Maintenance you must pay for

The BEO manages the maintenance of the estate.  This is mostly funded through the service charge, but some things are directly charged back to the long leaseholders (flat 'owner's).

From the BEO

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Rechargeable Costs to Residents


This is to clarify the procedures and reasoning for recharging for certain aspects of work carried out by contractors working on behalf of the Barbican Estate Office.

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Rechargeable costs to residents. 

The following information is to clarify the procedure and reasoning for recharging for certain aspects of work carried out by contractors working on behalf of the Barbican Estate Office. 

Water penetration 

When water penetration (i.e. water ingress to a flat) is reported, the Call Centre will raise an order for an investigation. This is usually the same day and involves our contractor making safe and isolating the water supply. It is only when the inspection has been carried out by the contractor, that the Call Centre will be advised on whether their investigation is rechargeable to the resident. If the leak is from plumbing which the leaseholder is responsible to maintain, e.g. shower, washing machine, dishwasher etc, it will be recharged. 

Both this resident and the resident who has suffered water ingress will be notified by way of a letter from the Call Centre. The former resident will be advised in the letter that the investigation is rechargeable to them. The resident will also be asked to carry out any necessary repair work. If repair work is not carried out within a reasonable timeframe the estate office will review requesting access to carry out the work and recharging the cost to the resident. 

If a leak affects City of London tenants’ flats, and if it is from one of their appliances e.g. washing machine it will be the tenants’ responsibility and they will be recharged for the contractor’s visit. They will also be asked to fix the appliance. If the leak is from their bath or sink, i.e. any of the fixtures inside a tenanted flat, the Barbican Estate Office will arrange for our contractor to fix this and there is no recharge made to the tenant. 

Broken windows 

Broken windows should be reported to the Call Centre and the officer will ask how the damage was caused, and if the crack is internal or external. If the crack is internal and accidental, the resident may be able to reclaim the cost on the building insurance. If the damage is external the Barbican Estate Office will arrange the work as a service charge item. Most damage to windows is accidental. and this can also include damage to privacy screens which can get broken during periods of high winds. 

Residents should be encouraged to report broken windows/privacy screens as soon as possible, to avoid accidents to themselves and contractors. 

Blocked sinks 

Both City of London tenants and leaseholders are charged for these blockages. The exception is if there is a blockage in the communal stack and this goes against the service charges for the block. It should be evident if there is a blockage in the stack as usually more than one resident is affected. If there is a blockage in the stack, the estate office contractors will be asked to attend and deal with it. 

Lock changes 

Both City of London tenants and the leaseholders will be recharged for lock changes if they lose their keys. The estate office will not arrange for the lock changes for Chubb and other security locks which always remains the responsibility of residents.