frequently asked questions
In this section of our website we have provided advice and information to help answer some of the most common questions our customers ask. Please select the relevant question from the menu below.
However, if you have a more specific question that is not covered here, please feel free to contact us.
- Annual Management Charge
- What is the Annual Management Charge?
- Why do I pay for management of land owned by Greenbelt?
- Does every homeowner have to contribute?
- Who decides how much residents are charged?
- How can I be sure the amount of the Annual Management Charge doesn't escalate?
- I paid a fee relating to the open spaces to the developer when I bought my home. What was this for?
- Do you maintain separate bank accounts for each development?
- Payment & Finance
- How can I pay my Annual Management Charge?
- Can I pay in instalments?
- I completed a direct debit mandate but no money has been taken from my account, why?
- If I want to change how I pay the Annual Management Charge what do I do?
- I am having trouble paying my Annual Management Charge, what can I do?
- What happens if I do not pay the Annual management Charge?
- Our Management and Maintenance Service
- Does Greenbelt take over all the open spaces on a development?
- When does Greenbelt start managing the open spaces?
- Can you tell me about the maintenance you undertake in general?
- When do your maintenance teams visit my development?
- Can the open space layout or management be changed?
- I have a question about the maintenance of my development, who should I speak to?
- Selling your home in Scotland
- What do I do when I sell my property?
- Selling your home in England Wales & Northern Ireland
- What do I do when I sell my property?
- Why do you need my solicitor to contact you when I sell my house?
- Legal
- Where can I find details of the requirement to pay the Annual Management Charge?
- Where can I get copies of my title deeds if I do not have these?
- Why do my title deeds refer to Greenbelt and a property manager?
- Can residents replace Greenbelt?
Annual Management Charge
- What is the Annual Management Charge?
The Annual Management Charge is the amount of money which each owner pays towards the costs of the management and maintenance of the open spaces and associated features, which Greenbelt undertakes ownership of and is responsible for on your development. The Annual Management Charge is issued by Greenbelt to each homeowner at the start of each billing year.
- Why do I pay for management of land owned by Greenbelt?
The developer must make arrangements for long term management of the open spaces and other features (such as play areas and water drainage systems) as a condition of the planning consent for their development. In the vast majority of cases the Local Authority will not take over responsibility for these areas and therefore agree to Greenbelt undertaking and committing to ownership and the associated obligations. The developer and the planning authorities require homeowners to contribute to the cost of management of these areas because it is the homeowners who benefit from the areas and features included within their development.
Greenbelt’s Greenspace arrangement is acceptable to the developer and the local authority because it is secure in the long term and ensures that all property owners pay an equal and fair sum towards the ongoing management and maintenance of the open spaces and features on their development.
The arrangement is funded by payment of an Annual Management Charge from each homeowner. In return, the Greenbelt carries out the management of the open spaces and associated features. The Annual Management Charge reflects both the expense of maintenance and the true cost of ownership and management responsibility.
- Does every homeowner have to contribute?
Yes. All the homeowners within a development pay an equal share of these costs, because the open spaces and features and the associated management regime are designed to enhance the environment of the whole development rather than for specific individual houses.
- Who decides how much residents are charged?
The developer and our business development managers agree how much is to be charged. This is based on:
- the number of properties in the development;
- the extent and type of open spaces and features to be incorporated into each development; and
- the management regime the planning authority and the developer agree must apply to the open spaces and features.
- How can I be sure the amount of the Annual Management Charge doesn't escalate?
The details of the Greenspace arrangement are set out in the title deeds to your home. These will tell you by how much and when Greenbelt can change the amount of the Annual Management Charge. In the vast majority of cases any increase to your Annual Management Charge and the cost of the routine management operations are restricted to the level of inflation with periodic reviews to reflect actual costs.
- I paid a fee relating to the open spaces to the developer when I bought my home. What was this for?
When a developer and Greenbelt agree that Greenbelt will take over the ownership responsibility for the open spaces and features on a development, there is a nominal fee paid by the developer to Greenbelt to cover this commitment and as a contribution towards our initial costs. Some developers pay this sum to Greenbelt themselves and others ask the residents for this when they complete their house purchase. Greenbelt does not decide how this sum is funded.
If you do have to pay this, it will have been included in the agreement to purchase your property with the developer, and the developer should have made clear to you what this sum was for when you bought your house. Sometimes the developer will call this sum a “float”. If however the open spaces are going to be handed over to Greenbelt then the sum paid when you bought your home is not actually a float. It is a one off payment and is not refundable by Greenbelt to homeowners.
This sum is NOT paid instead of the first Annual Management Charge. You will be invoiced for the first payment of the Annual management Charge along with all residents after Greenbelt start managing the open spaces and features on your development.
To clarify, a ‘float’ is a sum of money which is paid by purchasers (usually of flats) to factors or property managers and retained by them because they are managing the amenity areas as agents for the co-owners.
- Do you maintain separate bank accounts for each development?
No. The areas we take responsibility for are owned solely by Greenbelt, so we do not maintain separate bank accounts for each development we manage. Separate bank accounts for each development are only required where the open spaces and features are being managed by a property manager on behalf of residents where it is the residents who own the open spaces in common.
Payment & Finance
- How can I pay my Annual Management Charge?
- Can I pay in instalments?
If you elect to pay by Direct Debit we offer payment in 10, 4 or 1 instalments.
If you pay by any other payment method the annual charge must be paid in one instalment.
In certain circumstances, and depending on the amount of the Annual Management Charge, we will consider individual requests to pay the charge in instalments where payment is not made by Direct Debit.
- I completed a direct debit mandate but no money has been taken from my account, why?
There can be a number of reasons why, when we request a payment from your bank, the payment is not made:
- Your bank advises that no Direct Debit agreement is in place, or is cancelled. This may be because they have not yet been able to update your account to include your mandate when we request the payment, or
- Their system may have defaulted to a previously cancelled instruction, or
- The details on your completed mandate may be incorrect.
Before asking your bank to release funds to us, we will always check, not less than 10 days before we approach them for payment, that we have sent them your completed mandate.
We can choose to resend your mandate to them or to approach them again, but if we are unable to obtain payment a second time we may have to contact you to let you know.
We would ask for your patience if this does not happen, and suggest that you contact us on our Enquiry Line 0800 028 1749 to discuss.
- If I want to change how I pay the Annual Management Charge what do I do?
If you wish to cancel your Direct Debit and arrange to pay using another method, you must contact your banking institution directly.
If you would like to change the account you use to pay by Direct Debit, you must cancel your existing direct debit and contact us to request another direct debit mandate for you to complete and return.
- I am having trouble paying my Annual Management Charge, what can I do?
Please contact our Enquiry Line on 0800 028 1749 and we will try to assist you.
- What happens if I do not pay the Annual management Charge?
All residents on our Greenbelt developments are obliged legally and contractually through the title deeds to their house to pay the Annual Management Charge (AMC).
We give all residents a generous time period to commit to their annual payment but if payment is still not made then we will pursue collection of outstanding sums formally. Debt management is for the benefit of the residents of each development as a whole and not just for Greenbelt.
Our Management and Maintenance Service
- Does Greenbelt take over all the open spaces on a development?
The developer responsible for building the development decides which areas Greenbelt will take over.
We can provide you with a layout plan of your development, showing exactly which areas we maintain and also areas which are due to be handed over to us in future. Request Homeowners plan
If, after you have received the plan there are other areas within your development which have not been identified please contact us providing as much detail as you can of the area in question and we will try to help.
- When does Greenbelt start managing the open spaces?
The developer and Greenbelt will agree the best time for the open spaces and features to be taken over by Greenbelt.
On smaller developments we will wait until all the areas have been established and all houses have been sold.
On larger developments where the development is built in phases we may agree with the developer to start managing the open spaces and features in stages while the construction works are still on going on other parts of the development. In this case Greenbelt would be, what is referred to as, “operating under licence”.
- Can you tell me about the maintenance you undertake in general?
- We only employ suitably qualified landscape/safety managers and contractors.
- We provide a year round programme of summer and winter maintenance. Visits are more frequent in summer months to reflect the rate of growth of vegetation at this time.
- The standards of the maintenance work and the frequency of visits depends on what has been agreed between the developer and the local planning authority when they agree the planning consent conditions.
- We monitor works undertaken within each development closely. Reports are received from our maintenance teams and members of our Lands Team regularly visit each development to carry out inspections and review any possible concerns or future remedial works.
In general and where required, three categories of work are undertaken on each development:
Health & Safety
- Keeping the areas we are responsible for on the development safe.
- Play areas are inspected quarterly and annually by an independent health and safety inspector. Repairs to play equipment are undertaken by firms specialising in play area safety.
- Litter is removed and bins emptied regularly.
- Maintenance teams are required to report vandalism or other health and safety concerns to our Lands team.
- Safety inspections and safety works on mature trees.
- Insurance cover is maintained to cover public liability and damage to woodlands by fire.
Routine Maintenance:
- Grass cutting.
- Pruning of shrub beds.
- Maintaining young shrub beds to ensure their establishment.
- Replacing dead shrubs when appropriate.
- Collection of litter.
- Reduction of grass competition within young tree plantings to ensure successful woodland establishment.
- Silvicultural management of woodland.
Non-routine Maintenance: (These works may be added to the Annual Management Charge.)
- Removal of fly-tipping.
- Repairs to fencing.
- Repairs required as a result of vandalism to structures, including play areas.
More details regarding the maintenance specific to your development can be found in your Homeowners pack or Introduction letter. However, we would be happy to provide you with additional details on request.
- When do your maintenance teams visit my development?
Our maintenance teams will visit your development within a few days either side of when we ask them to. We do not ask them to keep to a rigid schedule as this can be affected by many factors such as weather conditions, plant and machinery availability, and their schedule of other work. This flexibility enables us to maintain a cost efficient service.
Our maintenance teams can also visit at times outside the planned schedule, for instance, to carry out emergency works. If these works are not covered by your Annual Management Charge, the cost may be passed to the residents.
The amount of time our maintenance teams spend on each development can vary, with many factors influencing the time taken to complete routine maintenance. Our maintenance teams’ visits are not paid on an hourly rate, they are monitored, inspected and paid by means of our agreement with them which determines the quality of, rather than quantity of visits or time spent on site.
- Can the open space layout or management be changed?
The open spaces within your development exist for the benefit of everyone on the development. If changes are appropriate or help resolve a persistent problem then Greenbelt will consider, in consultation with the residents and the local planning authority, the most appropriate changes/solution.
As such, any changes require the support of all of the residents before we formalise any changes.
We are happy to discuss with residents any additional management or maintenance to existing routine schedules. You should be aware that generally this would require an additional contribution to the Annual Management Charge and this would be payable by all residents. This is why we need to be satisfied that the residents as a whole are happy with the proposed changes.
You should equally be aware that reductions to the routine maintenance schedule or landscaping may not be possible as the standard of maintenance which has to be carried out is set by the Local Authority in terms of the Planning Consent for the whole development, and we have to carry out the maintenance to at least this standard.
We generally ask that residents do not undertake maintenance on our behalf. If residents do carry out work themselves:
- it prevents us from assessing the works we have asked our contractors to carry out; and
- we have to ensure that the open spaces are maintained to the agreed standard.
- I have a question about the maintenance of my development, who should I speak to?
If you have any questions about the maintenance of particular area/s within your development, please contact us either using our online enquiry facility or download our enquiry form and send it to us.
If you are unable to access the above links you can email us at: mail@greenbeltgroup.co.uk or contact us on our Freephone Enquiry Line 0800 028 1749.
In all communications we ask that you tell us the exact nature of your enquiry as this enables us to respond to your enquiry more effectively.
Although we employ operatives and supervisors to undertake maintenance on our behalf, we do not expect them to provide responses to residents, or to explain instructions relating to those areas where maintenance is undertaken. They may not have all the relevant or correct information to answer your question fully and so we ask that all queries be directed to ourselves.
Selling your home in Scotland
- What do I do when I sell my property?
Ask your solicitor to contact us before you complete your sale and move out to tell us:
- that you have sold your house;
- the date when you will complete your sale; and
- full names of the new owners.
You can provide us with this information direct but we will still need to contact your solicitor as well so please provide their details. You or your solicitor can provide this information by contacting us
This information allows us to:
- update our records with the details of the new owner; and
- prepare a Statement of Account up to the completion date of your sale, detailing payments you have made to us for the Annual Management Charge or indicating if any money is still owed by you. We will send this Statement to you/your solicitor.
The purchaser’s solicitor will also ask your solicitors to confirm this information so it is important that you ask your solicitor to contact us with this information in good time before you complete your sale and move out as it is helps make for the smooth completion of the sale of your home.
We make a modest administration charge for carrying out this work and this sum (currently £23.50 inc vat) is added to the Statement of Account.
If we are not told that you are moving you may continue to be responsible for paying the Annual Management Charge.
Selling your home in England Wales & Northern Ireland
- What do I do when I sell my property?
Ask your solicitor to contact us before you complete your sale and move out to tell us:
- that you have sold your house;
- the date when you will complete your sale; and
- full names of the new owners.
You can provide us with this information direct but we will still need your solicitor to contact us as well to carry out certain legal procedures which will enable the sale of your property to complete. You or your solicitor can contact us and provide this information by contacting us
This allows us to update our records with the details of the new owner and tell your solicitor if you have paid the Annual Management Charge or if any money is owed by you.
The purchaser’s solicitor will also ask the seller’s solicitors to confirm this information so it is important that you ask your solicitor to do this in good time before you complete your sale and move out as it is helps make for the smooth completion of the sale of your home.
If we are not told that you are moving you may continue to be responsible for paying the Annual Management Charge.
- Why do you need my solicitor to contact you when I sell my house?
The title deeds to your property contain a procedure which has to be followed each time your house is sold so that the obligations to pay the Annual Management Charge pass on to each owner of the property. The purchaser’s solicitor will not be able to register the purchaser’s ownership until this procedure has been completed. It is not complicated but has to be completed and involves two steps:
England
- The purchaser enters into a Deed of Covenant with Greenbelt which obliges the purchaser to perform the obligations in the title deeds relating to the greenbelt land. We need to see a copy of the first transfer between the developer and the first owner of the property. We will provide your solicitor with the form of deed to be signed; and
-
- Greenbelt will issue a Certificate of Compliance which the purchaser has to send to the Land Registry. This will be issued when:
- the Deed of Covenant has been signed;
- we have confirmed that any arrears of the Annual Management Charge have been paid;
- our administration fee has been paid.
Northern Ireland
- Your solicitor has to satisfy Greenbelt that a document called an "Inhibition” has been registered against the title to your property in relation to the obligations in the title deeds relating to the Greenbelt land;
-
- Greenbelt will issue a Certificate of Compliance which the purchaser has to send to the Land Registry. This will be issued when:
- Greenbelt sees evidence that the Inhibition has been registered;
- we have confirmed that any arrears of the Annual Management Charge have been paid;
- our administration fee has been paid.
Legal
- Where can I find details of the requirement to pay the Annual Management Charge?
In Scotland, the details of the Greenspace arrangement are set out in a document called a Deed of Conditions. This deed will apply to all houses on the development and will include the open space areas and features. The developer prepares this deed before any properties are sold. It details what each owner can and cannot do in relation to their house and the general environment on the development. The Deed of Conditions also sets out the obligation for each owner to contribute towards the cost of the management and maintenance of the open spaces by way of the Annual Management Charge as well as information about increases in the Annual Management Charge.
You should have a copy of the title deeds (including the Deed of Conditions) at the time you purchase your property, as they outline your responsibilities as owners in relation to your property and the development you live on, including the obligation to pay the Annual Management Charge for the open spaces.
Copies of your title deeds and the Deed of Conditions are available from your solicitor, or alternatively can be purchased at the land registrar's office either in Edinburgh or in Glasgow (contact General Enquiries on 0845 607 0164)
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, details of the Greenspace arrangement are set out in the first transfer deed entered into by the developer. This transfer will also set out details of other rights, covenants and restrictions affecting each property and their owners. The wording in each transfer will be the same for all homes on the development.These rights and obligations pass on to each successive owner of the house and not just for the first owner of the house.
For each development, Greenbelt ensures that the requirement to contribute to the Annual Management Charge applies to each owner of the property in the future by agreeing with the Developer that an appropriate real burden (Scotland) or covenant backed up by a title restriction (England, Wales & Northern Ireland) is inserted into the title deeds of each property on the development before any houses are sold.
Your solicitor should have explained this to you before you bought your property.
- Where can I get copies of my title deeds if I do not have these?
You should have a copy of the title deeds (including the Deed of Conditions if in Scotland) at the time you purchase your property, as they outline your responsibilities as owners in relation to your property and the development you live on, including the obligation to pay the Annual Management Charge for the open spaces.
Copies of your title deeds should be available from your solicitor, or alternatively can be purchased from the land registrar:
Scotland - Edinburgh or in Glasgow (contact General Enquiries on 0845 607 0164) or http://www.ros.gov.uk/
England and Wales - http://www.landregisteronline.gov.uk/
Northern Ireland - http://www.lrni.gov.uk/
- Why do my title deeds refer to Greenbelt and a property manager?
The developer decides whether the open space on the development is to be owned in common by all residents and managed by a property manager, or whether it is to be owned solely by Greenbelt. On some developments, the developer may not have made that final decision before the Deed of Conditions is finalised so they include provisions which deal with both situations. They then make their decision and inform residents at a later stage.
If the developer decides to transfer ownership of the open spaces to Greenbelt, then the clauses in the Deed of Conditions which deal with the management of open spaces owned by Greenbelt apply, and none of the clauses in the Deed which refer to factoring/property management are applicable.
If ownership is common among the residents, then a property manager will be appointed and the clauses in the Deed of Conditions which deal with the factor's/property managers’ responsibilities apply to the management of the open spaces and none of the clauses in the Deed which refer to Greenbelt taking ownership of the open spaces are applicable.
The benefit of Greenbelt’s Greenspace arrangement is that Greenbelt takes on the ownership responsibilities for the open spaces as well as any play areas, structures, water drainage and other features included in the planning conditions. Whereas under common ownership, residents will have ultimate, ownership responsibility and liability even when a property manager is appointed as their agents.
- Can residents replace Greenbelt?
Click here to see our Consumer Choice Options.