We have created a five-point plan to guide you when managing agents. Consider these key steps and you should find it easier to resolve potential issues and agree solutions.
- Understand what structures and relationships exist between yourself and a management company or managing agent.
There are a number of different arrangements that could exist, so you need to identify which one is relevant to you. For example, do the management responsibilities lie with a Resident Management Company who is party to a lease or has the landlord/freeholder entered into a management agreement with a managing agent? Understanding this structure is crucial to establish who you need to approach if there is an issue with the management of a property.
- Create a paper trail when trying to resolve an issue.
Evidencing the steps you have taken to try and resolve an issue will support your case if you need to refer the matter to a court or a tribunal at a later stage.
- Adopt a structured approach.
If you are not getting a satisfactory response, establish your next step and prepare for it. That may mean setting timescales for responses to queries, explaining the consequences of any failure to meet those timescales and then taking steps to action those if needed.
- Consider how you can use company law and statutory provisions to your advantage.
If a property is managed by a Residents Management Company or Right to Manage Company, you may for example, be able to exercise voting rights as a member of the company to make sure management functions are carried out correctly by the Residents Management Company.
- Don’t give up
If you don’t get the desired response, there are always options, so although you may feel like you have hit a brick wall, don’t give up.
For further information on the issues raised during the Breakfast Briefing or any other leasehold management issues please contact Neil Lawlor or Mark Foxcroft.
