Leases

Cheryl – Dedicated Property Manager

Cheryl is one of our dedicated Property Manager’s; spending her time looking after her sites, residents and owners, as well as forming a key member of our team

Cheryl helps KT Management in the service provided to residents and owners; ensure all the communal areas are clean and tidy whilst being maintained to a good standard, helping to keep the estate a nice place to live and visit. Here at KT Management we like to keep it straightforward, whilst adhering to the obligations in the Leases/Transfers

Communal grounds – Looking good even in the rain!

Tips on keeping warm this winter……

How to save on heating bills!

With the temperatures dropping, everyone immediately turns the thermostat up, but that means higher bills…

To avoid sky high heating bills this winter here are some simple no cost to low cost tips and tricks to help keep your home warm:

• Move furniture away from vents to help heat circulate the room
• If you have a ceiling fan, set the rotation to a clockwise direction to help push heat down from the ceiling
• Roll up a towel to use as a make shift draught excluder and place at the bottom of doors and by windows to keep drafts at bay – other homemade draft excluders can be- an old pair of tights stuffed with old socks or newspaper, you can also use old trousers and sew up the legs, old curtains – the possibilities are endless… and cheap!
• Close the door in the room you’re in to trap in the heat and close doors to unused rooms. Think of all that wasted heat that’s travelling through those empty rooms… it just doesn’t make sense! Use your head and keep those doors shut!
• Purchase weather strips and use them on your windows; they seal in the heat and stop air escaping. These are fairly cheap to buy and easy to apply, making them cost efficient and effective at keeping those bills low…
• Keep your radiators clear; don’t block them with furniture as it will absorb the heat. So yes that may mean moving your favourite chair from in front of the radiator as really it was stealing all that radiator heat!
• Set a timer for your heating to come on when you’re in the house and to go off when you’re out or when you go to bed – it’s not necessarily true that you should keep it on all day – especially when nobody is at home. Think of the money you could be saving!
• Invest in some thick curtains and they trap in the heat, but make sure to open them during the day to let the sunlight in –  use as much as all of that natural heat from the sun! then close them once dusk hits to make sure that your home retains as much heat as possible.

Theresa May has now formally triggered Article 50 and the countdown to leave the EU has started.

We are members of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce and they have published our recent accreditation on their website. Please click the link to read-

BCCC News

The services we provide to residents and owners is in a nutshell is making sure the communal areas are clean, tidy and in a good state of repair, helping to keep the estate a nice place to live. Communicating well with residents and managing cash flow for the best interests of the site for today and for the future.

We also work in accordance to the lease which can impact the services we provide. For example we have come across leases that state the owners themselves are to clean the windows and not the management company.

We like to take the proactive approach, here is some of what’s involved in property management;

Daily Management

• Communication with residents informing of site visits and AGMs
• Manage suppliers and contractors
• Make sure appropriate insurance is in place
• Regular site visits with a 30 point check list
• Annual fire and health and safety risk assessments
• Site meetings

Financial Management

• Produce budgets for the year ahead for the sites needs
• Lease reviews to make sure our service is compliant
• Work with an independent professionals to prepare a long term maintenance plan
• In addition to a current client account we set up a second account for the reserve fund
• We collect and hold service charges in clients accounts in accordance with section 42 of the Landlord and Tenants Act 1987
• We can also collect ground rent
• We secure all records in accordance to data protection
• We prepare financial accounts each year to ensure every penny is accounted for

Purchasing a property is often the biggest financial commitment we make and we work hard to make sure your investment is well looked after.

 KT-Management have been looking after apartment sites for nearly 10 years. Our priority is for residents to be safe and happy within their homes.

Living in an apartment residents have to follow the terms of the lease, as do we at KT-Management. A lease will state that you are not permitted to store items in the communal area and there are various reasons why.

Safety– In the event of a fire we need to know all escape routes are clear for an easy exit

Hazardous– Items in the hall way can become a trip hazard.

Disabled access– Making sure there is amble room for disabled users to manoeuvre.

Unsightly–  Not only can it make the area look unsightly but bikes can often mark the wall.

Emergency Access– knowing emergency services can access each apartment easily .

This also means no storing in communal electrical cupboards. If a fire was to break out the items could set alight making the fire more intense also releasing toxins.

As part of our property management our property manager visits sites regularly to ensure all communal areas are clutter free.

Thank you in advance for keeping your communal area clutter free

KT-Management working together to provide a nice, safe, clean environment to live

 When buying a leasehold apartment you are agreeing to the terms of the lease. Within the lease and plans it will state which car parking space is for you to use.

It can be frustrating for residents when they come home to find their space is occupied by someone else.

Please all make sure you are using your correct car parking space, if you are a landlord please inform your agent/tenant and if you have visitors please inform them where to park.

KT-Management-Working together to provide a nice, clean and safe environment to live.

We use an extensive check list to check sites are up to scratch and we try to be as proactive as possible.

There are times in between site visits and contractor visits when part of your communal area may get damaged or break.

Just a reminder to all residents that if you do see a fault please let us know and don’t presume another resident has told us.

You can call us on 01384 573637

Or email customerservices@kt-management.co.uk

Working together for a safe, clean environment to live.

The Phillips v Francis case was heard in the Court of Appeal last week, so far no decision has been announced but we understand it might be good news.

Earlier in the year the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) conducted a study into the service provided by residential property management companies in England and Wales and have identified some concerns on how the market works.

As a result of the study it is the CMA’s intention to seek remedial action to improve the performance of the market and to provide leaseholders with a better outcome. The main issues that were highlighted were unnecessary or excessive charging for services, poor service quality, poor communication and insufficient transparency. At the moment we understand that the CMA are seeking possible remedies to the problems identified in order to develop recommendations for the industry.

Click here for more information