Estate service standards guide

At Sutton Housing Partnership, we are committed to maintaining a high level of service and delivery in the way we maintain our housing estates and their surrounding communal areas. The New Deal Partnership is devised as a way for residents to take on a greater role in maintaining our estate service standards.

We formalised our estate service standards in early 2020 following consultation with residents. These standards define how our estates should be maintained and cover areas such as cleaning, blocks and estates, and grounds maintenance. 

What you can expect for cleaning

Communal lights
Clean and dust free, bulbs tested and replaced if necessary.

Lifts: floors, doors, panels and frames
Swept, mopped, clean and free from dirt and dust.

Communal windows
The window has no dirt, dust, cobwebs and the general level of cleanliness is excellent. The condition of the window, its frame or sill should not affect the judgment of its cleanliness.

Ledges and window sills
Ledges and window sills are clean and free from dust and cobwebs.

Entrance lobby
Entrance lobby swept and mopped, free from junk mail and newspapers.

Handrails, banister rails, ledges
All clean and dust-free.

Floors and staircases
Swept, mopped and vacuumed, stain and mark-free.

Walls and ceilings
Clean and mark-free.

Rubbish chutes
The hopper head is clean.

Bin areas
Clean and free from over-spilled rubbish.

Litter
Bins are emptied, not overflowing, communal areas free from large items of litter.

Deep clean
Excessive stains and markings removed.

Communal areas
Obstructions reported and removed.

Door entry systems
Operating correctly and faults reported.

 

 

What you can expect for blocks and estates

Notice boards
Well maintained and information is up to date.

Fly-tipping
Clear of fly-tipping.

Graffiti
Clear of graffiti.

Car parks
Swept and free from litter and weeds

Garage and garage areas
Garage areas are clear of litter, weeds, debris and garages are usable, have good access and lockable doors and are free of graffiti, vandalism and fly tipping.

Paths, walkways and courtyards
Swept, free from litter, leaves and weeds.

Play areas and seating areas
Swept and free from hazards, litter, weeds and leaves.

Abandoned vehicles
Reported and removed.

Communal repairs
Reported and completed.

What you can expect for grounds maintenance

Grass areas
Regularly cut, all cutting swept from hard surfaces, associated shrubs well maintained.

Weed clearance
Area free of weeds.

Shrub bed and hedge maintenance
Free from leaves, litter and weeds. Chippings/ mulch kept within beds, not overgrown or obstructing paths.

Trees
Overgrown shoots and saplings cut back and hanging branches removed.

Our rating system

The standards below have been worked into a Red, Amber and Green rating system, with 'Green' being the ideal standard we want to achieve and 'Red' being a standard that needs our immediate attention.

  1. Estate standards for cleaning
  2. Estate standards for blocks and estates
  3. Estate standards for grounds maintenance

Maintaining our standards

Ideally, after each attendance by the caretakers or the green services team, the respective area should be at a Green standard. However, there will be times when, due to external influences such as weather conditions, seasonal activities or the re-prioritising of health and safety duties, that an Amber standard will be reached. 

We will aim to address these immediately – or on the next scheduled estate inspection visit – depending on the task that has failed to meet the standard.

We need your help in keeping the living spaces and communal areas clean and pleasant for all and would encourage reporting any spaces considered ‘Red’ rated to your Housing Manager.