Barbican Estate communal living

• Please make sure you arrange for ventilation in the kitchen and bathrooms to be cleaned at least once a year to help assist the vents to work effectively. Please contact the repairs to 020 7029 3909 arrange this. This is paid for under your service charge
• Place your rubbish bags out for collection every Monday to Friday in the morning before 8.15am as there is only one rubbish collection per day. Do not leave rubbish bags out in the corridors, if you do need to dispose of rubbish at the weekends or on Bank Holidays, please take it to your bin compound.

Common parts include lift lobbies, corridors and staircases. These areas should be kept clear at all times and they should not be used for storage.

• Bicycles should be stored in the bike cages or designated areas located in the car parks
• Please do not abandon unwanted items on balconies, lift lobbies or car parks.
• Please do not leave shopping trolleys in communal areas
• If you do smoke on the balcony, please be mindful of your neighbour's open windows. And don't forget, the ventilation system in the bathrooms and kitchen is a communal system, therefore smells and smoke can travel into other flats
• It is prohibited under the terms of the lease to hang washing on your balcony
• Do not make noise inside your flat and on balconies that could cause nuisance to your neighbours. This includes making/taking telephone calls on your balcony at unsociable hours
• Although balcony drains are on a programme of scheduled maintenance, please can all residents ensure that as far as possible, they keep balcony drains free of soil/leaves etc. Drains can become clogged with debris during periods of heavy rain, and this can cause water penetration into flats below. Having decking, and Astroturf on the balcony paving slabs can contribute to stopping the drain from working to its full capacity and is not allowed.

Although any balcony adjacent to your flat may form part of your demise (transfer by lease), you should be considerate to your neighbours. Balconies must not be obstructed as they serve as fire escape routes and are subject to formal rights of escape in case of emergency as set out in each long lease.

The Barbican style of communal living means that you are surrounded by other flats - so please be extra considerate - as noise travels.

• Do not install wooden flooring, as it is prohibited in the lease and is a frequent cause of noise disturbance to neighbours
• Try not to slam your doors or windows. If your doors are closing noisily, please contact Repairs on  020 7029 3909, to arrange an ease and adjust
• Try not to make noise that can be heard outside your property. Remember - if you can hear your neighbours, your neighbours may be able to hear you.
• Any person using the common parts shall do so as quietly as possible and cause no disturbance or annoyance to other residents
• Please refrain from using the Garchey between 11pm and 7am

If a noise problem is caused by your neighbour, a courteous approach to them to explain the problem may provide a satisfactory solution. If this does not help, please contact the Barbican Estate Office. 

If the problem is from another source (eg road works) contact the Barbican Estate Office. Outside normal office hours (Monday to Friday, 9.15am to 5pm) contact your Concierge, who may be able to investigate and, if possible, witness and/or resolve such problems.

Alternatively, if residents are being disturbed by noise happening now or if you would like help or advice:

Call 020 7606 3030 for noise happening now, or for advice, email the Public Protection Team (please note response to emails is not immediate).

The City of London Corporation does not give consent for the installation of wooden flooring. The lease states that residents should "carpet all the floors in the premises from wall to wall". The purpose of this restriction is to minimise any footfall noise being heard in neighbouring flats. The laying of wooden floors may also have detrimental effects on the operation of the under-floor heating.

The City Corporation may be prepared to take proceedings for breach of this obligation, if neighbours subsequently report a noise nuisance which relates to the flooring residents have chosen. The residents in question may then have to carpet their floors.

• Ensure that all works are carried out during the normal week (9am and 5pm Monday to Friday)
• Please don't let your contractor leave a mess in the communal areas
• Ensure that noisy works such as drilling are further restricted between 10am and 4pm
• If you are doing any DIY or having contractors in, please inform your neighbours of any possible disruption. It does not go unnoticed
• Don't forget the Home Improvement Pack. This pack gives lots of tips to being, a good neighbour when having property alterations.
• Please check with the Home Improvement Pack if any permissions are required before commencing any work

• Animals should not be kept on the premises. Additionally, please ensure no animals are brought into the communal gardens
• Please do not feed the wild life. This includes the squirrels and ducks

• The Barbican Estate Office in no way wishes to stop the residents enjoying the private gardens facilities with their friends, but these gardens are not suitable for parties. The communal gardens are for all residents, some of whom may wish to bring visitors, but please keep these to small gatherings. Please also remember that Speed Lawn is a small open space and that there are flats very close by and that children should be supervised at all times
• Please respect that the play areas are in a residential area

There are a number of reasons why it is not a good idea to carry out short-term holiday lettings:

• Possible invalidation of the City's buildings insurance, which is a direct contravention of the lease
• Possible invalidation of residents own contents insurance, which could affect any claim, not just those related to damage caused by a 'paying guest'
• Risk of flooding flats below which would not be covered by insurance, and thereby could expose an individual leaseholder to considerable costs, which the City may seek to recover from them
• Fire safety (increasing risks associated with people using appliances in an unfamiliar environment) which, if damage occurs, may also be rejected by the insurers in the event of a claim
• If done repeatedly, it may be considered the leaseholder is using the property to carry out a business rather than using it as a private dwelling, which the lease does not permit
• The security of the building being compromised in a number of ways (eg increased risk of tailgating being permitted by visitors who would be less vigilant than normal residents)
• Noise and nuisance affecting other occupiers, particularly immediate neighbours
• People not having the owner's/long term resident's incentive to be careful and cautious in flats and common parts of the building, resulting in damage or increased wear-and-tear, the cost of which will fall to all leaseholders in the block