At Oakfield Estate Agents, we’re pretty well known in our neck of the woods, where we’ve had a base since 1996. With a presence across the area and offices in Bexhill, Hastings, Eastbourne, Uckfield, Lewes and Heathfield, we enjoy a solid reputation thanks to our expertise in sales and lettings. What’s more, we love our part of the world, care about it deeply, and over the years have forged strong working relationships with a wide range of vital local contacts. So we understand the property market in these parts extremely well.
But we also offer a first-class block management service. Here, we explain what it is about our offering that sets us apart from the competition.
What is block management?
First of all, it’s worth understanding what block management actually is – and when you might need it. Essentially, block management is about managing and maintaining residential buildings comprising several units. Blocks of flats or apartments, structures housing multiple families and similar types of shared property are all examples.
Typically, these buildings are leasehold arrangements – in which residents are entitled to live at a property for a certain number of years but don’t own the ground on which the place has been constructed. (It’s the opposite of freehold.) Leaseholders are often represented by Residents’ Management Companies (RMCs), while block management companies either work through RMCs or on behalf of freeholders where these are present.
Block management encompasses the services outlined in the lease, including:
- Scheduling and completing maintenance and repairs such as painting and decorating or gardening.
- Collecting service charge and ground rent from those living in the building.
- Arranging relevant insurance.
- Ensuring that any and all contracts in place (e.g. cleaning) provide value for money.
- Preparation and review of annual budgets.
- Routine inspections to ensure the site is in good order.
- Advising individual unit owners on leases and legislation.
- Acting as a neutral party if dispute resolution is needed.
- Complying with legal and safety regulations and staying abreast of the latest legislation.
So a block management firm draws on an extensive range of skills and knowledge, from health and safety to law and accounting, insurance and construction.
Its monthly fee will vary according to the number of units in a block, the responsibilities assumed and where the property is located.
What Oakfield offers
Oakfield Estate Agents offers its suite of block management services at locations comprising anything from two to 70 units across East Sussex to investment landlords, RMCs and right-to-manage companies (which allow leaseholders in blocks to assume management of the building themselves.) This encompasses more than 900 leasehold properties in all.
For RMC and RTM clients, we offer an additional service in which we act as your Company Secretary.
Why we’re different
- Local knowledge: As mentioned, we know our ‘patch’ and its property market inside out. This helps us build strong communities and provide our clients with value for money.
- Clear, consistent communication: We’re confident that this is an area in which we score highly. We use a number of channels, from email and newsletters to residents’ meetings to update everyone about decisions affecting their homes.
- Protection of clients’ money: Our clients can have complete confidence in the way we safeguard their funds, which are protected under the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Client Money Protection Scheme. What’s more, the fact that we have a dedicated accounts team means the financial side of things is looked after consistently well.
- With us, it’s personal: We make sure we’re easily contactable, and prioritise both our customers’ needs and the safety and well-being of residents at all times. You’ll have a dedicated property manager and assistant property manager, plus the support of a committed team, including an emergency out-of-hours contact, all of them skilled, determined communicators. We place a high value on training, and keep our staff’s knowledge up to date. Not only are we honest, open and transparent in all we do, but we’ll tailor our block management service so it meets your requirements exactly.
- Numerous affiliations: We’re proud of our affiliations with The Property Institute and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). These organisations are key industry bodies governing the leasehold sector. Indeed, they represent its gold standard and help us to provide our staff with the highest quality of professional training and development. TPI membership, for example, is just not possible without high levels of experience, skills and knowledge.
- Accountability: We’re accountable to our clients, as all accredited agents are, and so have comprehensive professional indemnity insurance cover for your protection. We’re also accountable to The Property Ombudsman, to whom people can refer any unresolved complaints.
- Compliance: Industry regulators scrutinise our work, ensuring we follow best practice and strict ethical codes at all times.
- Committed to our community: Our roots in East Sussex run deep. So we’re genuine about giving back to it by supporting a range of local communities. Read more about our community commitment here.
Oakfield says
At Oakfield, we focus on building strong communities and giving our clients value for money. If you’re an existing RMC director or property manager, you’ll already appreciate the sheer volume of work involved in managing a property block – it can really pile up and start to affect productivity.
Let us take care of every aspect of your block management so you don’t have to. We’re local, trusted and highly experienced in everything we do, and always place residents’ safety and well-being at the heart of our operations.
Learn more today about our exceptional service. Get in touch and speak to a member of the friendly, professional team.