Settling In

In Your First Week

Below we have listed a few things to do in your first week that we hope will help you settle in quickly:

• Take the time to read this Living Guide to help you get used to your new home. It will also tell you what to do if you have a problem.
• Read the manufacturers’ instructions for your heating, kitchen appliances and any other fittings, which you’ll find on the Useful Documents page, the link is on the QR sheet left in your apartment.
• Call the companies who supplied electricity, water and gas to your last home with the final meter readings.
• Call the companies supplying your new home (details in the Quick Reference section) to let them know you’ve moved in. They will also be able to tell you how to change to a different supplier if you wish to.
• Read the NHBC Guide to your new home booklet, which gives valuable advice on looking after a new home.
• Familiarise yourself with the NHBC Buildmark policy and its terms and conditions, as it contains information about what’s required of you as the home owner, us as the builder and NHBC as the warranty provider.
• Contact your chosen companies to arrange telephone, broadband or satellite TV services if required.
• Make sure you’ve told everyone you’ve moved. Don’t forget TV Licensing.
• Ensure you know where your consumer unit and water shut off valves are in case there’s an emergency.
• Have a cable detector handy when you’re putting mirrors and pictures up.
• Review the Metropolitan Welcome Booklet and the WSHP functionality.

Customer Care

To make sure everything about your move and your first few weeks in your new home are going smoothly, we will contact you 7 days, 4 weeks and 7 weeks after you move in.

Communal Facilities

The Managing Agent, James Andrew Residential (JAR), is responsible for the day to day running of Regent’s View and the maintenance of its facilities and grounds. The cost for these services is met through your service charge payments.

Should you have any queries relating to the shared facilities and communal areas, please contact James Andrew Residential (JAR) using the details below:

If there is an emergency in the common parts during office hours, please contact the Concierge on the number above. If the emergency is outside of the hours above, and there is an emergency in the common parts between 5.30pm and 9.00am, or at the weekend or on a bank holiday, please call James Andrew Residential on +44 (0)20 7509 1970.

Your Lease

Your lease outlines your obligations and rights as a lessee. It also explains the services you can expect from your Managing Agent. Please familiarise yourself with your lease. Some of the important parts of your lease are listed below. Should you have any questions or queries relating to your lease and your obligations, feel free to contact your managing agent, James Andrew Residential.

Subletting

You may sublet your apartment provided that it is done in accordance with the terms of your Lease. The lease permits subletting on an Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) basis for a minimum term of six months.

Please ensure that you check with the Local Authority to confirm if there are any statutory letting licensing requirements that apply to your apartment.

Before subletting, you should inform the Managing Agent and provide a copy of the tenancy agreement so that management records can be updated. This ensures that the correct contact details are held for emergency access, maintenance notifications, and resident safety communications.

The main Lease always takes precedence over any tenancy agreement. The tenant’s occupation is subject to the same covenants, restrictions, and obligations contained within the lease, and any breach by the tenant will be treated as a breach by the leaseholder.

Also, under the terms of your Lease, business lettings including Airbnb, serviced accommodation, and any other similar short-term letting services are strictly prohibited.

It is the leaseholder’s responsibility to ensure that any letting complies fully with all lease obligations and relevant legislation, including fire safety regulations.

Please ensure that any tenants read this Living Guide, as we cannot be held responsible for any damage due to neglect or misuse. You may wish to employ a letting agent to oversee the apartment and the tenants. We advise you to take out a suitable landlord’s contents insurance.

Note that the Renters Reform Act will be in force in May 2026, so it is strongly advised that you are familiar with this to ensure you are fully compliant.

Alterations

You must not carry out any alterations or works to your apartment without first obtaining written consent from the Managing Agent. This requirement is set out in your lease and applies to all works, however minor. You should always seek professional advice before making any changes.

Please note, any alterations to the original installation could impact your warranty with St William.

No alterations are to be made in the utility cupboard and fan coil units as this is a Metropolitan asset and is maintained by them.

Where the building is a Higher-Risk Building (HRB) under the Building Safety Act 2022, certain works may also require approval from the Building Safety Regulator (BSR). This includes any work that changes the internal layout, affects fire or life-safety systems, alters structure or compartmentation, or involves the external walls, balconies, or service risers.

If the proposed works fall into these categories or you are unsure, you must engage with the Managing Agent at an early stage. They will confirm whether a Licence to Alter (LTA) is required and whether a formal Building Control application to the BSR must be made before work starts. No work should commence until all necessary consents are in place. If you are unsure, please contact the Managing Agent.

Once completed, residents must provide updated information and certification so the Building Safety Case can be maintained accurately. Carrying out unauthorised or non-compliant work could result in enforcement action by the Landlord or the Building Safety Regulator.

Warning: Undertaking unauthorised building work within a Higher-Risk Building is a criminal offence under the Building Safety Act 2022 and the Building (Higher-Risk Buildings Procedures) (England) Regulations 2023. The Building Safety Regulator has powers to issue Stop Notices, Compliance Notices, and to prosecute offenders. Conviction can result in unlimited fines or up to two years’ imprisonment.

Television Equipment

You must not attach any aerial, satellite dish or other communications apparatus to the outside of the building. Your apartment is prewired for satellite television, negating the need for any exterior equipment. Please note, however, a subscription is required for satellite television.

Pets

You will need prior consent from the managing agent for any pets to be allowed in your apartment, under the terms of your lease. You can contact the development manager who will discuss your requirements and assist you in obtaining a pet licence. Please note that consent can be revoked if the Licence Terms and Conditions are breached.

Repair

You are responsible for keeping your apartment in good internal order.

Windows

Windows should be equipped with suitable window dressings which is detailed in the lease. You are not allowed to hang clothes, flags, or other items from or at your windows. No items should be thrown out of windows.

Balconies

Balconies are suitable only for items such as furniture and pot plants. They are not suitable for storage. The following items are prohibited: barbecues, gas heaters, bicycles, external lighting, privacy screens and items of excessive weight. Balconies should be maintained to a good and neat order. Please ensure any furniture on your balcony is properly secured or taken inside when not in use, as furniture blown from balconies could cause serious damage or injury at ground level. A tethering point is provided on your balcony decking to allow for securing furniture and/or loose items.

Insurance

Buildings Insurance

The structure of the building is insured by the Freeholder, the cost for this is included in your service charges. Please be aware this does not cover your home’s contents.

NHBC Insurance

Warranty provided by NHBC covers you against the unlikely event of major structural defects.

Internal Apartment Insurance

Please ensure to arrange your own contents insurance from the day of legal completion onwards. Tenants are responsible for arranging their own contents insurance as well. If applicable, your contents insurance cover should also include:

• Separate storage areas (if purchased)
• Bicycles, if kept in the designated bike store areas

Car Insurance

If you have a licence to park in the car park (for blue badge holders only) please ensure you have the appropriate cover for your vehicle, as well as valid Road Tax, ULEZ and MOT.

Service Charges

An annual estimate will be issued to you, which will form the basis of your service charge payments. Payment instalments will also be outlined in the estimate. Your service charge will be adjusted at the end of each service charge year, as part of the accounting process, to reflect actual expenditure. There are various elements to the service charge, one being the whole estate and one being the individual building. The costs are outlined below.

Estate Charge

This charge is for the whole estate. It includes upkeep of the estate grounds, roads, landscaping, security, building insurance and a contribution towards the staffing costs. This charge is split pro-rata based on the area of each unit.

Building-Specific Charge

This charge is for services in your building. This includes external landscaping, lift maintenance, internal cleaning of the common parts, communal lighting, repairs and cleaning to the exterior of the building.

Reserve Fund Contribution

All parts of the service charge include a contribution to this fund in order to build up a reserve for any major works.

In line with your Lease covenants please ensure that you provide the Managing Agent with your up to date contact details and a UK based registered correspondence address.

Ground Rent

Ground rent is a regular payment paid by the owner of a leasehold property to the landlord, as required under the lease. For leases granted after all reservations from 30th June 2022, in line with Government legislation, a Peppercorn Ground Rent will be applicable. However, if the lease is granted in pursuance of an agreement for sale which was exchanged before 30th June 2022, the ground rent reserved under the lease is still payable. You can find further information within the HM Government How to Lease Guide at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-lease. Information about the amount of Ground Rent you have to pay and how often you need to pay it is included in your lease. Your Ground Rent is collected on behalf of your landlord by Berkeley Commercial Developments Limited (BCD). BCD’s contact details are:

Berkeley Commercial Developments Limited
Berkeley House
19 Portsmouth Road
Cobham
Surrey
KT11 1JG

Telephone: 01932 584570
Email: groundrents@berkeleygroup.co.uk

It is a legal requirement that BCD send your ground rent demand to you by post. The demand will either be sent to the address of the unit to which it relates or to your notified correspondence address. Please note that it is your responsibility to inform BCD if you wish the demand to be sent to a different address or if you wish to receive notification that your ground rent is due via email.

Details of how to pay your ground rent are clearly laid out in your Ground Rent Demand.

Moisture

Moisture is naturally present in all newly built homes. This needs to be allowed to evaporate slowly, which is why it can take your home up to 18 months to completely dry out. Listed below are some steps you can take to help the process:

• Programme your heating at 20°C or lower, and keep this temperature as constant as possible
• Keep the MVHR system running
• Ventilate your home, as this helps moisture evaporate more efficiently. Use your windows and extractor fans in kitchens and bathrooms as much as possible
• Don’t worry if you see condensation. This is to be expected in a new home once it is occupied, as it is produced from everyday activities as well as from drying out

Your home can show the following signs that it’s drying out. These are all perfectly normal and are not faults that St William is obliged to rectify:

• Small cracks appearing in walls and ceilings
• Baths or shower trays dropping
• Screw heads showing in ceilings
• Windows and doors needing adjustment
• Gaps appearing in skirting boards

Your walls and ceilings have been painted with a light emulsion to help moisture evaporate, and we recommend that you do not redecorate for 18 months after you have moved in. We are not liable for damage to decorations that have been applied too soon.