Kennet Island
Property Information & Services
In this section you will find details for Kennet Island properties:
Water, Gas and Electricity supply. Internet providers. Council Tax. Bins, waste & recycling collections and facilities. Maintenance & Service Charges. Connections to local service providers & trades and information on Door Entry Systems, CCTV & security. Pet Licences.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions at the bottom of the page.
Internet Providers in Kennet Island
Depending on your address in Kennet Island, will depend on the speed of services available to you.
The larger apartments, such as; Osprey, Skylark, Peregrine, Montagu, Nightingale, Linnet, Harlequin, Lundy, Cygnet, Tean, Thorney & Heron Houses as well as some of the newest built private houses, have been built with specialist Hyperoptic lines installed with speeds of 50Mb to 1GB packages available. You can click on the exclusive KI Residents link to get a special Kennet Island residents referral offer price up to 50% off monthly: CODE: HYPERDEAL for up to 3 months free until 29th April.
Many streets have now been upgraded through BT Open Reach Fibreoptic to high speed lines. If you are unlucky enough to not yet have this service available yet, it is worth registering your interest with BT & Hyperoptic to request the lines be installed.
BT & Hyperoptic have been working with Kennet Island to upgrade more streets this year now that the roads are being adopted by Reading.
Comparison websites are good for finding a deal, but often don't have the latest street updates available, so it is worth checking directly with Hyperoptic. You can find the latest and cheapest Broadband Deals and offers from; BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Virgin, Plusnet, EE and many more here:
Water, Gas & Electricity Supply
Water: Currently in the UK, you are not able to choose your water supply company, supply is determined by your address. Both Thames Water & Leep Utilities (previously SSE Water) supply Kennet Island - the newest builds supplied by Leep Utilities and the older developments by Thames Water - The water supplier should contact you when you move in, if not give them a call.
Gas & Electricity: You are free to choose your gas and electricity supplier in the UK, it is worth shopping around for the cheapest deal via comparison websites. Kennet Island Residents Website have partnered with MoneySuperMarket, to find the best local energy deals, because with MoneySuperMarket, 51% of customers that applied to switch via MoneySuperMarket could save at least £286.50, June 2021. So its worth it to check that you're on the best local deal; To find your cheapest local supplier, just enter your address & energy usage details via the comparison link.
If you are in a freehold house, you will likely have both gas and electricity supply. If you are in a large apartment block, likely only electricity. If you need help locating your gas and electricity meters - contact PBM Property Management.
In case of a power cut: Call 105
Moving In/Out
A quick guide to help you to move in & out of Kennet Island smoothly.
1) Take your opening and closing; Gas, Water and Electricity readings at your old and new property - send this to your service providers. Note; for the newest large apartment blocks, water readings are done by the water company at a central hub, contact PBM Property Management to verify this for your building if you cannot find a water metre.
2) Close and Open your internet provider account, this can sometimes take a few weeks to set up with older BT lines, so the earlier the better. If you are in a large apartment block with Hyperoptic, activation is instant, you can get a special Kennet Island residents offer via the Kennet Island Residents website.
3) Contact the Council to close / open your council tax account and remember to register to vote at your new address.
4) Let your bank, doctors, dentist and other companies know your change of address.
5) You can redirect your mail with Royal Mail to catch any post from companies you may not have yet changed address with.
If you are renting; It is recommended to complete a check in/out inspection and record any damages or wear to protect your security deposit. It is often wise to have an end of tenancy deep clean at the end of your tenancy, and if you have made any marks on the walls, you may want to repair this prior to your check out. Details of the paint colours used in KI are found below. And we have partnered with bark to get you free quotes for end of tenancy deep cleans from local cleaning suppliers with the link below.
Moving Large Items & Furniture: When moving in to large apartment blocks, be careful of the weight limits in lifts, heavy items should not be moved in the lifts, there are stairs provided. If you are disposing of unwanted goods and furniture, you should not place any furniture or heavy goods in the bin stores; this is called fly-tipping and is illegal with large penalties and fines. There are many local charities that will take goods for free collection. Alternatively, the council offer a collection service for large items such as white goods and unwanted furniture for a small fee. For those with a car, there is a recycling centre (Re3) less than 400m away on the opposite side of the A33 - residents only need a proof of Reading address to use this facility for free.
Decorating?
If you need to match the paint in your property, you should be able to find the exact colour to match in your home purchase pack from Berkeley Homes.
Most homes have the same base colours used:
Main walls in all rooms (except bathrooms): Dulux Trade Fast Matt Porcelain
This paint is not available in standard retail, however you can have it mixed up at a B&Q or Dulux Decorator Centre in Reading, Colour match code you will need: 0502R
WCs, Bathroom / Ensuite Walls & all Ceilings: Dulux Trade Fast Matt White
This is available commercially in most major retailers or online:
Connecting you to Local Services & Trades
We have partnered with Bark to connect you with local trades and services.
You can obtain free quotes for commonly requested works from local people and businesses, from End of Tenancy Deep Cleaning to Painting and Decorating. Electricians to CCTV & Home Security systems installation. Cleaners to Gardeners.
Find Direct links here; enter your job or property details to get free local quotes:
If you live in Kennet Island and would like to offer trades & services to residents, contact the KI Steering group to get your details shared on the KI Website.
Council Tax
Your council tax is paid to Reading Borough Council and your rate depends on your property size and band and your personal circumstances.
Contact Reading Borough Council Directly
Bins, Waste Collections & Recycling
Reading Borough Council operate both road side collections of general waste and recycling. Reading provide a large or bulky items collection service for a small fee. Green waste collections. Reading also offer a recycling centre called Re3, less than 500m from Kennet Island on the other side of the A33 entrance as a dump and recycling centre for residents.
General Waste & Recycling Collections:
All properties are provided with colour co-ordinated bins.
Grey/Black bins for General Waste / Non-recyclables.
Red (or Green larger Biffa bins in apartment blocks) for recyclables.
Collections dates vary through the year, with public holidays, but are generally on every Friday - check the Reading Borough Council website for your properties exact collection schedule. Houses have collections every week, but with alternate collections, so one week general waste (grey bin), the next week recycling (red bin), and so on.
Larger apartment blocks with larger Biffa bin have both general and recycling collected once per week.
On your collection day - make sure your bin is out at the kerb side by 7am, handles facing the road. Bins should not be overflowing or have extra bin bags, or the waste collection may refuse to collect your bin, and an extra collection will be charged by Reading Borough Council. After collection please return your bin to your property, and do not leave on the road side or pavement.
What can be recycled in the home collection bins and what cannot?
For a detailed list of waste policies see Reading Borough Council's website.
Bin | Yes | No |
Recycling Red Bin Green Biffa Apartment blocks | -cardboard & paper -plastic bottles -tins and cans -foil and aluminium -food trays and cartons -cosmetics bottles and tubs | -plastic bags -black bin liners -food waste or liquids -glass -textiles or clothes |
General Waste Grey / Black bins | -non recyclables -food waste -nappies & wipes -plastic bags and wraps | -hazardous waste -commercial waste -building materials -textiles -glass |
Small Electrical Items - Recycling
Small home electrical items (no bigger than 30cmx24cm), for examples, toasters, irons, hair dryers - can be placed into a bag and left next to your red recycling bin on recycling collection days. Alternatively, they can be taken to the Re3 recycling centre.
Missed & Refused Collections:
If you have a missed collection, please first check the Reading Borough Council website to check your collection date is correct - if missed, contact Reading Borough Council to arrange collection.
Note - If you put non-recyclables in the recycling or recyclables in the general waste, or prohibited items in either bins, your collection could be refused by Reading Borough Council.
Large & Bulky Items:
Large Items, such as sofas, furniture, mattresses, white goods, large electricals can all be collected by the Council - at a small charge. See the Reading Borough Council website for details and to arrange collection.
Or these items can be taken to the Reading Re3 Recycling Centre & dump, free for residents, less than 500m away, to the west of Kennet Island, on the opposite side of the A33.
Re3 Recycling Centre & Reading Resident Public Dump
Garden Waste, Excess Household Waste, electricals, Large Bulky Items, Furniture & Recycling can be taken to the Re3 recycling centre.
Location, less than 500 meters away from Kennet Island, to the west, opposite the A33 entrance to Kennet Island.
Residents of Reading can use the Re3 recycling centre for free with a valid proof of address; current council tax bill, driving license, etc.
Glass Bottles & Textiles / Clothes:
Glass & textiles should be taken to either a glass bottle / clothing bank, located around Reading, including at Morrisons Supermarket on Basingstoke Road, less than 5 minutes from Kennet Island. Or can be taken for free to the Re3 recycling centre opposite Kennet Island on the other side of the A33.
Fly-Tipping:
Fly-tipping - dumping; waste or unwanted items, electricals & furniture, anywhere; in streets, bin store areas, parks and gardens is illegal. It is also illegal to dump your waste in another person's or property's bin. This includes placing commercial waste from a business in a residential bin.
If caught, it can lead to fines from the council and legal action.
If you see or suspect fly-tipping in Kennet Island, please report it to Reading Borough Council & inform PBM Property Management.
With the collections in Kennet Island, together with the collection services, recycling centre, banks and dumps within close proximity to Kennet Island, there is no reason for this to take place. If you move home, plan to dispose of your goods in one of the many legal methods available.
Costs: If residents fly-tip in the bin stores in Kennet Island rather than taking them to the dump or arranging collection themselves, then PBM have to pay to have them removed by the council - this cost is passed directly onto all residents through the Service Charge - in 2021 this has cost residents over £6,000 - please report all cases to PBM if you have any information as to who is committing the offences & if possible remind your neighbour(s) to dispose of the waste/furniture legally in the local facilities.
Maintenance & Service Charges
The RMC have instructed PBM Property Management, Effective July 1st 2022 to operate Kennet Island's service charges, accounts and maintenance (Prior to July 1st 2022 the previous agent was Hallmark Property Management Ltd).
All residents pay a service charge. The base service charge paid by all homes and apartments contributes to the maintenance of all common areas, gardens, landscaping, parks and buildings within Kennet Island.
The Large apartment blocks with private parking, pay an additional premium for the enclosed parking and private facilities such as lifts and common areas.
Note: Residents of Thorney, Lundy & Commercial Way flats; unlike the rest of Kennet Island, your freeholder is TVHA, not Berkeley and your service charges and maintenance are the sole responsibility of TVHA, all questions and accounts quieries should be directed to TVHA only.
You can check the status of your account, see a detailed service charge breakdown and budget, by contacting PBM online through the PBM Residents Portal:
Apartment Door Entry Systems
Most apartment buildings have electronic key entry points operated by Telguard for the
front building entrances, car park and inner bin store doors to open magnetic locking systems.
Older blocks have a standard lock and key entry for the block entrances.
Key Fobs; Lost and Additional Keys;
Residents can request replacement and additional fobs via PBM Property Management,
Contact the Kennet Island Office; Monday – Friday 9am-5pm with proof of address to program
and supply fobs for a small cost of supply.
NEVER force a door open – if you forget your key, you can access your property via the front door
Telguard entry system to call your mobile phone.
Phone Entry System:
Residents and Visitors can access apartments by calling each apartment for remote door release.
Programming: Residents need to email Telguard to register your apartment & program the entry
system to call your home or mobile phone number: programming@telguard.co.uk
Operation: At the front door, dial the apartment number i.e. ‘’901’’ then press ‘’call’’.
The Telguard system will then call the registered phone number to open a call between the
resident and the front door panel.
If the resident wishes to allow access, they press ‘’#‘’ on their phone and the door will open.
Security: DO NOT open the door unless you recognise the caller, and they are for your
apartment only. Do not allow others easy access into the property.
Bin & Bike Stores: These have key pad entry locks fitted, these are changed monthly for security.
If you do not have the latest entry code, please contact PBM Monday - Friday 9am-5pm
with proof of address to get the latest code for your block.
CCTV & Security
Safety & Security is a priority of every resident in Kennet Island.
The best security is a proactive community neighbourhood. The golden rule: If you see something that is not right, report it.
Do not rely on others to report it for you or that posting on social media sites will get through to the right people.
If you see something suspicious, report it to the Police on 101 or in an emergency 999. You can also report during the day Monday to Friday to the PBM Office located within Kennet Island or to the Housing Association for anti-social behaviour.
If you see people in enclosed car parks, bin & bike stores or communal areas, who you suspect should not be there - you should confront them, or if you are not happy to do so, report them.
If anyone tries to enter car parks or secure doors after you without a key, please do not allow them access without establishing their right to be in the building, or report them. Do not leave doors open or unlocked and do not allow access to anyone who you do not recognise.
We understand that many residents wish to operate their own private home security systems.
If this includes CCTV recording, it is worth doing your research before installing any CCTV privately to make sure you do not open yourself up to any legal issues.
Hallmark operate some CCTV within Kennet Island - these are only in Kennet Island private land & areas, including: The Central Piazza. Common areas, entrances and car park/bin store entrances to the larger apartment blocks such as Osprey, Montagu, Harlequin, Peregrine, Nightingale, Linnet & Skylark.
Reading Borough Council operate CCTV on Gweal Avenue in the bus only road next to the Central Piazza - this camera catches drivers using the bus lane and sends penalty fares from the council direct to the car owners.
If you have or are planning any private CCTV, we can share some general advice:
Recording Inside your Home:
Filming within your home is fine, if you own your home there is no issue, and if renting as long as you have gained your landlords permission if the cameras require any electrical work or wall attachment - you are free to record inside your property.
Recording Outside of your Property:
If you are recording through a window, you are generally ok if you are recording your property areas only - this meaning, your back or front garden or your allocated parking bay or balcony. However, you need to be careful.
You are not allowed to record other people's property, for example your neighbours garden or driveway, without their permission. If you do so, you may be in legal issues with; data, privacy, harassment and anti-social behaviour.
You should also try not to record any public spaces - this includes pavements, roads or parks.
If your camera is recording these areas, again you may find yourself in legal issues; any member of the public may have the right to the recordings if they have been recorded under GDPR regulations, and you will have very strict legal obligations as to how you store, use, share and destroy this data.
You are not allowed to mount an external camera on the front of your property. All properties in Kennet Island, both freehold and leasehold have a covenant, in which you are not allowed to change the front elevations of your property, this includes attachment of any devices to the exterior of the property building, such as Satellite Dishes & CCTV cameras. For more information you can contact PBM Property Management.
Frequently Asked Questions & Answers:
Block Entrances, Lifts & Leaks:
Q: I need to program my mobile number to Telguard system
A: Majority of premium blocks on site are equipped with Telguard system, the system in question allows their users to open the block main door off their mobile phone.
In order to register your number for your property please email: programming@telguard.co.uk
Please note that the initial registration at the time of completion is free of charge, you can also register your phone multiple times for two years after that,
Passed the two year mark however you will be asked to pay a fee if you decide to register a new number with Telguard.
Do not contact Property Management Out of Hours Service asking to program your mobile number for Telguard, out of hours will not be able to assist you with it but you will incur a £30 charge for this callout.
Q: I have a water leak in my property
A: If the leak appears to be coming from the property above yours, please knock on your neighbour’s door and inform them about it.
In many instances residents are not aware that their washing machine or toilet cistern is leaking, if you inform them they will deal with it.
If the leak appears to be coming from your own washing machine or toilet cistern (or in fact any pipe within your own property) it is your responsibility to deal with it immediately.
For any leaks which appear to be coming from communal areas (roof, balcony or corridor outside your flat) contact PBM property management during business hours or Out of Hours (for outside of business hours occurrences).
Please note that in any instance all leaks should be reported to PBM via email: kennetisland@pbm-property.com
Do not contact Property Management Out of Hours Service for any leaks coming from your own property, as they cannot assist with demised issues they will not be able to help but you will incur a £30 charge for a callout.
Q: Lift in my block is not working
A: If you notice that the lift in your block is not in service, during business hours (Monday – Friday) please contact PBM property management immediately as they will be able to assist you.
For outside of business hours occurrences, please contact Out of Hours service.
Please remember that holding the lift door open for too long or overloading the lift will result in your lift going out of service, be considerate of your neighbours and refrain from doing so.
Also be advised that these are passenger lifts and not goods lifts, for any furniture delivery please ask your delivery service to use the stairs.
BBQs & Fires
Q: Is hosting a BBQ permitted on site
A: NO BBQ’s are allowed on site, that includes play parks and freehold houses on Kennet Island as well.
It is against the Lease covenant and also causes a fire risk which can in return invalidate the Insurance policy for your property.
Should you wish to report someone using a BBQ on site, please email PBM property management on: kennetisland@pbm-property.com
Q: What items can I keep on my balcony
A: As per your lease covenant, only small garden furniture is allowed to be kept on the balcony.
In addition your lease covenant clearly states that no washing should be kept on your balcony, other items clearly forbidden within the lease are Hot tubs and Bicycles.
If unsure you can email PBM property management on: kennetisland@pbm-property.com and they will confirm whether the item you propose is or isn’t allowed to be kept on your balcony.
Do not contact Property Management Out of Hours Service asking for this information, out of hours will not be able to assist you with it but you will incur a £30 charge for this callout.
Noise Complaints, Neighbours & Pets:
Q: My neighbours are causing nuisance, can I report them anywhere
A: Whilst each resident is encouraged to enjoy the use of their property in a peaceful manner, we should all be considerate of our neighbours when doing so.
Should you wish to report an excessive noise coming from one of the properties on site or neighbouring business, please contact Reading Borough Council via their website www.reading.gov.uk/nuisance
In addition any re-occurring issues should also be reported to PBM property management via their email: kennetisland@pbm-property.com
Please note that PBM property management will be able to inform the property owner about the received complaint, at the same time PBM property management will not be able to take direct action against the owner in question.
This can only be done by Reading Borough Council and therefore any reports of noise issues should be directed to them at first.
Do not contact Property Management Out of Hours Service for any noise complaints, out of hours will not be able to assist you with it but you will incur a £30 charge for this callout.
Q: Can I have a pet in my apartment?
A: Residents in apartment blocks are required as a condition of their lease to register pets with the Property Management.
If you have any questions, you can call PBM property management.
To gain a Pet License; fill in the form attached or available from PBM property management, sign and return to PBM property management with a picture of the pet. PBM property management will return a signed copy of the pet license for your records.
Residents are responsible for any damage or cleaning of communal areas caused by their pet.
Pets must not be left unattended in any communal area. All pets must be on a leash or carried through any common area of any apartment building.