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This provides a place where all residents not only have equal access to information relating to their home, but also a means to express their opinion, and for this to be noted by the community at The Danes, and if appropriate, the Management Company 'SPM Playfields' who make a positive contribution to the quality of life of residents through the upkeep and improvement of gardens, and all the community areas around the estate.
The two enclosed areas where the bins for The Danes are housed have recently been improved with new locks. Some residents have found the password does not appear to work. Note that it is important to press all five entries, including the first letter 'C' into the keypad. The 'C' clears any previous entries. Enter the numbers carefully as they may be presented on the lock face in a different order to the way you are used to: C1985
If you have an opinion about anything you read here, please complete the form below. You do not have to leave your name, but if you do your opinion will carry more weight.
The community areas at The Danes include car parks, gardens, stairwells, long open corridors, recycling and covered refuse areas.
If residents observe any damage to the community areas, or items that should not be in these areas, use the contact form below to report the issue, and you are also welcome to contact The Management directly by emailing: thedanes@spmplayfield.com
Where the property is tenanted, copy your landlord and/or lettings agent. This will ensure they are also made aware of the issue, and will better serve your interests in any future communication.
APRIL 2025 UPDATE: AN UPTICK IN REPORTING NEGLECT
Following reports from members of The Danes community, an increase in improper disposal of items in communal areas and negligence has resulted in additional costs for cleaning and bulk waste collection.
What The Danes Management Are Doing
The Management are contacted regularly by leaseholders and residents about maintenance issues at The Danes. Some of this work might go unnoticed like the recent manual cleaning of the drains around the car parks to ensure rainwater does not collect in pools, making sure all the lights work, or repairs to the rear fencing.
Management have sent an email informing leaseholders and residents that bulk waste needs to be disposed off in a proper manner, either through Schedule Bulk waste collection, or through the Council. New signs together with additional CCTV security cameras are planned to help counter the problem.
The Danes UK Editorial Opinion
Some things help make The Danes a better place to live, and some make living at The Danes a little worse. The following points were raised by members of the community at The Danes with a focus on respecting residents in the way the community areas are maintained.
Fly Tipping
Fly Tipping is when someone throws away something illegally or against the estate rules and leaves it for others to remove. These are usually large household items like mattresses, furniture, and white goods like fridges that are left close to one of the two refuse bin areas at The Danes. There have also been bicycle wheels left in one of the stairwells. Although these are removed, this costs money as these items are not collected by the council.
It might seem cost free to throw something away in a public area, but it is not. The additional costs to the leaseholders motivate them to increase rents so that costs are eventually passed on to residents. Fly tipping is also disrespectful to your neighbours as items are in plain sight each day, and this is especially unpleasant for those resident's whose homes are close to the refuse areas as items can often remain for weeks on end before they are removed.
As some properties at The Danes are renovated and prepared for new occupants, items and internal fixings may be removed and placed in a community area. In this instance leaseholders are responsible for scheduling and paying for their collection. If on occassion this does not occur, and a couple of weeks have passed, email thedanes@spmplayfield.com to make Management aware. They will contact the leaseholder to resolve the issue.
New residents at The Danes may not be aware that there is a £100.00 fee for anyone found to leave items close to the bins, or that this results in additional costs and is not covered by the usual collection of refuse. Although leaseholders and lettings agents should inform the resident, this doesn't always happen. New residents also have a lot on their mind when they move in and may not be aware that leaving the mattress near the bins without arranging for collection is going to cause problems. Being polite and respectful to others in making new residents aware of these issues is important. Be helpful by bringing this into a conversation or on a polite and friendly note through the door - it could save them a hefty fine.
Damage to Gas and Electric Safety Covers
The white service safety covers are positioned close to the front doors of most homes at The Danes, and occasionally on an outer wall. These covers ensure services are not compromised or damaged by weather. Note that The Danes Management is not allowed to repair these covers. Keeping the service covers in good order is the responsibility of the gas or electric provider, but they need to be informed when there is a problem.
A number of covers are broken and left by the side of their service points, or missing altogether. These expose the gas and electric meters to the elements, and if they are not reported to the leaseholder or letting agent, they could argue the resident has been negligent and should pay any cost of repair should the gas or electric company dispute a claim. It is therefore important that residents contact their leaseholder or letting agent to ask their covers are repaired promptly so the costs are met by the service companies. For those who own their lease and live at The Danes, resolving this issue quickly saves time and money.
If a resident has contacted their leaseholder or letting agent about the issue and no action has been taken, contact them once again with a reminder that they are responsible for health and safety of their property, and that they will be legally liable should an incident occur as a result of a gas escape or electrical failure that results from poor maintenance of the service covers. If this reminder continues to be ignored, inform them that The Danes Management and Basingstoke Borough Council will be informed of the safety problem, and that this will likely cause far more inconvenience to the leaseholder than simply attending to what is a relatively minor issue.
If you are a resident and wish to bring up any other issues about the The Danes estate, please use the contact form below.
Mike
Editor
www.TheDanes.UK
Use the contact form below to provide further feedback, or to comment on the items on this webpage. Although this form can be completed without including your personal name and email (simply enter 'resident' in the name field), more weight will be given to information that can be verified as from a particular resident. You may also email info@thedanes.uk.
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