Estate Care

Your Cleaner is responsible for checking and cleaning of the internal and external communal areas around your block.  The cleaning tasks can include. 

Internal

• Sweep and mop communal areas, stairways, landing, entrance lobby, lifts and corridors.
• Dust and wipe main entrance and exit door inside and out.
• Clean internal windows and ledges in communal areas.
• Clean handrails, bannisters, skirting boards and walls.
• Check bin chutes, clear items and report blockages.
• Remove bulk items from shared areas for collection. 
• Keep corridors free from litter.
• Replace defective light bulbs in communal areas. 

External

• Sweep footpaths and keep walkways free of litter.
• Pick up litter.
• Rotate debris and waste bins when necessary.
• Empty bins and return to the bin room.
• Address health and safety hazards.
• Seasonal works such as leaf blowing, snow removal and salting.

Bin management and cleaning

Cleaners will

• Check the bin room regularly and remove full bins from under the chute and replace with an empty bin.
• Remove refuse bags and heavy litter from the chute area.
• Replace full paladin bins with empty bins to avoid spillage or blockage.
• Move all used paladins for rubbish collection and return empty bins to the paladin room.
• Disinfect and clean the ground area surrounding the chute to remove surface dirt and stains.

Your Caretaker monitors estates regularly to inspect communal areas and report faults and defects, service levels and hazards requiring attention. They can call out specialist team to help with:

• Graffiti removal 
• Communal repairs
• Fire safety
• Bulk waste removal or fly tipping
• Anti-social behaviour 

Periodic deep cleaning

During the year Cleaners will undertake quarterly deep cleaning of entrance ways and lobbies, lift cars, stairways and walkways which may include: 

• intensive clean of all floor areas with suitable machines and cleaning agents appropriate to the floor surface.
• washing of internal walls, touch plates, window ledges.
• cleaning of high-level areas, ceilings, cobweb removal, gutters .
• intensive clean of banisters and railings.
• window cleaning

Contact us

Call the Housing Management Customer Service Centre on 0800 137 111.

• Cleaners will attempt to remove nonporous graffiti on internal surfaces or will file a report to the Graffiti Removal Team for any graffiti that requires removal.  
• Graffiti should be removed within 5 days of appearing or 24 hours if racist, offensive or obscene.

If you are a Lancaster West Resident and you need to report graffiti or other communal repair issues please visit the Wearew11 website. 

The Grounds maintenance team is a responsive mobile team active across the borough performing scheduled and urgent works to the shared garden areas around your homes. 

Ground maintenance has been contracted to Tree Wise Men in the north of the borough and Chris Edge Tree Care in the south. 

Services include 

• tree and shrub pruning.
• grass cutting and edging. 
• planting and soft landscaping.

Report any urgent matters such as broken branches or trees down to the Council on 0800 137 111

Your responsibility

Tenants are responsible for keeping their private gardens tidy. Occasionally, Grounds maintenance will assist with grass cutting and clearing of overgrowth for elderly or vulnerable residents who are not able to manage on their own. 

This is a limited and needs based service. 

The Environmental team have a register of residents in need of annual garden clearing; please contact them with inquiries about this limited service  [email protected].

Every quarter the Council carries out Estate Inspections. Residents accompany their Neighbourhood Services Coordinator, members from the Estate Service, and Repairs teams, and Caretakers at these visits. Residents are notified of the inspections through posters placed on block notice boards. 

These inspections are designed to monitor how well the communal areas are cleaned and maintained, and to ensure there are no health and safety or fire safety issues.  Caretakers make notes of any issues and record disrepair or faults on a mobile phone app, Service Connect, which raises jobs directly to the Customer Services Team.  

The inspections are completed by residents scoring estate communal conditions to a 'Gold', 'Silver' and 'Bronze' standard. Neighbourhood Service Coordinators are responsible for communicating results of the inspections and any outstanding actions with the estate Resident Association within 10 days.

If you would like to be involved in the estate inspections, please call 0800 137 111 and ask to speak to your Neighbourhood Officer.

Your rubbish will be collected twice a week. Small bags of rubbish can be put down the chute. Large black refuse bags should be placed into rubbish bins. All refuse bags must be untorn and properly tied.

If you live in a flat and put your rubbish on the street for collection, please place you rubbish and recycling out before 7am on the day of collection (not the night before).

Rubbish and Recycling Guidance

• Rubbish bin: food waste, non-recyclable containers, metal, small kitchen items/crockery, plastic wrapping and carrier bags.
• Recycling: glass bottles, jars and plastic bottles (remover tops/lids), tubs, plastic pots, newspaper, magazines, food and drink cartons, paper bags, cardboard, aluminium cans.   
• You cannot recycle: Food waste, garden waste, clothes, shoes or textiles, non-recyclable plastic including carrier bags, polystyrene or cling film, foil or metal other than cans, nappies, light bulbs, batteries, aerosol cans.
• Please recycle as much as you can by putting recyclable materials into the correct bin outside your block. 
• Do not put these items in regular plastic bin bags as this will prevent them from going into recycling.  
• If you do not have a communal recycling bin and put your recycling on the doorstep for collection, please use the clear plastic bags provided by the Council. If you don't receive these, you can call Streetline on 020 73612 3001 for free delivery.

Find your collection day by street name search.

Bulky Waste: Items that are Too Big For The Bin

We collect most furniture and household items such as:

• TVs and stereos
• washing machines
• sofas
• tables
• chairs and mattresses

This service is for residential bulk waste only. 

This service is free of charge if you are receiving housing and/or council tax benefit. We will require your NI number when you book. Otherwise, the fee is £33.30 for up to ten items.

You can find more information and book a collection online.

See more information about on bins and waste, including commercial and hazardous waste, garden waste, fly tipping, reporting a missed collection and pest control due to waste management.