Frequently Asked Questions

This is the contract you will have entered into when purchasing your flat. It describes all the things you can and cannot do in your flat, as well as in the block/estate of which it is part of. They can be notoriously difficult to read in some cases so if there’s anything you want help with then drop us a line.

The obligation to pay ground-rent is written into your lease. Since the lease is effectively a contract between ‘landlord’ and ‘tenant’, ground-rent is essentially a rent that is paid to your landlord in much the same way as those renting properties have to pay. 

You and all your neighbours residing in the same block/estate have a duty (under your leases) to fulfil certain obligations. These can extend to all sorts of things, but most commonly will include placing buildings insurance, keeping the inside and outside common areas clean and tidy, ensuring the building and grounds are kept in a good state of repair, and ensuring you comply with all the company law and health and safety legislation. Your lease dictates the frequency of when your serviced charge should be paid and we will demand your payments based on this. We use the service charge you pay to do all of this (and a lot more) on your behalf.

Whilst your lease will call for how payments are to be made, we understand that life happens. Please, contact us as soon as you feel there may be a problem. We will do all we can to help and achieve a solution. 

Leaseholders only have to contribute to a sinking or reserve fund if this is stated in the lease. However, having one in place can be of positive benefit to both landlords and residents as it should ultimately save either party having to find large sums of money at short notice for major items of repair. As buildings age, more maintenance will inevitably be needed.

For example, in ten years’ time a new roof, downpipes or heating system may be required. The benefit of a sinking fund is that each resident contributes a set amount of money each year to this fund via their service charge, which then contributes the cost of major repairs when they are needed.

Section 20 consultation is essentially protection for leaseholders so that landlords cannot recover more than a stipulated threshold (£250) of service charge monies from an individual without following a certain process.

No, we are the managing agent employed by your management company to professionally look after their affairs. If you are a home-owner then you will likely have become a member of your management company when you purchased your property. Consequently you now have to comply with all the legislation and regulations that any private limited company needs to. We make this task a lot easier for you and your fellow company members.

If you live in a block of flats then either the freeholder or your management company are obliged to place the buildings insurance for the entire block, so you do not need to do so. You will though need to take out contents insurance or any other insurance cover you wish to utilise.

Almost certainly, but there can be restrictions – either in your lease, or regulations imposed by your management company in the best interests of the block/estate. Please just ask us as we keep such information to-hand to be able to swiftly help you.

The answer depends on what your lease says. It is likely that pets are prohibited, or you need to apply for permission before keeping one in your flat. Either refer to your lease or ask us. 

The rules governing this should be laid out in your lease, and it depends on what types of alterations you’re looking to make. Either refer to your lease or get in touch and we’ll advise of the steps that may need to be taken.

Since the role of a management company director is nearly always a voluntary one, we cannot pass on directors’ contact details without asking their permission first. We are, after all, employed to take the bulk of all the work in running your management company away from them. It is usually best to contact us for any information or requests that you wish to make. We can of course always pass on your request to the directors should you wish us to.

No, to us it does not matter whether you pay service charges of £10 a year or £100,000 a year. We get paid a flat fee per unit/flat for the management of your block/estate. How much we get paid per unit depends on many factors which contribute towards the overall level of complexity or amount of time required to manage your block/estate.

The funds we hold on your behalf still belong to you and consequently are held on trust in accordance with Section 42 of the Landlord & Tenant Act 1987. We can only use the money we hold on your management company’s behalf to pay for things in connection to your block/estate and which your lease allows for. 

Many people suspect they have penetrative or rising damp when in fact what they’re experiencing is condensation. Problems with condensation are rife throughout blocks of flats. The causes are many and varied and eradicating the issue altogether is nigh on impossible. Please get in touch with us and we will investigate.

This can be a difficult situation to resolve. Most of the time the best way to approach the problem is to have a friendly word and ensure they’re aware of the issue. If problems persist having spoken to your neighbour then we can advise further if you get in touch.