The cleaning of buildings continues to be of the utmost importance. We constantly review the effectiveness of the methods used, paying particular attention to high touch points such as door handles, push plates, bannisters and lift buttons.

Following the easing of restrictions, the construction industry is experiencing a backlog of non-urgent repair work that had been booked prior to 23rd March. We’re working closely with a host of contractors to ensure that these jobs can be completed as quickly as possible. We ask for your patience and understanding whilst our tradespeople re-prioritise their workload and source scarce materials.

At the start of the lockdown, we devised a ‘traffic light’ risk assessment for major works due to be undertaken in 2020. Working with our clients, we made an informed decision whether each project should proceed, and if so, what additional precautions would be necessary. When instructing works, we’ve considered the self-isolation of residents, the supply of materials and availability of contractors, as well as travel restrictions. For projects deemed to be low risk, we’ve been booking contractors for future dates to avoid further delays and inflated prices due to high demand.

Our commitment to health and safety remains paramount. Throughout the lockdown, our focus has been on reducing risk and ensuring fire safety compliance, including servicing lifts and maintaining emergency lighting.

Due to the increased amount of people staying at home and remote working, there has been an increase in complaints relating to noise. We understand how disturbing music, DIY, children’s voices and even footsteps can be. Please be both tolerant and mindful of your neighbours. Consider where you place speakers, radios and televisions, avoiding floors and party walls.

Concerns have also been raised that fellow residents have, at times, not been following government guidelines regarding social distancing. Unfortunately, we have no power to enforce the rules and can only request that you adhere to them in an effort to keep everyone safe and well.

Alongside this leaflet, you may find your individual service charge demand, which is issued in accordance with your lease and itemised in your annual budget.

The service charge is a vital source of income for the upkeep of your building and, under the terms of your lease, must be paid. It covers many essential items like buildings insurance, general repairs, lighting, heating and fire system maintenance. It varies building by building and only relates to communal and shared facilities. It’s possible that some aspects of maintenance may have been temporarily suspended during lockdown, however a number of other services, especially those relating to health and safety compliance, will have increased.

We do understand that this is an incredibly difficult time. If you’re genuinely struggling to pay your service charge, we advise you to contact your Property Manager to discuss your individual circumstances and the options that may be available to you.

As Managing Agents, we are only aware of the legal owner of each property, however this may not be the person who resides in the building. The Grenfell disaster highlighted the importance of knowing who is on the premises at any given time. If you are a non-resident leaseholder who privately rents out your property, we would ask that you provide us with your tenant’s contact details and notify us of any future changes.

Before lockdown, we were exploring various software solutions that provide an out-of-hours emergency service. We appreciate that disasters don’t always happen during the working day and, for a while now, we have aspired to offer a 24/7 service. In the event of an emergency, we want our clients to be able to speak to a real person, someone who is experienced in property management and who will take control of the situation. We’re delighted to announce that we’re in talks with a provider who meets all of our criteria and hope to pilot the service with a select group of properties this autumn.