Last Updated: 20th February 2025
The table below provides a list of issues currently being addressed by the LHCG Committee, some of which have been raised with Watson and have Issue No(s) against them. These are the reference number(s) assigned by Watson through their Issue Tracking System, Fixflo.
| Raised | Issue No(s) | Location | Details | Status | Latest Update |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02/11/2022 | Not Applicable | Internal & External | Disability Access The Committee has been seeking a simple door mechanism for the main entrance door to make it easier to open for those with wheelchairs, children’s pushchairs or walking difficulties. | Open | 20/02/2025: Watson has advised that a more reasonable quote has now been received by a suitable contractor, which the Committee agrees should be put to all leaseholders to seek their opinion, if any. |
| 14/12/2023 | Not Applicable | Car Park | EV Chargers For some time now, the LHCG has been trying to find out if the electricity supplied to the EV chargers is being charged to our service charge and, if so, if the supplier has been refunding us. | Open | 25/06/2024: Watson have advised that they have signed a new contract with BP Pulse, whereby the electricity used by the EV chargers will be charged out. This will be refunded to the service charge. 01/08/2024: The Committee has written to the landlord to investigate if/how the cost of electricity has been refunded to the service charge for the past 6+ years. |
| 14/12/2023 | Not Applicable | All Cores | Cleaning / Replacement of Carpets Several residents have reported stains on the carpets around the building. The LHCG had initially suggested replacing carpet tiles, but were advised by Watson that they did not have enough spare and that a deep clean would be carried out. | Open | 01/08/2024: Watson have agreed to replace the matting in the lobby areas. Watson have advised that this, and the cost of replacing the carpet tiles, has been catered for in the general reserve. The Committee agreed that replacing the matting is a higher priority, which should be done as soon as possible, while the replacing of the carpet tiles is less urgent, as a deep clean had resulted in a noticeable improvement. |
| 14/12/2023 | Not Applicable | External | Corrosion of Grilles Corrosion of grilles on the external parts of Leetham House have been raised with and discussed with Watson. | Open | 01/08/2024: The corrosion of the grilles in Palmer Lane remains an issue, as the contractor has been unable to identify the cause. The Committee agreed that this should continue to be monitored. |
| 02/02/2024 | Not Applicable | Car Park | Bicycle Store Security Several residents reported that their bicycles had been stolen or damaged, due to intruders being able to access the bicycle stores. | Open | 25/06/2024: Watson have advised that the recent thefts / damages were caused by residents leaving the doors open and have subsequently sent out a notice to remind residents to close the doors behind them. Watson have advised that they are waiting for contractor to install automatic closures. |
| 21/03/2024 | Not Applicable | Estate | Nature Reserve During the Committee's walkaround with Watson, it was noted that the tidying up of the Nature Reserve had started and, at some point, this would be handed over to Watson to manage through the service charge. | Open | 01/08/2024: Watson have advised that the Council have given partial sign-off and that this was now with the landlord. However, the Committee has noticed that allowance for maintaining the Nature Reserve has been included in the 2024/25 budget and had understood that the landlord would pay a proportional share of this. |
| 30/05/2024 | Not Applicable | External | Solar Panels There are solar panels on the roof of Leetham House. According to Watson, the electricity produced by these solar panels is used to feed the Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) batteries, which in turn are connected to the smoke vents on the upper floors. The Committee has asked for the electricity produced by these solar panels to be utilised more effectively, in order to reduce the cost of our communal electricity. | Open | 10/10/2024: The Committee has escalated this to the landlord and is waiting for further information. |
| 30/05/2024 | Not Applicable | All Cores | UPS Failures There are four (4) Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) systems, one in each core. All 4 UPS systems have failed and the estimated cost of fixing these is £14K each, a total of £56K. Given that these are only being used to power the smoke vents, the Committee has asked if these UPS systems could be replaced by a less expensive solution. | Open | 10/10/2024: The Committee has escalated this to the landlord and is waiting for further information. |
| Closed | Issue No(s) | Location | Details | Status | Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01/08/2024 | IS8563851 | All Cores | Fire Safety / EWS1 Certificate This issue has been ongoing for at least 2 years. It relates to the fire risk assessment carried out on Leetham House. It is understood that a Fire Safety Report has been completed and that Watson are awaiting some clarifications from the developer before it can be shared with leaseholders. Although we have been told that we do not need one, several leaseholders have encountered problems with lenders asking for an EWS1 Certificate, which Watson have agreed to obtain. | Closed | Watson sent out a notice to all leaseholders advising that the PAS:9980 and EWS1 are now available and can be obtained on request. Watson have confirmed that these can be obtained from Watson at no charge to leaseholders. |
| 01/08/2024 | Not Applicable | All Cores | Communal Electricity Charges Due to the rise in electricity prices, our service charges have increased. Watson have been asked to look at ways to reduce the electricity usage in the communal areas, such as the corridors and the car park. | Closed | Watson have advised that the electrician has started to replace the light fittings in the corridors, and we can expect to see an increase in repair bills due to the parts needed. However, in the long term, this is expected to reduce the communal electricity usage. Watson have advised that this work is almost complete, although will be ongoing. |
| 01/08/2024 | Not Applicable | All Cores | New Compliance Fee On the 31st January 2024, the Committee received an email from Watson inviting committee members to attend a meeting with them on the 16th February 2024. In their email, Watson briefly outlined the purpose of the meeting; “to inform you about the new cost that will be implemented into your 24/25 service charge that has been discussed in detail and agreed with Lendlease.” | Closed | The Committee has received the 2024/25 budget for review and agree that this new fee is reasonable and not as significant as expected. |
| 01/08/2024 | Not Applicable | All Cores | Emergency Access On the 29th February 2024, Leetham House residents woke up to find there was no water supply. On further investigation, residents discovered that the water had, in fact, been switched off by the fire service who were unable to contact Watson out of hours. More importantly, this raised the question as to why, if there is a Gerda box outside the building, did it not contain the information that the fire service needed, such as emergency telephone numbers, plans, means of access, service shut off information and any other relevant information. If these items were there, why didn't the fire service open it? | Closed | Watson have advised that the incident on 29th February 2024 which resulted in the water being turned off in Leetham House had been caused by the fire brigade. As they were a crew from Selby, they were not familiar with Leetham House and identified that a water leak had caused the fire alarm to go off. Watson will be contacting the York fire brigade to find out what kind of information they need so that it can be placed in the Gerda Box outside the building. The Committee agreed that there is nothing more that can be done on this. |
| 01/08/2024 | Not Applicable | External | Water Seepage on Steps in Leetham Lane During the Committee's walkaround with Watson, it was noted that the contractor engaged to carry out pointing on the steps of Leetham Lane had done it on the wrong side. | Closed | Watson have advised that the contractor had been instructed to return to carry out pointing on the correct side, at no further charge, and that this work had now been completed. |
| 01/08/2024 | Not Applicable | External | Upgrade to CCTV During the Committee's walkaround with Watson, Watson advised that they planned to replace the CCTV system to provide higher definition and remote access. | Closed | Watson have advised that this work has been mostly completed. |
| 25/06/2024 | IS7000723 IS8596130 | External | Planters Outside Main Entrance There are two planters near the front entrance of Leetham House. Both planters have slate chippings covering the surface area, which youths are picking up and throwing onto the balconies of Core 1 and Core 2 apartments facing outside. | Closed | Since the new gardeners were appointed, there has been a significant improvement. |
| 25/06/2024 | IS9247506 | External | Estate Gardening At our recent LHCG AGM held on the 27th October 2022, several residents expressed concerns about the poor maintenance of the garden areas around the estate. For example, the new contractors appear to spend their time trimming the grass along the riverside when there are plants dying around the estate. | Closed | The new gardeners are now doing a better job. |
| 16/04/2024 | Not Applicable | All Cores | Painting of Internal Doors According to Watson, a general "touch up" was carried out in January. However, it appears that only the walls were touched up and not the internal doors, which should have been. | Closed | The “touch up” painting of internal doors has been completed. |
| 14/02/2024 | Not Applicable | Main Entrance | Parcel Lockers The LHCG have suggested whether parcel lockers could be installed at the main entrance of Leetham House, to avoid the build up of parcels in the entrances of the cores and, of course, to make it easier for residents. | Closed | Watson have advised that they have been looking into a site-wide solution, for all residents on the Hungate estate. However, the Committee had initially been seeking a more practical solution for Leetham House and are opposed to a site-wide solution, as it would make it open to the general public. The Committee agreed not to pursue this issue further and to close it. |
| 16/04/2024 | Not Applicable | Car Park | Parking Permits Recently, several residents have reported receiving a Parking Charge Notice (PCN) for having faded or amended permits. The LHCG have sought clarification on this. | Closed | Watson have assured the Committee that any Parking Charge Notice (PCN) that is incorrectly issued by Bay Sentry will be reviewed and, if necessary, cancelled by Watson. To make sure everyone is aware, including subtenants, IH had asked Watson to send out a notice to clarify how the parking permits should be completed and if this, and other notices, could be published on the website. Watson have agreed to this, and it has now been done. |