Block Management

• A change of managing agent transfer procedure
• A schedule of condition prior to handover, with a detailed report of our findings
• Bespoke financial reporting on all aspects of income, service charge and ground rent
• Communication tools for all residents, keeping all parties informed
• Regular board meetings, with management reporting in advance and minute production
• Regular inspections with our time and date stamped inspection survey
• A board of directors 24/7 management tool application
• Resident meetings
• Capital expenditure plan management for longer term maintenance
• Company secretarial service

• Brand awareness review and compliance
• Advice on building design and service needs
• Assistance with planning permission challenges
• Consultation with legal advisers on draft leases
• Creation and implementation of residents’ management companies
• Setting and managing service charge budgets and reserve funds
• Capital expenditure plan production
• The initial recruitment of maintenance contractors and staff
• Sales team support on a variety of aspects

We understand that communication and transparency are key and our technology helps to ensure that all parties have clarity on the process. We are able to achieve this through the following:

Online customer portal
Our in-house property management and accounting software provides bespoke reporting to our clients, and incorporates an online customer portal through which you can make payments, view documentation, receive notifications, report a matter and manage your experience as a customer.

Secure management application
Our Resident Management Company and Right to Manage Company Board of Directors have the ability to engage via a secure service management application, allowing reporting and the ability to track and communicate on the progression of work flow actions.

This allows a 24/7 transparent experience via a centralised and valuable management tool, from discussion between the property manager, uploading discussion documents, to completion timeline indicators.

When changing your managing agent this would be set up in advance with key topics pre-loaded and current tasks enabled for immediate and proactive action.

Supplier management system
The suppliers to our clients and customers are an integral part of the team, ensuring works are controlled, completed within budget and on time, but with the ability for suppliers to upload their feedback and invoices to our online facility.

This allows trackable progress, efficiency for payment management in a timely manner and ensuring health, safety and insurance compliance are adhered to at all times.

Contactable staff
Being contactable is key and with our commitment under a service level agreement, whether by telephone, email, portal, or in person meetings, we are confident that our customers are safe in the knowledge that the resource and commitment is in place.

Whilst property managers are out on site, they remain contactable and have access to all of our services, with an IT capability second to none, along with an inspection application which is time and date stamped as they navigate around your property.

Health and safety management
As Health and Safety management continues to grow, the importance of control and compliance is equally fundamental in protecting all of our customer’s properties and those who use them.

Our system has a dedicated trackable tool that allows all Health and Safety to be stored in one place per property, with client access, should you require it. It provides a suite of system checks and diarised events, ensuring all matters are actioned in advance, with a work flow to completion arrangement for recommendations.

Building safety management continues to expand with The Building Safety and The Fire Safety Bill progressing, with secondary elements due to come into force in due course. At KFH we are continuing to assess this, with suitable proactive measures in place in support of our clients, enabling quick progression with robust advice and support when needed.

Following the tragedy at Grenfell Tower, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government has been focussing on identifying and advising on short term and remedial measures for existing high rise buildings, both with Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) and non ACM clad buildings.

KFH have led on the advice to our clients, with a dedicated Building Safety Team, keeping clients and all customers on site updated, assisting with expression of interest applications and Government funding portal completion, allowing our property managers to manage on a day to day basis. Clients have found this to be a supportive approach and giving them the ability to focus on remediating as quickly as possible, allowing the property managers to continue concentrating on the progression of all other property matters.

We are here to help and are happy to assist you with some of the more frequently asked questions, such as:

• What do I need to do to obtain an EWS1 certificate?
• Do I need an EWS1 for my re-mortgage or for moving home?
• What should my Managing Agent be doing to protect us with the failed external cladding and fire safety as a whole?
• Will my insurance premium increase as a result?
• Who will pay for our cladding?
• Is legal advice necessary for advising on any warranty claims?
• Is the Freeholder or House Builder responsible?
• Will the service charge have to pay any elements, following recent government intervention?
• How will the remedial works be managed and what is best practice?

Please do ask your Management Company Directors to get in touch with us, where we are happy to have a discussion with them.

We have been managing resident controlled buildings from our inception. With an understanding that this is a personal, often voluntary role you play, our responsibility is to ensure you are fully briefed and able to make informed decisions, allowing us to act and manage proactively for the good of all customers at your development.

Allowing our property managers to manage with sensible portfolios gives us the ability to provide an exceptional service, retaining our staff and ensuring consistency throughout our contract with you.

Many of our clients over the years have changed their managing agent to KFH due to continuous rotation of the prior agent’s property managers, or simply not having time to manage. As London’s leading managing agent, we pride ourselves in going against the grain and maintaining the ability to provide a high service that can be maintained, with happy clients and staff.

With a directorship of a RMC or RTM comes responsibilities, we are here to protect your investment, promote enhancement where possible and ensure your fiduciary duties are upheld.

Having a wealth of experience in both existing and new build developments, we are engaged by many developers at the planning stage to provide advice and recommendations on site facilities, leases and service charge levels. Both investor landlords and house builders rely upon us to ensure we are able to adjust and fit in with their reporting and brand requirements, with a customer experience that meets with our and your requirements, enhancing our and your customer experience.

With KFH being a leading property services provider, other group disciplines are able to work with us and provide support and advice when required, whether market updates, tenant barometers, building design to communication engagement.

Unsurprisingly, our experience of the last 45 years means we often play an instrumental role in the planning of new-build blocks as well as their ongoing management. This may take place as many as three years in advance of completion.

We advise clients on matters such as staffing and billing, mechanical and electrical installations (from window cleaning systems to in-house cinemas), and strategies for matters such as waste management and pest control.

Our advice to clients will encompass everything from the effective design of common parts and services to how they might structure a service charge. These areas can often be overlooked by the developer when designing a scheme as they understandably focus on making the common parts visually appealing to potential buyers. This can mean longer-term management considerations that can bring practical problems and unnecessary running costs are neglected. Keeping things as simple as possible is usually at the heart of our advice.

To begin we appoint a senior member or director of the division to oversee the transfer between agents. They will assess the current list of requirements at the property.

A handover check list is discussed with the outgoing agent, agreeing a timeline of action, keeping you updated as we progress through the transfer, both in advance and after the commencement date.

The property manager is introduced to you and full breadth of resources are allocated so that historic concerns are tackled immediately.

Residents receive an introduction letter in advance, detailing how the handover will take place and the service we are providing as part of the contract.

This letter will check their contact details and permission requirements and provide details on a timeline for completion.

If required, we set up a resident meeting in person or via a video conference call, giving further detail on the tender process, our history and to listen to the needs and thoughts of the residents.

After our initial due diligence, each property is assessed with a visit and discussion with you, followed by a presentation of the management proposal, including options for the type of service and frequency of visits. We aim to include as much as possible within the set annual price, avoiding any concerns with a list of extra over costs, hence delivering complete transparency.

Allowing a property manager and their team to have time to manage is key to a successful experience. With a minimum fee arrangement and sensible portfolio sizes, along with our robust support team, we deliver an exceptional service.

Our team consists of either RICS or IRPM qualified property managers and property assistants, specialist service charge account managers with separate credit control, insurance and subletting support teams and general administration. We also have a dedicated team of property risk analysts to cater for the latest Government Building Safety legislation, such as external facades, general fire safety and health and safety risk.

With over 250 staff across our clients’ properties, the HR structure and support is key to managing and engaging with our clients’ staff. Site staff are the focal point for our customers and play an integral part of the team and service delivery. Staff training with certification is undertaken throughout the year and we provide client contract review advice and a range of staff wellbeing initiatives.