Owning the freehold of a block is a set of obligations most freeholders never signed up to enjoy: service charge accounts, Section 20 consultations, building compliance, insurance, and a group of leaseholders who all have opinions. We take the whole thing on and run it properly, so the building is well kept and your obligations are met without it becoming your second job.
Block management is the professional running of the shared parts and shared obligations of a building on behalf of whoever is legally responsible: the freeholder, a resident management company (RMC), or a right to manage (RTM) company. It covers the money (setting and collecting service charges, paying suppliers, keeping proper accounts and a reserve fund), the building (communal maintenance, repairs, compliance and insurance), and the people (leaseholder communication and the statutory consultations the law requires for larger works).
The legal framework is unforgiving. Service charges must be reasonable and properly accounted for. Major works over a set threshold trigger a Section 20 consultation, and skipping it can cap what you recover from leaseholders at a few hundred pounds per flat. Buildings insurance, fire risk assessments and other compliance are not optional. Getting this wrong is expensive and, increasingly, a matter of building safety.
A reserve fund is what separates a well-run block from a crisis-managed one. Collecting sensibly toward future major works (roof, lifts, external decoration) means a big bill does not land on leaseholders as a shock. We budget for it properly and keep the accounts clean.
Leaseholder relations are half the job. A block runs smoothly when leaseholders trust that the money is well spent and the building is looked after. Clear budgets, transparent accounts and responsive communication prevent most disputes before they start. This is as much a service to the freeholder as to the residents.
Freehold investors. You own the freehold of one or more blocks as an investment and want them managed to a standard that protects the asset and keeps you fully compliant, without you personally fielding service charge queries and contractor calls.
Resident management companies (RMCs). The leaseholders collectively own or control the freehold through a company, and the directors (usually volunteers with day jobs) need a professional managing agent to run the block properly and take the administrative and legal weight off them.
Right to manage (RTM) companies. Leaseholders who have exercised their statutory right to take over management from an absent or underperforming freeholder, and now need a competent agent to actually run things well.
Developers handing over a completed scheme who need block management set up cleanly from practical completion, with budgets, insurance and compliance in place before the building fills.
Freeholders leaving a poor managing agent who are tired of opaque accounts, unspent service charges, slow repairs and unhappy leaseholders, and want a transparent, responsive alternative.
Some freeholders and RMC directors try to run the block themselves to save the management fee. This is an honest look at what that involves against a professional agent taking it on.
| Responsibility | Freeholder / RMC self-managing | Professional block management (Beyond Stays) |
|---|---|---|
| Service charge accounts | DIY, easy to muddle | Budgeted, collected and accounted properly |
| Section 20 consultation | High risk of getting it wrong | Run correctly so costs stay recoverable |
| Reserve fund | Often neglected | Planned for future major works |
| Building compliance | Your responsibility to track | Fire risk, insurance and safety managed |
| Communal maintenance | You chase contractors | Trusted contractors, coordinated |
| Leaseholder queries | Straight to you | Handled by us, transparently |
| Legal exposure | On you personally | Managed within the framework |
We start by getting the fundamentals right: a realistic service charge budget, a clean set of accounts, buildings insurance in place, and a compliance position we can stand behind (fire risk assessment, communal electrical and gas, and any building safety requirements). If we inherit a mess, we tell you plainly what needs fixing and in what order.
Day to day, we collect service charges, pay suppliers, coordinate communal maintenance through trusted contractors, and handle leaseholder queries so they are not landing on you or your RMC directors. Major works are planned properly and, where the threshold is met, taken through the full Section 20 consultation so the cost stays recoverable.
Transparency is the point. Leaseholders and directors get clear budgets and accounts and can see where the money goes, which is what keeps a block harmonious. We report to the freeholder or the company in a way that makes the building's finances and condition legible, not a black box.
Modern residential blocks in and around central Manchester, with communal areas, plant and lifts to maintain, insure and keep compliant. The bread and butter of professional block management.
Older buildings converted into flats, where fabric maintenance, fire compliance and a well-planned reserve fund matter most. We manage the extra care these buildings need.
Blocks currently run by an RMC or the freeholder directly, where the directors want to hand the administration, accounts and compliance to a professional agent while keeping oversight.
Send us the building details and your current arrangement. We come back within 48 hours with an honest read on its financial and compliance position and how professional block management would work.
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