A to Z – General information & Services

The seating area located in the entrance lob is designed as a waiting area for use exclusively the residents and their guests. Please abstain from consuming any food or drinks in the communal areas. The building’s no-smoking policy is to be observed in all communal areas of the building, including the lifts, lower ground floor, and basement floors.

The building’s steps are made of Portman Stone, which can chip if impacted a hard heavy object. Heavy goods (such as large suitcases on wheels) and bulky deliveries should enter Bilton Towers through the side door to prevent objects from scraping the front steps.

The side steps are fitted with anti-skid strips and are protected from the rain the canopy: this provides added safety to people carrying very heavy or bulky items. To prevent any damage and abrasion to the white marble floor in the entrance and lob, very large items such as furniture or large appliances should enter the building through the back entrance leading to the lower ground floor; the porters will arrange on demand for that back door to be opened to allow access into the building.

Westminster City Council no longer offers a free pick-up service for the disposal of bulky household items. This applies to all household refuse that cannot fit into normal bin-liner bags and do not qualify for recycling in the special blue plastic recycling bags. Examples of such items would be :

• Large electrical appliances (fridges, washing machines, dishwashers, cookers, large TV sets, etc)
• Bulky furniture (bed frames, mattresses, sofas, tables, wardrobes)
• Floor coverings: large carpets or wall-to-wall carpeting
• Bulky building materials

Westminster City Council will collect of up to 10 items per flat, for a fee of £ 20 payable debit or credit card only.

Residents wishing to dispose of such large items should :

• Contact the Superintendent to agree on a date for the disposal of these items
• Contact the Westminster Environmental Action Line on 020 7641 2000 to schedule the removal and communicate their card details for the payment of the £ 20 fee.

We ask for your cooperation in not leaving any of the above items or building materials in the corridors, lift landings or outside the rubbish bin room, as this can be a health and safety hazard in addition to being unsightly.

Domestic waste is collected during the course of the morning daily (except Sundays and bank holidays). Items for collection should be deposited inside the cupboards located beside each apartment’s door, in closed plastic bags.

Recyclable items should be placed in a separate “Recycling” plastic bag for the purpose of recycling. Westminster Council processes them accordingly. Free supplies of recycling bags may be obtained from the reception desk. For further details, see the recycling instructions section below.

Large items, as well as bags that cannot fit inside the cupboards, should be dropped off in the containers located on the Lower Ground Floor. For the sake of hygiene and good order, residents are kindly requested not to leave any refuse bags on their landing.

Electrical items, discarded furniture, and other bulky items are not collected as part of Westminster Council’s regular domestic waste (See the section above on “Disposal of bulky items).

For security reasons, the building’s front and side entrance doors are locked between 11 PM and 6 AM approximately, as well as when the porter is momentarily absent from the reception desk.

Between 11 PM and 6 AM, residents and authorised visitors need to enter the building through the side entrance automatic doors which will be activated the porter or can be opened using the FOB electronic key. The front doors are kept locked during the night to prevent passers- from entering the building behind a resident or authorised visitor.

The intercom systems located outside the front and side entrance doors are connected to the mobile phone which the porter on duty carries on him when he is not at his desk so that he can be made aware that residents or visitors are waiting to be let into the building.

Please do not let unknown people into the hallway.  In the temporary absence of a porter, such people should be asked to wait a few minutes in the entrance lob for the return of the porter so that they can identify themselves as visitors or residents and be let in the reception staff.

The building’s fire alarm system is tested weekly on Fridays at 12 noon. There is no need for residents to take any action during these tests unless the alarm on a particular floor appears to be faulty – this should then be reported to the Security Manager. Occasionally, the fire alarm system may need to be tested more extensively, causing the alarm to ring repeatedly during the tests; residents will be advised in advance when such maintenance work is taking place.

The fire evacuation procedures are described in the Emergencies section of this website, which can be accessed directly clicking here

During the temporary absence of a porter at the reception desk, the front and side entrance automatic doors can only be operated using the electronic FOB keys, for security reasons.

Residents, visitors or delivery staff wishing to enter the building when the reception desk is vacant can contact the porter on duty using the intercom outside of both entrances. This intercom calls the porter’s mobile phone, there allowing communication with the porter on duty who will return to the lob to allow access into the building.

It is advisable to leave a set of keys with the Reception Desk team in case a resident gets locked out, but also to allow access to the premises in the absence of the occupier in case of emergencies without the need of emergency locksmith services which may cause damage to the apartment’s front door and result in high costs.

Apartment keys are kept under lock and the Reception Desk team have strict instructions regarding the authorised usage of those keys:

• to allow a locked-out resident back into his/her apartment;
• to allow staff (e.g. a cleaner) or contractors into an apartment, provided that person’s name is included in the access authorisation form; in such cases, the reception staff will attempt to contact the resident over the intercom system to verify that the flat is unoccupied before giving access to authorised staff or contractors;
• to allow access in case of an emergency such as fire or flooding;
• for inspection purposes when construction work or some form of official or technical inspection is taking place in the building, and only in the presence of the Security Manager or his nominated stand-in. Such instances are not emergencies and are therefore in most cases scheduled events: residents will be informed in advance the Managing Agents or the Reception Desk team.

Addressed mail is sorted and distributed the Reception Desk team through the apartment door mail flap every morning (except Sundays and bank holidays). Parcels and registered mail are to be collected at the Reception Desk. It is advisable to sign a proxy form to allow the porters to accept delivery of recorded delivery parcels and registered letters on your behalf.

The yellow parking spaces located next to the building’s side entrance are to be used exclusively for deliveries.  Arrangements to allow short term parking for contractors working in the building should be made with the Reception Desk staff.

The management of the underground car park located under Bilton Towers was transferred in early 2019 NCP (National Car Parks Ltd.) to Care Park, which operates a network of carparks in the UK using a mobile phone app on which users can locate the closest car park, check the availability of parking spaces and book their slot on-line.

The car park is open 24/7 .  Further details and tariffs are obtainable on Care Park’s website clicking this link.

Care Park offer a 10% discount to residents of Bilton Towers who wish to rent a parking space for an extended duration.

In the interest of everyone’s peace and comfort, residents wishing to own a pet animal whilst living in Bilton Towers need to request approval from the Board of Directors. Such approval will not be withheld unreasonably: the key criteria that need to be observed relate to hygiene, safety and disturbance (noise or turbulent behaviour).

After receiving approval from the Board of Directors, residents remain responsible for ensuring that their pet animal(s) does not soil any part of the communal areas of the building, does not pose any threat to any child or adult in the building, does not behave in any intimidating way, and does not cause any disruption such as unnecessary barking .

Westminster Council runs a scheme that makes it easy for everyone to contribute towards the recycling of domestic waste. The dedicated plastic bags provided Westminster Council for the disposal of recyclable waste can be obtained free of charge from the reception desk team.

Filled bags are to be placed together with bags of normal waste in the disposal cupboards located beside each apartment’s front door, from where they are collected daily and set aside for the weekly collection of recycling waste Westminster Council.

Please do not leave any bags on the landing; filled bags that are too large to fit in the waste cupboard should be deposited in the container room on the lower ground floor.

The following items can be placed in these “Recycling” plastic bags :

• Paper and cardboard
• Glass bottles and jars (but not broken glass or Pyrex)
• Rinsed food cans, drink cans and empty aerosols spray-cans
• Plastic bottles (beverage bottles, as well as household products and detergents, shampoo bottles etc)
• All wax-lined, plastic-line and foil lined cartons, including milk cartons and Tetra Pak
• Plastic tubs (plastic cups, plastic food trays, butter or margarine tubs, yoghurt tubs, ice-cream tubs etc)

Please rinse and squash items before recycling.

The following items should NOT be placed in the recycling bags : food or drink waste, carrier bags, film or cling-film, crisp packets or sweet wrappers, polystyrene packing, bubble wrap, rigid plastics (toys, CDs, cases), engine oil containers or hazardous chemical containers.

Further information regarding what can or cannot be recycled can be obtained calling Westminster City Council’s Environment Action Line; the telephone number is 020 7641 2000, or you viewing the up-to-date recycling information and instruction clicking here.

Residents planning a removal (large items such as furniture being delivered to their apartment or being moved out) should notify the front desk team in advance, so that short term parking facilities can be arranged the building’s side entrance and lateral protections be put in place in the lifts to prevent any deterioration to the lift cars.

Items that are too large to fit in the lifts and be carried in the staircase need to be delivered through the apartment windows. This requires an authorisation from Westminster Council as traffic in the street needs to be restricted or temporarily suspended. Residents requiring such arrangements should contact the Security Manager well in advance to ensure the administrative process is completed in time for the removal.

The costs incurred (authorisation fees, traffic control and equipment hire) must be borne the resident.

Bilton Towers’ privileged location close to shops, restaurants, and places of entertainment calls for sensible precautions to safeguard everyone’s security in these premises and prevent damage from theft, vandalism or other forms of unsocial behaviour.

CCTV recorded video surveillance is in operation at both the front and side entrance, in the building’s lob, at the fire exit, in the lower ground floor corridor, as well as in front of the emergency exit that leads from the underground car park onto our communal garden. However, residents must take care not to let any people unknown to them enter the hallway past the doorway in the lob, as this gives unlimited access to all floors of the building as well as the basement. If the porter on duty is momentarily absent from the reception desk, please ask such people to wait a short while for his return to identify themselves as visitors or residents and be let in that porter. Most people will understand that this measure is part of the rules of the building which are in place for everyone’s security.

The porter on duty can be contacted and called back to the front desk using the intercom system located outside the front and side entrance doors. This is connected to the porter’s mobile phone so that he may be contacted anywhere in the building.

Residents renting accommodation in Bilton Towers are expected to observe the rules that apply to all occupiers of this property as a result of the terms of the Lease, and to ensure their conduct is at all times compatible with the standards of this residential building.

As a reminder, the Lease prohibits hanging clothes and laundry to dry on the balconies, or the use of any exterior parts of the apartments (balconies, landings, fire escapes) to store furniture, domestic waste or any other belongings. A reminder also that lettings of less than 90 (ninety) days are a contravention of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and the Greater London Powers Act. The City of Westminster is vigilant about these short lets and they will take enforcement action where a breach is brought to their attention.

Tenants will not be granted access to the building unless the Lessee has obtained consent from the Landlord and duly registered the tenants’ details with our Managing Agents. Flat lettings at Bilton Towers must have a minimum duration of six months.

As an alternative to TV streaming over the internet, each flat is also provided with four cables connected to the building’s communal antenna and satellite dishes. These carry the signals of terrestrial digital TV, FM and DAB digital radio, as well as the signals from SKY, SKY HD, FREE SAT, HOTBIRD, ARABSAT and NILESAT allowing the viewing of all European and Middle-Eastern satellite broadcasts, the large array of British and North American programmes from Sky, and approximately 100 TV programmes broadcast in “Freeview”. There is no maintenance contract nor any other recurring charge for the use of the communal system the residents other than the cost of pay-TV packages they may have purchased the programme providers.

As stipulated in the Lease, residents are not allowed to install private satellite reception dishes that are visible from the exterior of the building.

Residents are responsible for acquiring their own “Skybox” or similar device to view programmes from the above listed satellite broadcasters, and are not allowed to make any changes or additions to the communal TV system itself. Extensions of the cables within the residents’ flats are made at own cost, the contractor of their choice. For the sake of simplicity, it is advisable to have such works carried out the company that installed the communal system as their engireers are familiar with it and offer competitive rates :

SAT UNIVERSE Ltd
5A  Parr Road,
Stanmore,
Middlesex, HA7 1NP

Visitors and staff must identify themselves as such at the Reception desk and will only be let into the building in the absence of the resident if their name is included on the “Access Authorisation” form, which can be downloaded and completed clicking here.

Residents’ visitors entering the building accompanied their host will not be asked the Reception staff to identify themselves, and it is therefore important that  any other people unknown to you should be referred to the Reception desk and not be allowed to join your group for the purpose of entering the building beyond the lob door giving access to the hallway.