Access to Properties

HSRAL would advise all lessees and tenants to leave spare keys with reception staff at all times. Provision is made to control keys under secure conditions, and there are procedures in place to enable staff to be granted permission to issue keys on your behalf.

Access to properties may be granted to third parties (contractors) by the occupier, or on occasion be requested by the Estate Manager or authorised staff in order to deal with reported emergencies such as serious leaks, alarm activations, or reports of smoke/fire. If keys are available, emergencies can be quickly dealt with, and costs reduced substantially as damage can be limited. Insurance costs will be kept lower as a result of such interventions. Every effort will be made to contact the occupier of a property before entry is made or attempted.

In the event of a major emergency, the Estate Manager or emergency services may be required to authorise forceful entry at the expense of the lessee, which can be avoided if keys are held.

Contractors and visitors are not allowed access to any flat without the express permission of the occupier or tenant in advance. If you wish to arrange for access to your flat, you must complete a key release authority in advance, or email a request if you have forgotten to do so. Where no authority has been given in advance, staff will refuse to issue keys. If we cannot contact you by telephone this may result in incomplete works, or friends and relatives being refused access. 

Lessees should note that the occupant is required to give permission for entry; instruction by the lessee on behalf of the tenant will not suffice unless a written or emailed authority is received from the tenant, stating he has agreed to the release of keys and access. HSRAL accept no responsibility for any costs incurred as the result of contractors or deliveries being refused entry due to lack of a current written authority being held.

The estate staff are not responsible for supervising contractors working in flats, nor can they accompany contractors or deliveries during installation or works in progress. Staff will open and secure properties where requested, but cannot supervise works or deliveries due to their other duties. If large deliveries or works are planned, you must arrange to be present personally.

Keys are retained in secure key cabinets and recorded in and out. Once issued, staff are not responsible for your keys until such time as they are returned. A telephone contact will normally be obtained when keys are issued to facilitate recovery if they are inadvertently removed off-site.