PROPERTY MANAGEMENT EYES wideSHUT?


STEVEGIBBSHASBEENanRMC director for hisblock,theMailboxinBirmingham, for eleven years. He is thefirst to admitthatitcan sometimesbeathankless task anddespite finding therolerewardingwhen things are goingwell, he fearsthatpeoplefrequently volunteertobecomeanRMCdirector with very little understandingofwhatis involved. “People take on the job with the best intentions,” he says,“howevertheyusually have zero experience andnoexpectation of what it is that they aregoing to be askedtodo. Getitright anditcan be both interestingand enjoyablebut youneed to knowwhat you’re letting yourself in for”. As Steveexplains, anyRMCis responsible


fordealing with threekey aspects of their block: thebuilding itself,cashflow andthe residents. Thefirst part is theeasiest according to Steve-but only if youhaveadecentproperty manageronboard to help you. If youare living in ablock with morethantwo or threeflats, he


Birmingham’s Mailbox: too bigablock to self-manage


stronglyadvises againsttryingtomanagethe building yourselves.Steve’sblock has 144flats withamix of owneroccupiers andtenants: “anyRMCthatthought they coulddealwith that levelofbuildingmanagement without professional help wouldbecompletelymad,” he says.SoSteve’sfirst tipistofind agood propertymanagertodoitfor you. “Iftheydo thejob properly they areworth theirweight in gold,”hesays. “Once you’ve found good, reliable


maintenancecompanies to work on your behalf,withthe rightcontracts in placethe


makingto thebuilding youlive in


building should (intheory) look after itself. This iswhat youpay yourPMfor”,hesays. Health&safety and fire risk assessments provideablueprintthatsetsout exactlywhat needstobedone. “The combinationofthis frameworkand theright contractorstocarry outany worksrequired,make this theeasy part,” he adds. With the‘buildings’ boxticked, thesecond andequally importantissuefor anyRMC is cash flow. “This onemay not be so easy to tackle,” says Steve,who explains thatwhen hisRMC wasfirst set up,“cashflow was themost difficult aspect ofwhat we were trying to achieve”. However, at the Mailbox, the


Youcanreally seethe difference youare


Want to get involved in yourRMC? Do your homework first, says STEVE GIBBS


RMChas foundthatgood communicationand transparencyare absolutelykey to getting it right, “plusthe services of areallygood solicitorwithaneffectivecollectionsystemin placefor timeswhenwereallydohavetopass responsibility fordealing withmoniestothe professionals,” Steve adds. The final issue of course, is people. The


Mailboxhas agood mix of owneroccupiers andtenants andbecauserenters don’talways engage with theculture of theblock in the sameway as peoplewho own their own flats, Steve and his fellow directorsmake it as easy as possible fornew tenantstosettle in andbecomepartoftheir community. All newresidents aregivenawelcomesheet whichexplainsthe rulesand regulations that affect everyone living in the block, “so they understand their rights and responsibilities fromtheoutset”, he explains.“It’s beena fantasticsuccessbecausemost peopledon’t wanttocause trouble. With averyfew exceptions,theywanttoget on with their neighbours and avoid confrontation”. Tomake communicationwithall theresidents as easy as possible,anelectronic screen in the reception area flags up important issues such as building works that will be taking place, visitors to the building and so on.“We have set in placeaverystructuredprogrammeof repairsandmaintenancesoresidents don’t normally have cause for complaint over small irritationssuchaslightsnot workingand so on.Wealsohavestaffonsite, so as farasthe RMCdirectors areconcerned,wedon’t have peopleknockingonour frontdoors in the middle of thenight wanting us to comeand fix somethingorsortout aproblemwith a neighbour,” he explains. Steveisthe first to admitthatifyou are


thinking of gettinginvolvedinyourRMC, it will involveamajor investment of your time. He adds that it is also very important forpotential directorstogointoitwith theireyesopen; to understandtheir rights andresponsibilities before they signupto anything and also to ensure that theRMC has effective andappropriate insurancein placetocover thedirectors in caseofany majorproblems. “The lastthing anyone wants is to take on a voluntary role with thebest of intentions,get something wrong and end up being


sued,but it canand does happen so do your homework before saying ‘yes’,” says Steve. That said,atthe endofthe day if you feel you want to get involved, don’tbeput off.“Ultimately it canbe averyrewarding experience because you can really see the difference you aremakingtothe building youlive


in.”● SteveGibbs is anRMCdirector’


Flat Living Issue 14, Spring 57


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