Good Advice for Consumers of Property Management Services

Recently a flat that I own and sublet has been transferred to another agent by the directors of the RMC. The first knowledge I had of this was on being informed by the new agent. The directors of the RMC had not undertaken any consultation with their members. In fact they had (at the date of writing) failed to advise me of their names, how they were qualified and why they are changing agents.

I do know on the grapevine that they are owners of multiple units in the block and I have assumed therefore that their motivation is entirely based on maximising short term returns. The new agent is cheap, cheap, cheap. The new agent is not affilliated with ARMA or the RICS. The new agent is not accredited for any compliance or health and safety activities. The new agent is (unusually when such changes are made) not based locally. The directors and I are clearly not aligned.  I will ask for a copy of the contract and give them an opportunity to perform. Watch this space!

Sorry for the laboured introduction but other people are taking decisions about your property all the time. Why, when this is often your biggest investment, would you allow that to happen? You wouldn't tolerate it with your car... I feel stupid having let it get to this stage.

It is important to stay informed and get involved and take action when necessary. Residents' groups, in whatever form always need interested volunteers. A watching eye over your agent, landlord, developer and other resident directors tends, in my experience, to force an alignment of views. After all, most of us want clean, safe and tidy common areas since this clearly adds value. It's just that we might all have different ideas about how to get there and at what cost. Having a structured and ongoing conversation with all parties generally makes for consensus and partnership - old fashioned concepts I know - but firing off angry emails is a modern curse, not born of common sense, proportion and cooperation.

So, get involved, understand the issues, be constructive and collaborative and, most of all, don't let it subsume your every waking moment. As we all know, obsession leads to irrationality.

IRPM remains key to raising standards

It is almost always true that in residential property management the Property Manager is central to everything that happens. The Manager may be widely supported by a range of specialists and experts, consultants and partial advisors, but it is he or she that is left with the crucial decisions that can breathe life into schemes or drag them down.

Amazingly then it was not until the creation of the IRPM in 2002 that a specialist, professional, portable, qualification requiring study and examination existed. Most managers in the leasehold sector came to it, as I did, quite by accident. I came from the social housing sector attracted by better money (I am very shallow), others I met came from general practice and many from administrative roles. All of us felt like the slightly dodgy, slightly smelly and not very good looking distant relatives of chartered surveyors. They had business to business relationships and could add up big numbers in big red books. We, on the other hand, had desks in a windowless back room and the tea lady never came by.

One thing we all knew though was that we were essential to the very fabric of our towns and cities. Frankly lots of buildings would have fallen into disrepair and much worse had we not been there. And what, I ask, is more important than our homes?

Recognition of the importance of block management only really came about because a lack of it had attracted rogues who saw it as a sufficiently murky arena to mess around in. What followed were years of unusually badly drafted acts and an urgent need for professionalisation.

In just ten years IRPM has attracted nearly 3000 individuals to membership and to sitting the part 1 and 2 exams that confer associate and member status. This has raised the quality of management skills to sufficient level that, along with experience, those who have reached member level can achieve direct entry to associate level RICS. The next step, as various people have reminded me on Twitter today, is for a full residential property management route to MRICS.

Job adverts in our sector now routinely call for the qualification and the IRPM works closely not only with RICS and CIH but with numerous other professional organisations. More importantly the IRPM is creating a real career path attractive to both graduates and apprentices that will widen the pool of talent available to employers and raise the bar across the board.

The way that we build communities and therefore our living spaces is changing. Placemaking, community involvement and people focussed design make the role of the property manager ever more important and our star continues to rise. I expect nothing less than a future in which residential property management is regarded as a 'proper' profession and attracts the very best talent. After all, how many can genuinely say that their job is to provide for the security, safety, warmth and well being of large communities? IRPM will remain key to this process and will continue to raise the standards in this industry. Mix this with ARMA's fledgling regulatory regime and we will have the best management standards in Europe.

Phillips v Francis Update 4 - Leave to Appeal Granted

I am pleased to report that on the 18th November the Court of Appeal granted leave for the landlord to appeal the much discussed outcome in Phillips v Francis (see blogs passim). This was granted despite the appeal being out of time. One can only surmise that the general discomfort surrounding this decision and representations in support of the application from industry professional and trade bodies was sufficient for the judge to allow it nonetheless.

I remain hopeful that this signifies that a more considered and practical outcome might be achieved, albeit this may be some time distant yet. A date will be set next year and in the meanwhile we need to be mindful that the judgment remains in force despite my continued belief that actual implementation is nigh impossible.

I would be interested to hear from those who have had real
difficulties arising from the Phillips case to date.