Almost every dispute in a shared building is about one of four things: the stairwell, the roof, the water pump, or the parking. They are small questions that become expensive because nobody wrote the answer down while everyone was still friendly.
Allocation
| Part | Who may use it | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Each floor | Its owner, exclusively | Its owner |
| Entrance, staircase, lobby and landings | All six homes in the building | All six, equally |
| Stairwell lighting | All six homes in the building | All six, equally |
| Roof terrace | Being confirmed against the drawings | Not yet settled |
| Roof waterproofing and slab | Protects the whole building | All six, equally |
| Underground tank, pump and rising main | All six | All six, equally |
| Structure, columns and foundations | All six | All six, equally |
| External walls and façade | All six | All six, equally |
| Parking | See below | See below |
The roof, which is not settled yet
Two different things get called “the roof” and they need allocating separately:
- The roof terrace — the usable surface. Who holds it, and whether anyone holds it exclusively, is being confirmed against the architect’s drawings. An earlier version of this page said it belonged to the second floor. That was an assumption on our part, it was not in the drawings, and we have withdrawn it rather than leave it standing.
- The roof slab and its waterproofing — the structure. When this fails, water reaches every floor beneath it, so its upkeep is shared equally by all six homes in the building regardless of who uses the surface.
Do not buy any floor on an assumption about roof access. Ask for the position in writing, and check that what you are told matches what is published here.
Parking
Not published yet
The parking allocation for each townhouse — how many spaces the approved plan provides and how they are assigned between the three floors.
We would rather show you nothing than show you something indicative. This space holds the real document as soon as it exists — not a render of what it might look like. Waiting on: Central Point, from the approved site plan.
Ask us where this has got toThis is the allocation most likely to cause trouble and we are not going to guess at it. What the approved plan provides is a matter of record, and once that record is published here the allocation between the three floors will be published with it — before sales, not after.
If a dealer has already told you how many spaces you get, ask them to put it in writing and check it against this page. If the two differ, this page is the one we stand behind.
How a disagreement is settled
Six households share the staircase and the structure, so the rule is deliberately not a simple vote:
- Anything exclusive is decided by the owner it belongs to, without needing anyone’s agreement.
- Necessary shared repairs — anything affecting the structure, the waterproofing, or the water supply — may be commissioned once a majority of the six households agree, with costs shared equally. A single owner cannot block a repair the building needs.
- Discretionary shared improvements — anything not necessary — need everyone, or the owners who want it pay for it themselves.
- An owner who will not pay their share of a necessary repair can be recovered against, and the others may carry out the work without waiting. The building is not held hostage to the least cooperative owner.
What we do not control
Once the homes are sold and handed over, this is an arrangement between the owners. We are not a management company, we do not hold a casting vote, and we do not collect a monthly charge. That is a genuine advantage over an apartment block and a genuine limitation, and it is worth being clear which parts of it are which before you buy.