Estate Management
Residential Estate Management Specialists
At Enhance Estate & Property Management Ltd, we specialise in the management of private residential estates, Residents' Management Companies and communal developments.
We don't just administer estates. We manage them.
Practical, professional residential estate management
We believe successful estate management requires much more than collecting service charges and responding to emails. A managing agent should understand the estate, regularly inspect it, identify problems early and make sure agreed actions are actually completed.
Our approach is therefore hands-on, personal and accountable.
We work closely with Directors and residents to look after the day-to-day running of their development while also planning for its long-term maintenance and financial requirements.
Changing managing agent?
Changing managing agent does not need to be difficult.
Enhance can manage the handover process with the outgoing agent and establish a clear picture of the development's financial, contractual, maintenance and compliance position.
We review the information received, identify missing documents or unresolved matters and establish an action plan with the Directors. Where information is incomplete, we do not simply make assumptions. Outstanding matters are recorded and investigated until the position can be properly established. This provides the new management relationship with a clear and organised starting point.
A managing agent that knows your estate
Regular site visits are an important part of the way we manage.
By visiting developments frequently, we can monitor the condition of communal areas, identify maintenance issues, assess contractor performance and deal with problems before they become larger or more expensive.
Our estate management service can include:
- Regular estate and communal-area inspections
- Grounds and landscape management
- Contractor management and performance monitoring
- Repairs and routine maintenance
- Service-charge budgeting and financial management
- Reserve fund and long-term maintenance planning
- Health & safety and compliance management
- Tree inspections and associated works
- Communal lighting, paths, roads and external areas
- Waste and bin-store management
- Major works and project coordination
- Section 20 consultation where applicable
- Insurance administration
- Arrears management
- Resident communication
- Support for Residents' Management Company Directors
- Company-secretarial coordination where required
Independent contractor management
Enhance believes that contractors should be appointed because they offer the right combination of quality, reliability and value for the development.
Where appropriate, we obtain competitive quotations, review specifications and monitor completed work on behalf of our clients.
Our role as managing agent is to protect the interests of the Residents' Management Company and the people who ultimately pay the service charges. We therefore believe in transparent procurement, clear reporting and obtaining appropriate client approval before significant expenditure is committed.
Service charges & financial management
Good estate management also requires careful financial control.
We work with Directors to prepare realistic annual budgets based on the actual requirements of the development. Throughout the year we monitor expenditure against budget and provide clear financial information so Directors can understand how the development is performing.
Where appropriate, we also help clients establish sensible reserve-fund contributions and longer-term maintenance plans.
Our objective is not simply to keep today's service charge as low as possible. It is to manage expenditure responsibly while protecting the estate for the future.
Supporting Residents' Management Company Directors
Being a Director of a Residents' Management Company can involve considerable responsibility, particularly when Directors are volunteers giving their own time.
Enhance takes care of the day-to-day management while ensuring Directors retain appropriate control over important decisions.
We provide Directors with straightforward information and practical recommendations so that they can make informed decisions without becoming involved in every minor operational issue.
Where specialist legal, surveying, accounting or other professional advice is required, we can help coordinate the appropriate professionals.
Developer & estate handover
We can also assist Residents' Management Companies taking control of developments from a developer or previous management arrangement. Developer handovers can involve substantial amounts of information, including estate plans, assets, warranties, contracts, financial records, maintenance responsibilities and compliance documentation.
Our practical estate-management experience helps us identify what has been provided, what may still be missing and which matters require further investigation.
The aim is to give Directors a clear understanding of what they are responsible for and what needs to happen next.
Planned rather than reactive maintenance
Waiting for something to fail is rarely the most economical way to manage a residential development.
Regular inspections allow us to identify deterioration and maintenance requirements at an earlier stage. We can then help Directors prioritise works, obtain quotations, plan expenditure and, where appropriate, build future projects into reserve-fund planning.
For larger projects, we can coordinate contractors and appropriate professional advisers and manage the process through to completion.
Practical knowledge of grounds and external estate maintenance
One of the areas that distinguishes Enhance from many traditional managing agents is our extensive practical experience in landscaping, grounds maintenance and the management of external communal areas.
Our experience allows us to look beyond simply arranging for a contractor to attend an estate. We understand how grounds should be maintained, how specifications should be prepared and how the quality and value of contractors' work should be assessed.
We can identify issues with landscaping, trees, paths, communal grounds and external areas during our estate inspections and ensure that appropriate action is taken. For developments with significant landscaped areas, this practical knowledge can be particularly valuable.
Why choose Enhance?
Enhance offers something deliberately different from a large, remote managing-agent model. We combine professional property management with practical estate and grounds-maintenance experience.
We believe in knowing the developments we manage, visiting them regularly, communicating directly with Directors and residents, controlling expenditure carefully and following issues through to completion.
Personal service. Practical knowledge. Professional estate management.
The Estate Management section in detail
- How We Manage Your EstateHands-on estate management: regular estate inspections, maintenance and repairs, contractor management, financial control and direct communication with Directors and residents.
- Residents' Management CompaniesProfessional support for Residents' Management Company Directors: service-charge budgeting, financial reporting, contractor management, compliance and company administration.
- Grounds & Landscape ManagementSpecialist grounds and landscape management for residential estates: grounds-maintenance specifications, contractor monitoring, tree management and communal external areas.
- Service Charges & Estate AccountsClear service-charge and financial management for residential estates: annual budgets, expenditure monitoring, reserve funds, service-charge accounts and arrears management.
- Changing Managing AgentThinking about changing your managing agent? How Enhance manages the handover from the outgoing agent, identifies missing information and establishes a clear management position.
- Developer & Estate HandoverMoving from developer control to resident management: what a handover involves, identifying gaps in documents and assets, and establishing the estate for the future.
- Major Works & Planned MaintenancePlanned rather than reactive maintenance: long-term maintenance planning, reserve funds, specifying and tendering major works, Section 20 consultation and monitoring work on site.
- Health, Safety & ComplianceManaging health, safety and compliance in communal areas: risk assessments, fire safety, tree and external-area inspections, contractor compliance and tracking actions to completion.
Talk to a specialist estate management team
For more information about how Enhance could manage your development, please contact us to arrange an initial discussion.