Property Management West Midlands

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!

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

We were pleased to be appointed as the management company for an apartment site in Stourbridge today. The owners who own the freehold wanted to free up their time from managing the site.

If you are a leaseholder managing the apartment site where you live and want to free up your time please be in contact for a free, no obligation consultation.

kailee.hurdiss@kt-management.co.uk

01384 573637

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 living in an apartment it’s important to consider those living around you.

If you are subject to noise nuisance it can become very stressful, you can lose sleep and feel frustrated in your home. If you are disturbed by a noisy neighbour make sure you politely speak to them regarding the noise, as they may not be aware they are making any. If you have spoken to your neighbour but the noise continues please feel free to contact us if we are your management company and if they let the property we could inform the landlord who may be able to help. If noise continues-keep a log of the days and times that you are being disturbed and contacting the local council environmental health department can also help.

Living in a leasehold property there will be certain terms of the lease which will help protect you from noise nuisance such as

-No noise after 11pm or before 7am

-No pets

-No instruments

Any one breaking the terms of their lease could be at risk of losing their home

Please all be considerate to each other for a nice environment to live

WE ARE A MEMBER OF ARMA WHICH IS AN IMPORTANT FACT AND HERE’S WHY….

It’s worth remembering that the residential leasehold sector is unregulated. Anyone can set up as managing agent and start collecting service charges without the relevant qualifications or experience.

ARMA vet all members before they join.  So you can be confident in using an ARMA agent like us because:

• They have the right professional experience: every member has to prove they have at least two years’ residential management experience

• Your service charge money is being held legally and safely: all members must demonstrate they hold service charge monies in trust as required by law

• The member has Professional Indemnity Insurance: this covers you against inadequate advice and negligence relating to a member

• Your agent is committed to and bound by professional standards: all ARMA agents must comply with the RICS Service Charge Residential Management Code. This defines best practice in the sector. If they do not follow the Code, they could be subject to disciplinary action

• If something goes wrong, you can get independent redress: all members must belong to an independent ombudsman scheme. What’s more, ARMA members are the only managing agents to be independently regulated. So if you do have a dispute, you can be confident it is being handled with integrity

We work with ARMA to make sure you get the highest standards for a clean and safe environment, giving you peace of mind and a happy place to live.

Are you a landlord? do you know who is in your property?

From December, private Landlords in the Midlands will face fines of up to £3,000 if they fail to carry out checks on their tenants, according to the Home Office.

The “Right to Rent” scheme is the first phase in a drive to create a hostile environment for illegal migrants in Britain and to deny them access to public services they are not entitled to.

The Home Office has released an official Code of Practice suggesting that everyone’s immigration status should be checked to avoid accusations of discrimination. (Immediate family members will be exempt).

Soon all Midland Landlords will be required to request evidence of a person’s identity and citizenship such as a passport. The Landlord will be required to obtain and retain a copy for a 12 month period after the tenancy ends. There are exemptions to this however for full details see https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-rent-landlords-code-of-practice

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

Did you know that there is an estimate of 2.8 million leasehold flats in England, according to the government.

Looking for a management company to look after them, contact us 01384 573 637 or email us info@kt-management.co.uk