Frequently asked questions

A factoring invoice is a statement issued by C~urb Factoring detailing the costs associated with managing and maintaining the common areas of your property. This can include charges for services like cleaning, repairs, insurance, and administration. 

Your share of costs is usually specified in your title deeds, which outline the proportion of expenses each homeowner is responsible for. C~urb Factoring calculates your portion based on these terms. 

The 'Balance Brought Forward' shows any outstanding amount from a previous invoice. If there was a remaining balance unpaid, it is added to the next invoice. 

We provide a detailed breakdown of all charges on your invoice. If anything is unclear, please complete an Enquiry Form so our team can assist in clarifying any specific charges. 

If you believe a charge is incorrect, please reach out to us through the Enquiry Form . We’ll review your concerns and work with you to resolve any issues. If a resolution isn’t reached, our formal complaints procedure, as detailed in Written Statement of Service can be followed. 

C~urb Factoring typically issues invoices quarterly or biannually, depending on the agreed billing cycle. Details about your billing schedule can be found in your Property Specific Schedule. 

It is an annual document provided to individual homeowners. This schedule outlines the specific terms of service and responsibilities related to the maintenance and management of common areas within a property. It accompanies the Written Statement of Service, offering detailed information tailored to each property. 

Paying your factoring fee is easier than ever with multiple payment options available. You can choose from direct debit, online, phone, text, bank transfer, and cheque. See the "More Ways to Pay" document for details.

In most instances, if a payment is not shown on your invoice, it is because the payment was made after the period covered by the invoice. It will therefore be included on your next invoice.

If you have made your payment within the period covered by the invoice and it is not shown, please contact our team at  factoring@curb.scot  and we will investigate this for you. 

If customers are not in a payment arrangement, and their invoice balance has not been paid within 21-days of the invoiced date, a payment reminder letter will be issued. This automatically incurs a charge to the customer account.

Spreading your factoring charges at no extra cost removes the worry about paying your invoices on time and the risk of late payment charges if the payment deadline is missed. Find out more about the benefits of paying your factoring charges by Direct Debit,  here.

To set up or amend a Direct Debit please request this using our  online form  or fill out our  Direct Debit set up form.  This can be sent by email at  factoring@curb.scot

More information can be found in our debt recovery procedure. 

The float amount will either be set by the Deed of Conditions or be determined by C~urb as Factor.

The float payment is required from each homeowner within 14 calendar days of receipt of the New Owner Pack, which details our Written Statement of Services and payment methods when you purchase your factored property. Unless the Deed states otherwise, in the event of a sale of a property, the float will automatically be credited to the homeowner’s final account.

Float payments allow us to complete routine maintenance work prior to receiving customer payments

To check your account balance, please use the enquiry form available on our website. Simply fill out the required details, and our team will respond with the information you need. Please note that we are unable to provide account balance details over the phone.

Yes, you can receive your invoices and communications via email. We recommend opting for digital invoices as part of our commitment to going digital. To register for digital invoicing, please contact us by email at facotring@curb.scot with your preferred email address. Once registered, all correspondence will be sent to you by email unless you request otherwise. 

Property factors are responsible for managing the maintenance and repairs of communal areas in Estates, blocks of flats or shared buildings on behalf of the owners. They ensure these spaces are clean, safe, and compliant with all applicable laws and regulations.

More information about property factors and their obligations can be found on the Scottish Government’s website

Property factors must be registered on the Property Factors Register to comply with the Property Factors (Scotland) Act 2011.

At C~urb factoring, each one of our factored owners get a dedicated Factoring Officer. Your officer will follow the factoring code of conduct. Their duties include but are not limited to:

• Arranging and overseeing maintenance and repair works
• Overseeing your factoring account, including collecting service charges
• Resolving disputes
• Estate Inspections
• Managing insurance coverage, if applicable

To find out who your factoring officer is please consult your property specific schedule that is sent to you on a yearly basis.

The management fee encompasses costs for our service, including but not limited to:

• Committed property manager/owner liaison officer
• Handling enquiries and complaints
• A responsive communal repair reporting service, including a 24-hour emergency service
• Appointing, managing and paying contractors for repairs, landscaping and cyclical maintenance work
• Consulting on work above C~urb’s delegated authority
• Apportionment of charges amongst owners and provision of payment facilities, including direct debit
• Debt recovery where applicable
• Administering applicable cyclical maintenance funds (also known as Sinking Funds) within an interest-bearing account
• Ensuring compliance with all relevant statutory obligations
• Site inspections
• Preparing programmes of work based on site inspections and arranging any necessary works within our delegated authority

To get in contact with C~urb Factoring, please use the Enquiry form available on our website. This is the most efficient way to reach us, and our team will respond to your query as soon as possible. Please note that we are unable to assist via phone.

Yes, you can set up an owners' association for your development. Forming an owners' group is a great way to collaborate on community matters and enhance communication among residents. We recommend coordinating with your fellow owners to establish the group and defining its objectives. We are happy to work with any established group to address common concerns and discuss development-related issues.

A Title Deed is a legal document outlining your obligations in terms of the title of your property and your shared responsibility for the common parts. It may explain the common parts and what proportion you must pay for any repairs or maintenance to them.

You should have been given a copy of the Title Deeds or Deed of Conditions when you purchased your property. If you do not have one, you can purchase a copy from the Registers of Scotland. They can be ordered online and will cost a few pounds. Alternatively, your solicitor should have also kept copies.

As a lone homeowner you are not able to opt out of the factoring arrangement.

If you want to consider changing your factor, or terminating our services, the process will depend on the basis of our appointment. More information on this is available within our  Written Statement of Services  (section 8). Generally, you will require a majority of homeowners to vote to remove C~urb as property factor and appoint a new property factor.

Delegated authority allows C~urb Factoring to carry out routine repairs without obtaining consent from owners in advance up to the delegated authority limit. More information on this is available within our  Written Statement of Services.

Owners are responsible for advising C~urb of any change in homeownership. We request that owners provide six weeks’ notice in advance of selling their property wherever possible. Your buyer may also request factoring information which may take a period of weeks to provide. Owners are liable for all charges incurred up to their date of sale. We will compile a final account invoice for the charges incurred up to the date of sale. We aim to provide this within 3-months of the confirmed date of sale, where possible.

If you believe that a visit has been missed or if there is an issue with the standard of cleaning, then please complete the stair cleaning report. 

We provide a maintenance service for communal areas to ensure they remain clean and well-kept throughout the year. Here’s what you can expect from our services:

• Litter Removal : 26 visits per year to uplift all litter from communal areas.
• Leaf Removal : 8 visits per year from September to December (not applicable to ex-Weslo stock).
• Hard Surface Maintenance : 12 visits per year to keep hard surfaces, including gravel, free from weeds, moss, and algae.
• Gravel Maintenance : 12 visits per year to brush up and re-situate scattered gravel, rake, and re-level gravel areas.
• Weed Control : Residual weed killer applied 12 times per year to all beds.
• Landscaped Grass Cutting : 15 visits per year between late March and October, with grass cuttings removed.
• Rough Grass Cutting : 6 visits per year between early April and September, with grass cuttings removed.
• Shrub Bed Maintenance : 6 visits per year between April and September to keep shrub beds weed-free.
• Shrub Pruning : We carry out winter pruning (1 visit per site between November and February) and a provisional summer prune (1 visit between July and September). During these visits, we also hard prune excessive growth, turnover and grub up all beds, remove dead wood, and ensure the edges of footpaths, windows, doors, perimeters, and parking areas are clear.

If grounds maintenance services are provided at your development, we have a maintenance plan tailored to seasonal needs. Typically, this involves more frequent visits during the spring and summer months, with fewer visits in the winter.

Please note that grounds maintenance is managed through contracts with external companies rather than by our in-house teams. While our contractors strive to follow the established schedule, weather conditions may occasionally cause delays. We work closely with our contractors to ensure any outstanding tasks are completed.

If you have any issues with the quality of your ground maintenance work, please contact us through our landscaping form.

Our contractors are not required to collect grass cuttings after mowing the grass. This is not routine or part of our contract with them.

Research indicates that it is beneficial for grass cuttings to be left on the lawn, as this helps grass get nutrients. 

Grounds maintenance contractors will generally use leaf blowers to remove grass cuttings from pavements and roads within your developments, this is routine and they should be ensuring paths are left debris free.

As outlined in your property's title deeds, you may be responsible for maintaining the shrub beds within your development. As your property factor, we arrange for the pruning of shrub beds through our ongoing agreement with our contractors.

In some developments, an annual tree survey is conducted by a specialist to assess the safety of all trees. It’s important to understand that we are not authorized to remove healthy trees and are unable to do so.

If you believe a tree has grown significantly and requires trimming, we will need to evaluate several factors. Trimming a tree can sometimes stimulate additional growth, potentially leading to the need for regular maintenance and increased costs for the development.

The Woodland Trust has helpful resources on understanding tree legislation.

Please refer to the landscaping maps available here for detailed information on the areas we maintain within your development.

C~urb Factoring is not able to handle neighbour disputes directly, as our primary role is to manage the communal aspects of your development. For disputes between neighbours, we recommend addressing the issue through open communication. If the dispute involves communal areas or factors that fall under our management, we can provide guidance or intervene where appropriate.

C~urb Factoring cannot directly intervene in private garden matters, however, if the condition of your neighbours garden is affecting your property or communal areas then we can reach out to the property owner.

C~urb Factoring does not have the authority to directly address anti-social behaviour, as our primary responsibility is the management of communal areas within the development.

For issues involving anti-social behaviour, you must contact your local authorities, who are equipped to handle such matters. If the behaviour is impacting communal areas, please notify us via the enquiry form on our website. If the anti-social behaviour is effecting your safety or wellbeing, then we advise you to seek advice from the police.

We take the protection of your personal data seriously and comply with all relevant data protection laws to ensure your information is secure. You have rights regarding how your data is processed and stored. For more information on how we handle your data and what your rights are, please visit our Data Protection page.