Investment in block management services supports property owners and residents across North Staffordshire and beyond

Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Moorlands property expert Ramona Hirschi is urging local property owners to keep business local to avoid leaseholders and tenants from feeling neglected by property managers based many miles away.

Ramona of Belvoir Stoke-on-Trent,  Biddulph and Leek has developed a block management service and says owners of flats or leasehold houses with often feel they are paying too much service charges and that their maintenance needs are neglected.

From simple issues such as a lack of garden maintenance to more serious health and safety matters, homeowners can feel frustrated by the lack of a relationship with a property company from outside the region.

Block management is the management and maintenance of residential buildings with multiple units in them, such as blocks of flats or apartments, or estates with leasehold houses. Typically, a block or estate manager is hired to manage the obligations of the freeholder or Residents Management Company, handling a range of tasks such as maintenance, repairs, service charge budgeting and insurance.

Now Ramona is promoting a four-part proactive approach to ensure safety and satisfaction for leasehold property owners and flat residents.

She explained: “The main issues are compliance, communication, maintenance, and providing the necessary company secretarial services to manage properties for the benefit of leaseholders and their residents.

“People can feel neglected across all four areas but this can be easily solved with proactive block management services. At its worst, that neglect can mean a serious breach of health and safety law. We will ensure compliance for property owners, run their maintenance service to ensure quick, efficient repairs of communal areas, we communicate with both sides and can help the leaseholders run their management companies.

“Proactive management is necessary and I believe that by using more local professionals, both property owners and residents can often get better communication and a quicker response.

“Having visited one block of homes we were able to take action to reduce the service budget, benefiting the leaseholders.

“Many leaseholders don’t realise that they may in fact be shareholder members of their existing resident’s management company. We can help the leaseholders by providing secretarial services and by managing an annual general meeting. Where there is no resident’s management company, many unhappy leaseholders don’t realise that they could go down the Right to Manage process to create such a company and take control of the management of their blocks. That company could then hire a professional agent such as ourselves to carry out the day to day work.

“I have undergone specific training along with my lettings manager at Belvoir Stoke and we now run four sites.

“We have invested in block management and begun a partnership with a national company providing back-office services and training.

“From a business point of view, we are aiming to grow the service and add another member of staff to our current team of eight.”

Property and legal expert Ramona took on the Belvoir Stoke-on-Trent, Biddulph and Leek business in 2017. An experienced business owner, Ramona has overseen sustained growth and a major staff development programme. The Albion Street, Hanley based estate and lettings agency has more than doubled the number of rental homes it manages to more than 300.

ENDS 

For media enquiries contact Nigel Howle. Telephone 0776 2043436, email [email protected]