Did you know that we manage more than blocks of flats?

We are celebrating taking on our first estate management contract, which is also our first development in Swindon!

I’ve written about Swindon before and how much I love the town and its varied character.

No sooner was the blog written and published, this opportunity came along and we’re so grateful.

This new contract for us involves an estate of houses, all privately and freehold owned, but the estate itself is run by a management company. This means that all communal areas and areas not adopted by the local authority are now managed by us! We will take care of the roads, grounds, street lights, signage and, of course, collecting the service charges to pay for these maintenance tasks. Basically, all of the maintenance of the communal areas of the estate in general.

I’m proud to say The Residents’ Management Company appointed us as their agent and we start in September. For us this is amazing, and we’d like to thank the residents (they know who they are) for trusting their communal environment to us. We will be mindful of the trust placed in us and do our very best to provide an excellent service.

What will happen next?

As they are new clients, we always recommend a kickoff meeting when we take over to ‘get to know each other’. This meeting will help us to understand the landscape, previous ups and downs so that we can iron out any outstanding issues they have. It will also look carefully at the insurances they already have in place – are they correct? Do changes need to be made? 

In the future, the plan will be to have at least an annual meeting where everyone is invited to talk about their experiences and issues, how they want their money spent subject to any legal agreements around the estate itself.

Each year, we will send out service charge demands to the residents, organise contracts (for gardeners and other trades), manage those works and ensure they are done in a timely manner. We will also prepare accounts on behalf of the management company and once approved by the board of Directors, we will distribute to all owners. It is very common for an estate like this to have a board of Directors or a resident’s association to liaise with the managing agent as required. 

Communication is key in these situations and as you know if you have read previous blogs, it’s extremely important to me and my team as part of our commitment to excellent customer service.

Typically, what things do Managing Agents like Fraser Allen Estate Management care for on private estates?

Managing Agents can care for, and deal with repairs for communal areas, which may include:

• private roads
• landscaped gardens
• communal meeting area outdoors eg. Pond with seats
• electric gates
• street lighting
• refuse areas
• sewage pumps
• TV aerial systems

As autumn and winter approach, I will have many things to get organised for our new Swindon estate. In fact, we’re already drawing up plans ready to hit the ground running in September. We will:

• Meet with gardeners to do any pre-winter cutbacks of the grounds or necessary tree cutting as well as scope out work for 2022.
• Clear drains of leaves and other detritus, to ensure they flow freely and don’t cause any blockages, which may be the cause of flooding or internal leakage. Often this simple act can save a world of hassle and avoidable stresses.
• The protocol when gritting estate roads when it is icy or cold – we will suggest a schedule to prepare for that and talk to residents about how that’s currently managed.
• Any potholes will need to be repaired, otherwise they can seriously damage car suspensions and tyres.
• We’ll also discuss and plan any works which will need to be carried out over the following year.

All in all, my team and I are thrilled to be trusted with this important responsibility and we cannot wait to get started.

The business lesson 

On a general business point, it’s also motivating to share successes. Running your own business is a brave and scary thing to do, so every step forward, however small is something to celebrate.

It keeps you and your team, if relevant, motivated and enthused. It also shows potential customers who may be quietly checking you out, what you do and how you go about your ‘business’.

Those quiet watchers are there, trust me. They are watching carefully and while they may not need your product or service right now, they are putting information into their knowledge bank for the future. 

These moments also highlight to someone new – someone who may have received a recommendation about you – what you do.

In our case this is about transparency. Being open and clear about what we do and most importantly how we do it. This supports any word-of-mouth recommendation in the real world.

Look at it like this. If someone recommends a business owner to you – do you go online and check them out? I suspect in almost every case the answer to that question is a resounding ‘yes’!

So, at Fraser Allen Estate Management we are now working and supporting block management and now estate management in Cheltenham, Bristol, Stroud, Swindon & London.