Block Management

We could Reduce Your Service Charges

We Use Local, Approved , Service Providers Who Keep Prices Low

The role of a managing agent is diverse and requires a professional approach. It requires knowledge of landlord and tenant law, building construction, health and safety regulations, basic accounting and much more. Ashton Roberts can offer you all of this as our standard service.

Our attentive customer service, regular client communication and extensive knowledge of Block Management mean we retain our clients year after year. Ashton Roberts shoulders the day to day pressures and concerns so the Directors and shareholders can enjoy living in their homes, rather than dealing with property issues.

All blocks of flats should have a managing agent. Appoint Ashton Roberts to manage your property and you can be assured your interests will be fully protected.

Healthy and Safety

Specialist assessments and documentation are needed to ensure that a block of flats or estate of houses meets current Health & Safety regulations. The duty to comply with the regulations falls on the Freeholder or whoever is responsible for managing the building; this could be a Right to Manage Company, Residents Association or the Managing Agents.

If you do not currently have some of the required documents then we will arrange for anything missing to be carried out as soon as we takeover. The documents need to be updated after a recommended number of years and we will ensure that everything is updated as and when required.

• Fire, Health and Safety Risk Assessment of the communal areas
• Electrical Equipment Safety
• Asbestos
• Legionella Risk Assessment
• Gate Risk Assessment

Our Service

The service Ashton Roberts offer for Block and Estate Management covers every aspect of the management, including acting as company secretary if required and reviewing all items of expenditure within the service charge. Ashton Roberts will tailor the services we offer to suit our clients so please always ask and we will do what we can to help.

• Collection of service charge demands, reserve funds and ground rents.
• Preparation of service charge budgets
• Cash flow forecasts and future expenditure
• Payment of approved invoices
• Proactive credit control
• Preparation and submission of annual accounts
• Full analysis of income and expenditure

• Full management service
• Scheduled property inspections
• Organise insurance

Right to Manage

Since the The Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002, Leaseholders have the right to force the transfer of the Freeholders management functions to a special company set up by the Leaseholders – this is known as a Right to Manage Company. The right was introduced to allow leaseholders to take responsibility for the management of their block, maybe taking control of the building from a inactive freeholder.

There are many benefits to forming a Right to Manage Company the main one being that as Leaseholders you have control of the day to day management of the property therefore you can instruct the managing agent of your choice, work with the managing agent to reduce costs and ensure the building is maintained as it should be thus protecting your investment.

In order to have right to manage granted, consent from the Freeholder is not required, nor is a court order and most importantly mismanagement by the Freeholder does not need to be proved. The right is available whether the management provided by the Freeholder has been good or bad.

In order to be entitled to apply for Right to Manage the following criteria must be met:

• At least two-thirds of the flats must be let to qualifying tenants
• The property can be part commercial but the non-residential part must not exceed 25% of the total floor area
• Scheduled property inspections.
• At least 50% of the Leaseholders must want to be part of the Right to Manage