prams and pushchairs (see below). Only doormats and, in the rear staircase, refuse for removal by the porter may be left on the floor.
Prams and pushchairs are recognised as essential for young children. Up to two prams or pushchairs (suitably folded) may be parked in the front stairwell on the entrance coir mat below the stairs.
Hand sanitisers are installed in each stairwell for use by residents and visitors.
Residents are asked to exercise care to protect the carpets and décor whilst using the staircase, in particular when moving bulky items. On entering the building on wet days please wipe feet on the coir mat and dry your dog. In short, when it comes to cleanliness, please treat the common parts as if it were your own home.
Staircase lighting is movement sensitive and operates when there is insufficient light. Please report immediately any faults to the porter.
Smoking
Smoking is not allowed on the staircases, in the hallways or in the porches, following the Health Act 2006. Should one smoke in the gardens, please ensure cigarette butts are disposed of. It is also hazardous to flick butts out from any flat.
Pets
Your lease states that pets can be kept only with written permission from the managing agents. The present policy is that small pets are welcome in the Mansions provided they cause no disturbance to other residents and they do no damage to the common parts. We do, however, insist that large or noisy pets, or ones that cause a nuisance, are not kept in the Mansions.
Dogs are not allowed in the gardens unless supervised and controlled by their owner. For hygienic reasons, please clean up after your pet as small children play there.
Façade
We want to preserve the Mansions as a tidy and welcoming place. We ask that everyone co-operates in keeping it that way. In particular, we need to insist that:
- Balconies may not be used for storage (including bikes), junk or washing lines. Plants in pots or troughs are welcome, but must be removable when maintenance of balconies is needed.
- No signs may be put up on or around the Mansions. This includes estate agents’ boards and posters in windows.
Renovations
The Mansions are more than 100 years old, and there have been many internal structural changes to individual flats. However, these changes must be approved in advance. The lease requires that you obtain a licence for any structural alteration from CML, and you will need the licence as and when you sell. Contact the managing agents to discuss any structural change you propose. There will be a fee for surveying, and for the licence if granted.
Hard flooring can amplify noise to the flat below, and your lease requires carpets with underlay in all rooms except in bathroom and kitchen areas. However, in line with the modern preference for wooden flooring, the CML Board developed a policy in Oct 2014 to allow such alterations to take place if a licence for alteration is submitted to the Board and materials proposed to be used meet the airborne and impact noise reduction acoustic levels set out in the policy. A copy of the policy is available on request. In the event of an unresolved dispute between neighbours over noise through the floor, the CML Board may rule that the leaseholder is in default of the lease terms and require that, either the floor be carpeted with underlay, or that the floor is modified to achieve an acceptable standard of noise attenuation.
External alterations are very largely controlled by the local authority. The Mansions are in a Conservation Area, and are themselves Buildings of Townscape Merit. External changes to flats have to conform to the local authority’s requirements, i.e. they must preserve the look of the Mansions. Replacement of windows are most unlikely to be approved unless they match the style of the original sashes. The CML Board should be consulted on the matter before making an application to the local borough council.
Sub-letting
Most flats in the Mansions are owner-occupied and are people’s permanent homes. Our leases, however, do not prohibit sub-letting, and several flats in the Mansions are sub-let.
Sub-letting presents a particular challenge to the board. Sadly, sub-let flats have produced a disproportionate number of problems and complaints. We have a responsibility to all residents to ensure they can enjoy their properties and we must enforce the requirements about sub-letting strictly. Please note that:
- Short lets of less than six months are not permitted.
- The managing agents need to be informed, for security and communication purposes, of which flats are being sub-let and the names and contact details of the sub-tenants. If you are sub-letting, you or your letting agent must provide these details at the time of any change of occupancy.
- When moving residence extreme care should be taken to avoid accidental scrapes against bannisters, doors, windows and walls in the front staircase, especially when turning corners. Please use professional movers, if possible. The cost of repairing any reported damage will be charged to the leaseholder/sub-tenant..
- Leaseholders are responsible for the behaviour of their sub-tenants and for ensuring their sub-tenants are bound by the terms of the lease. Breaches of the terms of the lease by sub-tenants are actionable as if committed by leaseholders, and can affect the validity of the lease itself – gross misbehaviour will result in action being taken up to, and including, applications for forfeiture of the lease and legal costs on an indemnity basis.
Those who sub-let their flats are strongly advised to choose their sub-tenants with care, and to take legal advice on the best way to ensure their sub-tenants keep to the terms of the lease. Sub-lessors may find it helpful to provide their sub-tenants with a copy of this Guide or direct them to this website before they take up residence in the Mansions.
Castelnau Mansions 