What is grounds maintenance?

The service charge only covers shared areas, not private gardens that belong to individual homes.

We look after communal spaces like shared gardens, paths and landscaped areas. The cost of maintaining these areas is shared between residents through the service charge.

We plan our visits each season, but the exact day can change depending on the weather or other work. If you’d like to check when we’re next due, just contact our Estate Services Team by raising a case through the Contact Centre.

Yes. Grounds maintenance follows a seasonal plan because different tasks need to happen at different times of year.

In winter, we focus on cutting back plants and hedges, clearing leaves and preparing planted areas for the year ahead.

In spring and summer, grass cutting, hedge trimming and weed control become more frequent as growing conditions improve.
In autumn, we prioritise leaf clearance and moss removal to keep paths safe and accessible.

We also adjust our schedule when needed - for example, delaying certain tasks during very wet weather.

It depends. Sometimes they’ve simply finished the work sooner than expected, so there’s no need to stay longer.

We also split the allocated time between the team. So if your site has three hours booked, that could mean:

• One gardener working for three hours, or
• Two gardeners working for one and a half hours each

Either way, your site still receives the full three hours of work.

If the weather makes certain tasks unsafe or ineffective - like cutting grass in heavy rain - we may reschedule the visit. Our teams adjust their plans to keep standards high without compromising safety.

We plan our work carefully to avoid disturbing wildlife wherever possible. For example, we check for nesting birds before trimming hedges and avoid cutting back flowering plants when they’re in bloom.

We also time certain tasks seasonally so we can maintain shared spaces safely while supporting local biodiversity.

Please contact our Contact Centre and raise a case. We’ll ask the Estate Services Team to investigate and respond.

You can ask us to review the hours spent at your block or estate. However, we have to maintain all communal outdoor areas to a safe and legally required standard. That means tasks like grass cutting, hedge trimming, weed control and litter removal must continue at a level that keeps the area clean and safe.

If a reduction might be possible, the Estate Services Team will assess whether standards can still be met. Because the service charge is shared, any change would also need agreement from other residents. If it’s possible and popular, we’ll discuss the options with you before making any changes.