Living here
Who lives here
Freemans Park is a wonderful community with a mix of owner-occupied and tenanted homes. Some of our residents have been here almost 40 years, while others have just moved in.
We have everyone from young professionals who work in the CBD, to recent retirees, couples and singles, young families and the young at heart!
Over the years our community has included diplomats and the judiciary, tradies, students, journalists, Members of Parliament, lawyers, hospitality legends, public servants, retailers, entrepreneurs, and even two former Prime Ministers!
The creative sector has long called Freemans Park home; there have been more artists, gallerists, arts administrators, collectors, patrons, actors, and designers here than you could possibly imagine.
For some, it’s the treasured city apartment they use when back in town. For others, it’s their permanent residence. Some recognise the inherent value in owning a slice of paradise so close to the city centre and Ponsonby. Others own their unit to help provide a place to live for those who can’t afford to buy at this time.
Don’t take our word for it – check out this resident’s story or indeed this one.
MYBOS Resident App
The experience of living at Freemans Park is enhanced when residents use the MYBOS Resident app. It has a range of smart features, including submitting maintenance requests, advertising on the community marketplace, and much more. MYBOS is trusted by over 200 global companies – and now we are using it for our 201 units here at Freemans Park!
Download and start using the MYBOS Resident app today – available from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
Who looks after what?
We try to answer this question very simply here in Freemans Park. Broadly speaking:
The Body Corporate looks after the common grounds and gardens – you get to enjoy them. Please look, but don’t touch, and don’t damage them.
Owners are responsible for maintenance in their units, and the Body Corporate is responsible for the exterior of all the buildings.
If something benefits more than one owner, then the Body Corporate will be involved and take the lead in sorting the matter.
At the end of the day, owners and residents are all in this together. We support each other as much as possible so that we all get to enjoy our community.
Owners of star blocks help fund Body Corporate work on the maisonettes and row houses. In turn, maisonette and row house owners help fund the Body Corporate’s work for each other and for the star blocks. There are exceptions, but we try to limit them.
If you’d like to know more, then read this document or check out the Unit Tiles Act 2010.
Operational rules
In an ideal world, we shouldn’t need operational rules, but Body Corporates are legally required to have them, and they do help to ensure that everyone knows what is expected of them when living or owning here at Freemans Park.
We are a diverse community that lives in close proximity to each other. It’s important to show respect and consideration to all your neighbours. If you’d rather be king or queen of your own castle and do what you want, when you want, then Freemans Park probably isn't the best place for you.
Please read the Freemans Park Operational Rules, understand them, don’t breach them, and make sure your visitors also follow them.
Legally, the Body Corporate must enforce the operational rules. It will always try to do so fairly and in the interests of the whole community. Breaches of the operational rules are taken seriously – notices are sent to unit owners, who are responsible for ensuring the rule breach stops and does not happen again. There is a NZ$50 fee for repeat breaches. Don’t upset your landlord by having a NZ$50 bill sent to them; or don’t waste your own money by breaching the rules.
Illegal activity, safety and security
Freemans Park has zero tolerance for any illegal activity. If an owner, resident, or visitor is suspected of, or seen participating in, illegal activity, then the New Zealand Police will be called to investigate it.
One of the reasons people choose to live here is that they feel safe and secure. The Body Corporate invests in physical and technical security measures – some of them are clearly visible, others far less so.
Did you know that every day Wellington Street, on the northern side of Freemans Park, is regularly used by dozens of Police vehicles travelling between their station on nearby College Hill and the top of the CBD and its motorway entrances and exits? We think this helps to make us one of the safest communities in Auckland, certainly one that can get a quick response! And it’s not just the Police who are nearby – the main central city fire station is just around two corners, as are the ambulances.
Water
The cost of your water usage is paid for the Body Corporate, so owners and residents do not receive any water bills. That said, please be a responsible water user, as at the end of the day it’s the owners’ levies which fund the water, and that impacts owners’ pockets and tenants’ rents.
Parking
Every unit at Freemans Park has at least one car park and some have two. These car parks are numbered. If you would like a Resident’s Vehicle sticker to display on your front windscreen, these are free and are available by sending us a message using the MYBOS Resident app. The sticker will help the Body Corporate to easily identify that your vehicle belongs to a Freemans Park resident.
General residents’ vehicle parking area
There is a general residents’ vehicle parking area in Waiatarau Lane – with nine vehicle parks. The maximum amount of time you can leave your vehicle in the area is 24 hours.
To park in the area, you must display either a valid resident’s vehicle parking permit sticker on your front windscreen or a valid resident’s vehicle card on your dashboard/front windscreen. These are free and are available by sending us a message using the MYBOS Resident app.
We will tow any vehicle that breaches our general residents’ vehicle parking area rules.
Visitor parking
There are 18 visitor parks at Freemans Park. These are only available for visitors – residents must not use them. Visitors to Freemans Park may leave their vehicle in a visitor park for a maximum of three hours between 7am and 10pm. Between 10pm and 7am, the visitor parks can be used for more than three hours.
We will tow any vehicle that breaches our visitor parking rules.
Contractor parking
If you have a tradesperson who needs to use a visitor park for more than three hours, then they must display a valid Contractor’s Parking Permit. These are free and are available by sending a message using the MYBOS Resident app.
We will tow any contractor vehicle that breaches our parking rules.
EV charging parks
Freemans Park has two electric vehicle charging parks, both located at the southern end of the car park at 148 Howe St. These are only available to charge an electric vehicle – do not use them unless you are charging your electric vehicle. EVs must not charge in these parks for more than three hours between 7am and 10pm. Between 10pm and 7am, an EV can charge for more than three hours.
We will tow any vehicle parked in an EV Charging Park that breaches our parking rules.
Towed vehicles
Please don’t put us in the position of deciding whether or not to tow your vehicle. We don’t want to, but in the interest of fairness to all owners and residents, we will call a tow truck if you breach the parking rules.
The owner of a vehicle is responsible for any costs associated with the towing of that vehicle, and/or damage to the vehicle during towing.
Towed cars can be collected from Super City Towing: 09 377 7776.
E-scooters
Rented e-scooters – rented e-scooters are not permitted in Freemans Park. The Body Corporate has worked with Lime, Flamingo, and other rental companies to geo-block their e-scooters from our community. This means your rented e-scooter will not work within Freemans Park.
Please don’t bring or leave your rented e-scooter inside our boundaries. The Body Corporate may impound it, and if you were the last hirer, you may have to pay the recovery costs.
Resident-owned e-scooters – these can be stored in the bike rooms or in your unit.
Footpaths and grass – e-scooters are not to be ridden on our footpaths, and are not permitted on the grass.
E-scooter charging – Freemans Park is looking to install a secure charging area for e-scooters and e-bikes in the central car park – stay tuned!
Policies
Freemans Park has several policies to guide decision-making and help owners and residents understand the rules and requirements of living here.
All our policies will be published online in the coming weeks. In the interim, here are a few of the important ones:
Residents
Levies
Levies are paid by unit owners. They fund Freemans Park’s operational and long-term maintenance expenses.
Levies are approved by owners every year at the annual general meeting, usually in July. They are then collected in four instalments – in August, November, February and May. The payment of levies is due on the 20th day of the month the levy is collected.
Owners have approved a 10% per annum interest payment for any overdue levies or money to the Body Corporate.
Community housing
Since it was first built, Freemans Park has a proud history of supporting people in the community to rebuild their lives with dignity and care, and we will continue to do so. It’s one of the things that makes Freemans Park special. They are valued neighbours and friends, and Freemans Park has the same expectations of them as we do of all owners and residents.
One of the things that makes Freemans Park very special is that we have three institutional investors. These investors provide supportive housing for our fellow New Zealanders who may be facing hardship or another issue of personal concern.
The Body Corporate has strong relationships with each of the three institutional investors:
Auckland Housing Association (AHA) is a Trust that was created to help residents buy their Freemans Park units when they were sold by the Council. AHA owns three units in Freemans Park.
Community of Refuge Housing (CORT Housing) is proud to provide good homes for people who need them. CORT Housing owns 10 units in Freemans Park.
Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities (KO) provides social housing and support to individuals and families. KO owns 49 units in Freemans Park.
Rubbish collection
Freemans Park uses a professional rubbish collection service to dispose of its general rubbish, garden waste and recycling.
There are seven rubbish corrals across Freemans Park, and all rubbish bins are clearly labelled for their type of rubbish and ease of use. Please us the correct bin for the type of rubbish you are disposing.
Rubbish Direct bins are emptied daily, and clean bins are delivered to Freemans Park every three months.
In addition to the above, Auckland Council provides Freemans Park with food waste bins, which it empties three times every week – on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.