Areas that we manage

Frequently-asked questions

• Who is GreenSquare Estates?
  • GreenSquare Estates is a commercial subsidiary of the registered society, GreenSquareAccord. The Group is a major provider of housing, regeneration, care and support, and commercial services across Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, and Gloucestershire. The Group was formed in 2008, but its history dates back to 1866 when the original Cottage Improvement Society was formed in Oxford to help improve housing and health conditions for the poor.
    
    GreenSquare continues to be a social investment agency with a long-term commitment to our communities. At the core of our business is the housing association, as it is more commonly referred to, registered with, and its activities regulated by, the Government’s social housing regulator. As a not-for-profit organisation, any surpluses we make are reinvested to either improve the service and homes for our customers or to provide more, much needed, affordable housing. All the Group’s activities are strategically directed by the Board and Committees that comprise of voluntary members who either represent the communities in which we work or bring particular skills and expertise to support our work.
    
    GreenSquare Estates operates within and well beyond the Group’s geographical core areas with schemes in Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, South Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Devon.
• What does it do?
  • GreenSquare Estates manages and maintains the Public Open Spaces across new build and established housing developments. We offer an alternative approach to the traditional Management Company model, adopting the freehold of the Public Open Spaces, in return for an annual, fixed-in-perpetuity, Estate Rentcharge. These spaces include a vast range of features including play areas, woodlands, protected trees, hedgerows, wildlife conservation areas, drainage and attenuation solutions, sports provisions, and hard landscaping such as parking courts.
• Why do we pay from the day we move in?
  • The charge is applied from day one for two reasons. The first is to pay towards the ongoing upkeep of the open spaces during the construction period, and the second is to allow GreenSquare to build up a sinking fund to cover the capital replacement costs in the future. This can include hard landscaping features such as play areas, block paving and SuDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems) drainage systems. We spread these costs over a longer period of time to smooth the level of the annual Rentcharge, offering greater affordability to residents and no surprise increases year on year.
• Does everyone pay?
  • Every house across the estate will pay the Estate Rentcharge.
• Does everyone pay the same?
  • The Rentcharge is ‘tenure blind’ and therefore is uniform across all dwellings. GreenSquare believes that you cannot accurately determine the usage of Public Open Spaces against the size of a property or the number of residents living in a property. The open spaces have been designed for everyone to enjoy. We encourage all residents to use these areas.
• How often do we pay?
  • The Rentcharge is an annual fee and covers the year ahead from the 1 April to the 31 March. Each home owner receives an invoice for the coming year. Landlords and social housing providers have the ability to counter charge the annual Estate Rentcharge onto their tenants by private arrangement in the form of their lease or rental agreement.
• How do we pay?
  • Payments can be made by cash, cheque, BACS, or our preferred option of Direct Debit.
• What does the Rentcharge cover?
  • The Rentcharge is devised from the detailed landscaping plans and covers what is agreed between GreenSquare Estates and the Developer during the planning and early construction phase. The maintenance regime is approved by the Local Authority during the planning process and GreenSquare is also specifically approved by South Gloucestershire Council as part of the detailed planning permission granted for the development.
    
    The Rentcharge is fixed as per the Estate Rentcharge Schedule that is enshrined within each plot TP1 land transfer document.
    
    This is available in the sales show homes and offices and cannot be altered during the life of the site.
    
    The schedule sets out the fixed nature of the charge and any stepped, fixed increments that may be applicable. This ensures total transparency to residents and assurance of the annual estate management charges.
    
    There are no hidden costs and no extras. The Rentcharge cannot be escalated in the future beyond the figures detailed in the schedule.
    
    The first payment is collected at the time of plot completion through your solicitor or landlord.
• Who carries out the work and how often?
  • The routine works will be carried out by both GreenSquare staff and, where necessary, approved sub-contractors, who will follow a specified works schedule that will be made available to all plot owners from the outset. The works schedule details routine inspections and the frequency of visits by the team. An example of frequencies would be fortnightly play area inspections and 14 grass cuts per annum to informal kick-about areas.
    
    GreenSquare employees can be identified by their GreenSquare vehicles and uniform. In the event of a sub-contractor being appointed, they will be instructed to wear GreenSquare PPE clothing.
    
    Works are not completed on a set day of the week because visits are dependent on weather conditions.
• How do we complain if we are not happy?
  • Residents are able to contact the Group’s contact centre with any queries or complaints on a 24-hour helpline. The contact number and contact email address are specified in literature sent out in a site-specific leaflet in home information packs available in the sales complex prior to completion.
    
    Please email publicopenspace@greensquareaccord.co.uk or call 0300 111 7000 remembering to either include your 8 digit client reference number in the email or have it ready for the member of our team you speak to on the phone. You can find your reference number on your last invoice.
• What happens if we don't pay?
  • GreenSquare Estates has a legal right to collect the annual Estate Rentcharge.
    
    GreenSquare has a dedicated arrears team and policies in place to administer the collection of arrears payments.
    
    Any unpaid balance appears as a charge against the property and in the event of a sale would need to be cleared.
• Who collects the Rentcharge?
  • When a resident completes on their house, their solicitor will collect the first year’s Estate Rentcharge on a pro rata basis. Rentcharges are calculated from the 1 April for the year ahead. If a resident completes in September, they would only be invoiced for the period from September to the following 31 March.
    
    On the April following their completion date, every resident will receive an invoice and options for paying that invoice. This may be sent by the developer during the construction phase of the site, but can also be sent by GreenSquare Estates prior to the legal transfer of the land to GreenSquare Estates.
    
    In this instance, GreenSquare Estates acts as a managing agent, performing all the obligations and responsibilities. This may occur on large schemes where the handover of the public open space is transferred in phases, in line with the Section 106 trigger points for the completion of areas of open space.
    
    These two scenarios are detailed and agreed between GreenSquare Estates and the developer in the management agreement.
• Who controls how the Rentcharge is spent?
  • The costs associated with the open space management and maintenance are determined prior to the start of the scheme being constructed. These budgets are then set and GreenSquare Estates is responsible for operating within these cost parameters.
• Can GreenSquare Estates increase the Rentcharge?
  • No, GreenSquare Estates has no ability to revise the Estate Rentcharge schedule enshrined in the plot TP1 transfer document.
    
    The team uses its considerable experience to accurately analyse the landscape planning documents and estimate costs.
• Who owns the land?
  • GreenSquare Estates takes the freehold ownership of any land designated as Public Open Space. This land can include play areas, attenuation features, highways, footpaths, car parking areas, lighting columns, and areas of grassland, as well as other areas of open space within the responsibility of the management company on the approved planning application drawings.
    
    The land transfer takes place after an inspection procedure agreed between GreenSquare Estates and the land owner.
    
    The land stays within GreenSquare’s ownership for as long as GreenSquare is the appointed management company.
• Can we change the management company?
  • In the event that GreenSquare defaults on its obligations and has not demonstrated that it has addressed complaints and rectified any issues or outstanding works in a timely manner, the residents can use their collective right to change the management company and the land would be transferred to the new appointed body.
    
    The TP1 land transfer document for each individual plot details a majority vote out clause that entitles the residents to vote with a 75% majority, to change the management company, on the grounds of repeated poor performance.
    
    Each plot is entitled to one vote, with all affordable housing units qualifying for one vote each.
• What role does the Local Authority play?
  • The Local Authority is consulted during the planning process and approves the management company appointed by the developer in most cases.
    
    The Local Authority approve the landscape regime documents that govern the works carried out by the management company on site.
    
    Where they have no legal responsibility for any land or play area within the development, they have no obligation to be involved in resident queries or complaints. GreenSquare provides contact details for all residents to ensure Local Authorities are not perceived as a go between, to manage issues on site. GreenSquare is committed to relieving the Local Authority of any ongoing involvement in a scheme, but is happy to consult and is open to enquiries from the Local Authority should they arise.
• What happens if I sell my house?
  • If a resident is up to date with their annual Estate Rentcharge payments, a house sale would proceed as normal through the purchaser and buyers solicitor. Often, GreenSquare is contacted by a vendor’s solicitor to confirm there is no balance of Estate Rentcharge to pay.
    
    If a resident is in arrears, the balance would have to be cleared for the house sale to complete.
• Why is a percentage of the Rentcharge allocated to a sinking fund?
  • A sinking fund is a vital way to ensure the development is maintained to a high standard for the lifetime of the site.
    
    GreenSquare allocates a percentage of the annual Estate Rentcharge each year to a capital replacement or sinking fund, that enables GreenSquare to carry out such works as replace and maintain damaged play equipment, repair footpaths, and manage storm or frost damage.
    
    GreenSquare does not have any ability to revise the Rentcharge if costs in a single year were to escalate due to unforeseen weather conditions or an incident of vandalism for example.
    
    Therefore, this contingency allowance is built into the model from the very start to ensure adequate funds are in place for the life of the site.