Most residents at Glade Court use at least one of the shared spaces every week, and plenty use all four. The gym fills up before eight in the morning, the lounge gets busy on a Friday evening, the parcel room quietly saves everyone from missed deliveries, and the courtyard does the rest — a bench in the sun, a bit of green, somewhere for children to let off steam.
This guide covers what each space is for, who can use it, how booking works where booking is needed, and the small set of rules that keeps everything usable. Where a detail here differs from the noticeboard, the current house rules or your lease, those documents take priority — they are updated far more often than any webpage.
Access, fobs and who can use what
Every household is issued with fobs that open the shared entrance, the gym, the lounge and the courtyard gate. Treat them like a front door key. Losing one is not a disaster, but it does need reporting: a missing fob can be deactivated and a replacement issued, usually for a small charge covering the cost of the unit.
- Fobs are for your household. Please do not lend them to neighbours, friends or contractors.
- Guests are welcome, but must be with a resident who is responsible for them and for any damage they cause.
- Children are welcome in the lounge and courtyard, and in the gym only when supervised by an adult.
- Report a lost fob, a damaged door or a faulty lock the same day.
If a carer, cleaner or regular contractor needs access, speak to the office rather than passing on a fob. There are proper arrangements for that, and they keep the building secure.
The residents' gym
The gym is the most heavily used space, and the one with the clearest etiquette. It has cardio machines, a weights area and mats, and the current opening hours are posted on the door.
Booking a session
Off-peak hours are generally walk-in: turn up, use whatever is free, and be sensible about sharing. Peak slots — typically early mornings, weekday evenings and weekend mornings — can be booked through the residents' booking system so you are not left waiting for a treadmill. Book only the slot you need and cancel it as soon as your plans change.
Etiquette
- Wipe down equipment after use; there are wipes by the door.
- Re-rack weights and return mats, blocks and bands where they came from.
- Use headphones. Nobody else wants to hear your playlist.
- Keep cardio sessions to around forty minutes when others are waiting.
- Do not drop weights, and do not prop the door open.
If you are returning to exercise after illness, injury or a long break, speak to your GP before you start again. The gym is not staffed, so there is nobody on hand to advise on what is safe for you.
The residents' lounge
The lounge is the social heart of Glade Court. Day to day it is a shared space: somewhere to read, work for an hour, or meet a neighbour. In the evenings and at weekends it can be booked for private use — a birthday, a family meal, a Residents' Committee meeting.
There is a small kitchenette. If you use it, wash up before you leave and take leftovers and packaging with you. Music and conversation should stay inside the lounge rather than drifting into the corridor; sound travels further than most people expect, particularly after ten at night. Quiet hours are posted in the room. Furniture stays put — a sofa moved into the corridor creates a problem for whoever is on duty the next morning.
The parcel room
The parcel room exists so that deliveries do not end up in the lobby, on a doorstep or back at the depot. Couriers leave parcels inside and you receive a notification, by email, text or app depending on what the courier uses.
Collect as soon as you can. Shelves fill quickly in the weeks before Christmas, and a large box takes up space several smaller parcels could use.
- Take only your own parcels. Collecting for a neighbour is fine if they have asked you and told the office.
- Never prop the parcel room door open. It defeats the point of having it.
- If a box is damaged, leaking or clearly not yours, tell the office rather than moving it.
- Perishable deliveries belong in your flat, not on a shelf.
The courtyard
The courtyard is the simplest space to use and the easiest to accidentally spoil. It is there for sitting, reading, eating lunch outside and letting children play within sight of an adult. Tables and benches are for everyone, so please do not claim one for the day with towels and bags.
Barbecues, gazebos and anything involving an open flame need permission first — ask the office before you plan anything, and never rest a disposable barbecue directly on grass or decking. Dogs should be kept on a lead and any mess cleared up. Close the gate behind you, and check the signage before smoking, as parts of the grounds are covered by the building's no-smoking rule.
How to book a shared space
- Check availability, using the online booking system or the paper diary kept with the noticeboard.
- Read the entry for that space, because the rules differ — the gym uses short slots, the lounge is booked by the hour or evening.
- Submit your request with your name, flat number, date, start and finish times, and the number of people coming.
- Wait for confirmation. A request is not a booking until it has been confirmed.
- Cancel early if your plans change, so somebody else can have the slot.
- On the day, arrive and leave on time, leave the space as you found it, and lock up if you were given a key.
- Report anything broken or missing straight away rather than leaving it for the next resident to find.
Same-day requests are difficult to confirm, so give as much notice as you reasonably can. Bookings belong to the household that made them and do not transfer to other residents.
When something goes wrong
If a machine stops working, a light goes out, a door will not lock or a booking has gone wrong, report it to the office or building management the same day. Include the space, the date and time, and a photograph if the problem is visible — a picture of a frayed cable or a blocked drain saves a lot of back and forth.
Nobody expects shared spaces to be used perfectly. A quick message about a spill, a broken chair or a gathering running late is always better received than silence. If your own belongings are damaged, check your contents insurance, and take advice from your insurer before relying on what anyone else tells you.
Photo: user32212 / Pixabay
