Soulful Home Rules

The construction of a new building means the formation of a new community. In order for all homeowners to enjoy a good life in their new home, residents should follow mutually agreed upon rules that ensure comfort and domestic peace, as well as increase the value of the home in the days to come.

The purpose of the rules is not to rewrite laws or standards, but rather to provide simple and tried-and-tested principles for resolving issues that may arise in the building. For starters, it is important that all new homeowners agree on the basics.

• A home is not just an apartment that we own. The home is also a house and a property that we co-own. In the bigger picture, your home street and home town are your home as well. Let’s treat our home as owners and proprietors. We ask our guests to do the same.
• At home, we behave in such a way that we do not disturb other co-owners with our activities. Let’s treat all co-owners and their close ones attentively, kindly and helpfully.

If the above points are agreed upon, then the following is uncomplicated.

 

Silent hours

Although the official silent hours are between 23:00 and 07:00, we also consider our neighbours at other times. It is good practice to inform neighbours in advance about noisy activities. In unfurnished apartments, the sounds echo louder than usual. After furnishing the apartments, the problems with noise in the building usually subside. Be it due to less drilling or the sound absorbing qualities of the textiles.

 

Safety and security

When entering and leaving the building, we make sure that the doors close properly. If we lose the key or door card, we will inform the administrator immediately. If a stranger wants to enter the building with us, we always ask who they’re visiting. If someone rings from the front door, we will make sure that they’re coming to our place before opening the door.

You can basically grill anywhere. However, it must be taken into account that the right barbecue equipment is chosen according to the location, that fire safety is ensured and that it should not disturb the neighbours. For example, only grills that don’t use solid fuels may be used on the terrace. Care must also be taken to ensure that the wind doesn’t blow smoke and sparks on the terrace or in the apartments with open windows. For the same reason, smoking is not suitable on the windows and balconies. It is also not good practice to beat the dusty carpet or keep a barking dog on the balcony.

In stairwells and corridors, we keep things only in the places provided for that purpose. For example, baby strollers can be kept in a designated place under the stairs. Keeping things on pathways increases the risk of fire, interferes with emergency evacuation and is therefore prohibited. We also keep the corridors at the storage spaces clean.

In the storage spaces we only keep things that are not dangerous and don’t emit unpleasant odours.

When we’re away for a longer period, we ensure that the apartment can be entered in case of an emergency. To do this, we provide the administrator with contact information in order to gain access to the apartment in case of an emergency.

 

Maintenance

We consider that any alterations to the appearance of the building, its structures or technical systems must be coordinated with the co-owners. In some cases, with an architect or a designer as well.

We keep our balconies and terraces clean. The trash bag left on the balcony attracts birds and rodents and is unsightly.

You can clean windows by yourself or you can order this service from the administrator. The windows are usually washed a few times a year. When washing the windows yourself, care should be taken not to stain the windows of the apartment below. The administrator will ensure that the window cleaners have the information regarding previously washed windows.

Garage cleaning is ordered from the service provider. It is prudent to do this 2-3 times a year. Parking space owners will make sure that the car park is empty during cleaning.

Cleaning of the corridors is organized by the administrator at a frequency agreed upon with the homeowners. The less dirt we bring into the building, the lower the cleaning costs.

Make sure your mailboxes are clean. If you do not want advertisements, you can put a sticker from Liven onto your mailbox.

You can smoke at the designated and agreed upon place, not at the corner of the playground.

We clean up after our pets ourselves. Even if something happens…

If we break something, we will also bear the costs of repairs. If something has broken regardless of us, we will cover the costs in the same way as other administrative costs.

 

Public areas and community spaces

Public areas are accessible to all residents. We will take care of them and act prudently. We make sure that there is no immoderate alcohol drinking in the public areas, and we ask our guests to take this into account as well.

Landscaping maintenance service can be ordered through a management company or it can be organized by enthusiastic homeowners. For example, some people simply like to prune apple trees, while others like to eat apples.

If Liven has designed a communal garden and garden beds adjacent to the building, then they should be shared equally by apartment owners.

 

Energy

We are energy efficient. Because the cost of heat loss from a window is shared by the residents of the whole building.

 

Expenses

We make sure that the payments are made on time. Otherwise, our costs will be paid by our neighbours, and we will have to pay interest in addition to the debt.

The costs incurred in the building are divided between the apartments in proportion to their area and regardless of how many people actually live in the apartment. This includes upkeep, heating, administration, technical maintenance, general electricity, accounting, refuse disposal, insurance, etc. Measurable expenses are shared according to meter rates. All meters are remotely readable and there is no need to send the rates to the administrator on a monthly basis.

If it is a new building, a reserve fund should be created for the future, which can be used for unexpected expenses with the consent of the building’s residents.

The costs related to the parking lot and storage rooms will be divided between the owners according to the number of parking places and storage rooms. If the parking lot is also used by other homeowners (for example, to access a bicycle storage or a communal space), a small part of the costs will be shared between them. The electricity rates of the parking lot and storage rooms can be measured separately. Snow removal from the outdoor parking lot shall be agreed upon separately by the owners of the parking places. If you wish, you can do this work yourself or order it from a service provider.

Parking

We park our car in such a way that it is convenient for the neighbours to park as well. The car doors do not have to open fully in the parking lot.

We do not park our vehicles in the spaces provided for guests or emergency vehicles.

You can store your bicycle or moped in front of your parking space. Car tires are kept in the storage room or in the tire change warehouse.

We only charge electric cars at the designated charging points. Electrical sockets meant for maintaining public areas and garages are not intended for charging electric cars.

We only keep bikes, which we use often, in the bicycle storage room. If we use bicycles rather infrequently, we keep them in the general storage room so that the bicycles in use every day can be housed in the bicycle storage room.

Waste

After moving in, inevitably more packaging waste is generated than usual. For this purpose, the developer or builder will have a packaging waste container near the buildings during the moving in process. Information about this will be given before moving in.

We deliver hazardous waste (toxic, corrosive or explosive substances) to the waste disposal facility ourselves and do not throw it in the garbage container. We also do not put car tires, batteries or fluorescent lamps in the container.

If it is necessary to throw away old furniture or large objects and we do not have the means to take them to the waste disposal facility, we ask the administrator for help and pay the associated costs.

We dispose of the Christmas trees to a place agreed upon with the administrator on the appropriate day. Be it a container or another disposal site.

 

Other

When transferring or renting an apartment for a long period, we inform the administrator and the management board of the apartment association.

 

Questions

If, after moving in, there are any questions concerning construction, furnishings, etc., you can contact Liven’s representative for information. You can also find answers to frequently asked questions on Liven’s website: https://liven.ee/koduomanikule/