What We Do As A Property Management Company
Why We Are Different
Our block management company was founded by two people that had been owners, landlords and managers of residential property for over twenty years. During that time they had taken responsibility for the property management of numerous buildings, often because the existing building management company was so poor, and turned the buildings around.
Then they realised that there was a niche in the market for a good building and estate management company that would support leaseholders and freeholders in ensuring that:
- the building was well managed on a day to day basis
- service charge budgets were transparent and agreed with leaseholders well in advance (for operational expenditure and then planned maintenance programmes)
- there were no surprises in terms of costs for major works
- contractor management was a vital part of the mix
- sensible health and safety practices were vital
So now Johnson Burke specialises in block and building management and because the two founding directors understand the key elements so well, everyone at the company has to follow the same principles of common sense and good communication. Everyone is a specialist in residential building and estate management as that is all we do : we are not estate agents and never do sales or lettings.
So if you are responsible for a building or estate and want to hear more about how we are different, please give us a call.
Case Studies
Block A is a large Victorian Mansion Block development with five blocks and a total of 70 flats. The previous managing agent had not produced or filed the company accounts for three years and had collected £450k for a major works project but not started the work.
Estate B is a luxury development of four houses on the edge of Hampstead Heath. Each detached house is worth in excess of £8m and is connected via a communal underground garage and gardens. There is a communal heating and cooling system managed by way of a plant room in the basement.
Block C is a series of large Victorian Mansion blocks on the edge of Hammersmith Bridge. We now manage two of the blocks with 20 flats. Again the buildings had not had any TLC for many years. The internal communal areas were extremely shabby and there was no emergency lighting. Because the managing agent had already carried out the Section 2o Notice procedure, we actually project managed the work even before we took over by having them transfer the funds to us.
Building D is a Victorian Terrace conversion of five flats. The building was so badly neglected that when we took over water was leaking into the top flat extremely badly. The building has now had a complete new roof and a face lift around the front door area.
Block E is a small block of 8 flats and 4 shops built around 1900. When we became involved, there was a crisis. Works intended to take 6 months had dragged on for over 2 years, with scaffolding covering the front of the building; there was deadlock between the residents and the property management company; the builder had walked off site; 2 residents and all 4 shops were refusing to pay service charges; and one shop-owner was threatening to sue the freeholder for prolonged disruption to trade. Oh, and there was no money in the building kitty. Consequently there was no effective property management.
Estate F is a fifteen year old development of three blocks with 18 flats in total. For years it had been managed by an owner/occupier who collected the service charge but then, due to work commitments, didn’t file the accounts, only paid the communal electricity bills, hired a bad cleaner and paid no attention to the requirements of the lease regarding refurbishment of internal and external areas. Again, no proper building management.