Flat-Living.co.uk ARMA
What to check for when
appointing a managing
agent
When you interview managing agents you need to be clear about what
you want them to do. Produce a specification of the jobs you need
them to carry out and provide it to all agents you interview and gain
confirmation that they are able to complete all of the tasks required.
Agents’ qualifications
There is only one specific professional qualification for a managing
agent, that of the Institute of Residential Property Management,
although some managers will be members of the Royal Institution of
Chartered Surveyors, or, in the public sector, the Chartered Institute of
Housing. Many agents are members of the Association of Residential
Managing Agents (ARMA). The advantages of the appointment of an
ARMA member is that they will have had to satisfy an independent body
of their competence and, as a condition of their membership, will be
required to abide by a code of practice and a complaints and disciplinary
procedure. Therefore, the management company and individual flat-
owners will also have recourse to ARMA in the case of a complaint about
one of their members.

Agents’ insurances
It is most important to confirm the prospective agent’s professional
indemnity insurance. If the agent is a member of a professional or trade
body, professional indemnity insurance will be an automatic condition of
membership. However, the existence of the cover, and its extent, must
be checked. Where a residents management company (RMC) delegates
tasks to a managing agent, the RMC will remain legally answerable for
any neglect, omission or mistake by the agent and must be sure that the
agent has the means for compensation or damages.
References
It is sensible to gain references from your chosen managing agent. Also
is is sensible to gain references from directors of blocks of flats they
currently manage that are similar to your own.
9
The information contained in this article has been taken from the
publication: Appointing a Managing Agent produced as a joint 10
publication by ARMA, the Association of Residential Managing
Agents, ARHM , the Association of Retirement Housing Managers
and LEASE, the Leasehold Advisory Service. This can be
downloaded from www.arma.org.uk or www.flat-living.co.uk
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