Frequently Asked Questions

Try running it under hot water for a while. This should soften the potato enough to free the knife.

Contact your builder’s customer care team, they should have verified the heating is working.

1. Check your boiler pressure (should be 1-1.5 bar when cold).
2. Check that thermostats are set correctly. If you have multiple thermostats, their zones may be reversed!
3. If some rooms are warmer than others, you may need to turn the radiator thermostat down in those rooms to help balance the heat.
4. Ensure the timer/programmer is set appropriately.
5. Try resetting the boiler (check manual).
6. A few residents have needed to have the zone valves (3 port valves) replaced, which divert water between heating and hot water. If these are not installed next to your boiler, they may be underneath the bath.

Emergency gas issues: If you smell gas, call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 immediately.

If your Solar iBoost unit is showing “Lost Signal from Sender”, the batteries may need replacing in the sender unit.

The sender unit should be the clamp device in your electricity meter box. It takes 2 x AA batteries.

1. With the Sender in hand and batteries fitted stand about 1-2 metres away from the Solar iBoost main unit.
2. Press and hold button “B” on Solar iBoost for 5 seconds.
3. Press and hold the button on the Sender until the screen displays Pairing Successful. This may take up to 10-15 seconds. Repeat if necessary.
4. With pairing established place the Sender unit back in the mounting location (utility meter).

Update: Estate management and maintenance fees have been waived until Phase 2 of the development is complete. Full details are still to be confirmed — this page will be updated when more information is available.

When charges do apply, your annual service charge will cover the costs of managing and maintaining the communal areas of the estate. This typically includes:

Grounds Maintenance:

• Grass cutting and hedge trimming
• Planting and landscaping
• Weed control on paths and roads

Cleaning:

• Communal bin areas
• Pathways and roads
• Play equipment

Repairs & Maintenance:

• Street lighting repairs
• Path and road repairs
• Fence and gate maintenance
• Play area maintenance

Management:

• Estate management services
• Insurance for communal areas
• Administration costs

When charges apply, they will be calculated annually and may vary based on actual costs incurred. You’ll receive a breakdown from the management company. For queries, contact the estate management company via the Contacts page.

As a Skelton Lakes resident you can claim one of two sustainable travel incentives — one per household:

• £500 Halfords cycle voucher — redeemable at Halfords stores or online for bikes, e-bikes, and cycling accessories.
• Free annual MCard — unlimited bus travel across West Yorkshire (valued at around £930). Covers virtually all ordinary stopping bus services; excludes late-night services and special events.

Only one option can be claimed, and only once per address. Vouchers and passes are non-transferable. The scheme runs until at least 2030, but vouchers must be used within 12 months of issue.

To claim, visit https://skeltonlakes-travelchoices.co.uk/redeem

Council tax bands are set by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) based on estimated property values as of 1 April 1991 — not current market value. Leeds City Council then sets the annual charge for each band.

Leeds rates for 2026/27

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Rates change annually — check Leeds Council Tax for the latest figures.

Check your band

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Use the government’s Check your Council Tax band tool — enter your postcode to see your band and compare neighbouring properties.

Think your band is wrong?

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It’s worth checking, particularly for new-build properties, which are sometimes assigned a provisional band. The process is:

1. Check comparable properties — use the VOA checker to see what bands nearby homes of a similar size and type are in. If yours is higher, you may have grounds to challenge.
2. Contact the VOA — start a formal Check at gov.uk/challenge-council-tax-band. This is free and done online.
3. Challenge and Appeal — if the VOA doesn’t agree after the Check stage, you can escalate to a formal Challenge, and beyond that to an independent Appeal.

Important: a successful challenge can move your band down (saving you money), but the VOA can also move it up if they find evidence the band is too low. It’s worth checking comparable properties first before proceeding.

New residents moving into a property are one of the most common triggers for a band review, so it’s a reasonable thing to check when you first move in.

The charger should have been registered for you. In your welcome pack there should be a manual with a PIN stuck inside on one of the pages. If you don’t have this, contact the site manager to provide it.

Download the Autel Charge app on your phone. The charger has a QR code on it which you scan in the app and it connects via Bluetooth. You will need to enter the PIN to connect.

If you lose your QR code/PIN, you can also email a photo of the charger’s side label (showing the serial number) to technical@deta.co.uk

By default the charger will require you to start charging via the app, but you can enable auto start if you prefer to be able just plug your car in and it commence charging.

The site manager should provide bins for you. Leeds City Council delivered a stack of bins to the estate for the builders to issue.

New homes may not be automatically added to the collection route - first check your bin day to see if your address is listed. If not, submit your address to be added to the council’s database, then email Bin.Deliveries@leeds.gov.uk to request to be added to the collection route.

First you should check the isolators (likely in the loft), and circuit breaker (in the fuse box/consumer unit marked PV or Solar) are turned on. The builders sometimes forget to turn them on. The inverter screen (again likely in the loft) may not be lit up if there isn’t enough sunlight currently.

Secondly, you will need to register for an export tariff or Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) with an energy provider. This does not need to be the same as your electricity provider. Octopus for example provide export tariff’s higher than the base SEG rate. You will need the installation documentation (MCS certificate) which you should receive from the builder.