Frequently Asked Questions

The communal areas of Fieldend are owned by the shareholders of the Fieldend Residents Association Ltd (ie: all Fieldend house owners).  When you purchase a Fieldend property you will be issued a share certificate.

Each year at an AGM, members elect a small committee of volunteer residents to act as directors for and as the management team for the society. Rules for the association are laid out in the Articles of Association. 

This small team is mandated by residents to preserve and maintain the development’s grounds and public spaces and to ensure that the rules and restrictions in the Scheme of Management are observed.

Management and maintenance of the communal areas, as well as a 4-year house repainting programme, is funded by a mandatory monthly maintenance charge. 

To maintain the unique environment of Fieldend, a Covenant detailing restrictions to alterations to the exterior of Fieldend houses and to the communal grounds that they sit upon are in place. This is the Scheme of Management.

The covenants are a legally binding agreement between an individual house owner and the Fieldend Residents Association (FRAL) which carries title to the common parts of the estate. FRAL itself is owned jointly by all 51 Fieldend house owners who all have an equal share.

The Scheme of Management is encapsulated in a legal document ratified by the

High Court in 1977. It is strongly recommended that each homeowner (shareholder) reads this document. It is issued on purchase of the house along with a share certificate. Some of the obligations are no longer routinely enforced but they exist as backup measures should

circumstances change. In principle, FRAL can also create new regulations under the Scheme of Management if necessary which would require popular consent.

Anyone considering living on Fieldend must be aware of what these restrictions mean in practice before they do. A conveyancing lawyer has a duty to explain these principles. 

The Annual General Meeting is held every February when current matters concerning Fieldend are discussed and directors are elected to the board. Each homeowner, as a shareholder, is encouraged to attend the AGM so that they are aware of FRAL's plans and financial position, and to express their views so that FRAL can operate democratically.

As a limited company, FRAL is governed by its Articles and Memorandum of Association and is registered at Companies House.

FRAL's budget comes from the maintenance fees paid by every household. The main expenses are:

• Repainting the exterior of each house and garage every four years.
• Maintaining the trees and communal gardens (which include the front gardens).
• Lighting and water bills for the common areas.
• Window cleaning of front and accessible rear windows of each property the frequency depends on the season.
• Third-party insurance for the communal areas.

The communal gardens are maintained by our longstanding gardening team a family firm that has worked at Fieldend since the 1960s. To minimise costs, DIY tidying and planting days are organised by the Gardens Director several times per year. When feasible, help with other DIY projects is also welcome.

Most homeowners choose to pay by monthly standing order. When you purchase a Fieldend property details of the maintenance change and how to pay will be included in the Sellers Pack. Please ensure you ask your solicitor for this. 

If you need to change your payment method then please contact the Treasurer. 

When Fieldend was built in 1960 the houses and garages were sold on 99-year leases. The leases included controls to ensure that the architecture and appearance of the estate was maintained and the grounds properly managed. In 1967 the Leasehold Reform Act made it easier for residents to buy freeholds and put any necessary controls into a "scheme of management" by which the landlord's powers were given to a residents' association.

Now almost everyone in Fieldend has bought the freehold of their house and most have

converted the garage title to a 999-year lease at a peppercorn rent. In 1986, for a mere £600,

FRAL purchased the freehold of all the communal areas, including the garage freeholds. In effect, FRAL has become the landlord for the garages and common areas, and the Scheme of Management specifies the obligations of both householders and FRAL.

Note that garages can only be owned by a Fieldend homeowner.

Please be aware that estate agents selling Span development homes do not always understand the workings of the estates or the legal duties of the Scheme of Management.  

Buyers should contact FRAL and be fully aware of the legal duties they are signing up for when they choose to move to Fieldend.  

If you are selling your property please let FRAL know asap.  Your solicitor/conveyancer and the purchaser's solicitor/conveyancer will need to liaise with FRAL.  It would also be very helpful if you could let us know when the sale has completed so that FRAL can deliver a welcome letter to the new resident, which includes important information about living in Fieldend and details of how to set up a standing order for the maintenance charge. 

The front gardens are communally owned and managed by our long-standing garden contractor. These are the areas that make Fieldend special. 

The gardens are there for everyone to enjoy. We encourage residents to use the areas: children can play ball games, set up equipment such as football goals or table tennis, and residents can host events for all, such as the summer party or music concerts. 

Whilst FRAL doesn’t technically allow planters outside front doors the rules have been relaxed. Please make sure any planter or pot (keep to 1-2) is sympathetic to the style and period of the estate and isn’t too large nor attached to the property (i.e no hanging baskets).

If you are concerned about the area directly in front of your property (eg a plant is dying or grass is wearing thin) then please contact the Gardens director. 

No, there is an obligation on homeowners “not to use the house as anything other than a private residence”. This covenant has been interpreted by the courts as being breached by short-term, holiday, or Airbnb-style letting. Nemcova v Fairfield Rents Ltd [2016] UKUT 303 (LC)

Refuse and recycling are collected every Friday, apart from weeks including Bank Holidays when collections can be delayed by one or two days. The Richmond Council website provides details. 

There are a large number of urban foxes in the area that feast on food waste and unwashed food containers. We ask that residents are mindful of this when putting out rubbish and that they secure bins, and clean up any mess promptly. 

Communal large green bins are provided near the garage areas for garden waste. Residents are asked to use these considerately. Some residents with larger gardens use private green bins. 

Window cleaning is managed via FRAL. Windows are cleaned by a reliable contractor who has been working for Fieldend for many years. All front and accessible rear windows of each property are cleaned 9 times a year, the timings and frequency depends on the weather and season. 

Many Fieldenders own pets. We ask that dogs be kept on the lead in communal areas and dog mess is disposed of in your private bin. 

Fieldend has hosted several productions over the years and many residents have indicated they are happy for their properties to be used for filming. All of the front garden areas are owned and managed by the Residents' association so production companies need to come through FRAL to negotiate access for their unit to the estate as a whole.