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Flat Living WEBSITEGUIDE Maintenance LEASE MANAGE YOURBLOCK SERVICE


CHARGES& ACCOUNTS


MAINTENANCE HEALTH &SAFETY CASELAWDISPUTES ENERGY EFFICIENCY INSURANCE


Tel: 0207 394 9748


email: Info@london1stop.net Web: www.london1stop.net


Key aspects of block maintenance London1Stopexplainswhy allbuildingsshouldhaveaneffective maintenanceplanin place


AtLondon1 Stop,weregularly establish plannedmaintenance programmes forour clients.Each programmeistailoredtosuitthat building’sunique characteristics, suchas its age, construction method, overall conditionandany objects thatwill eventually require repair or replacement.


ReaSonSfoR


maintenance Therearemany good reasonsto keep up withmaintenance-too many to list here -but themost


obvious are: nLegal requirements – landlord’s/ RMC/RTMcovenants tomaintain


andrepair. nStatutorycompliance - lift inspectionsandelectrical testing


arejusttwoexamplesofthis. nSafety – falling tiles or other


hazards fromlack ofmaintenance. nResidents’ comfortandsafety –awellmaintainedbuilding should also include a safewell maintained, cleancommunal area.Thiswill include keeping hallways clearwith appropriate signageandenforcement.Awell maintainedcommunal area allows awell-litescaperoute,safefrom hazards.This also promotes pride in thebuildingandbetter rental


andresale value. nCost efficiency -early interventionis likelytosave


higher costs in the future. nReducinginsurancecosts-a buildingwhichisnotmaintained


42 abuildingwhich is not


maintained ismore likely to incurwater damageand claims


Each programmeis tailored to suit thatbuilding’s unique characteristics


ismore likelyto incurwater damageandclaimsandwill find


itspremiumsrise. nResale value–weall look for awellmaintainedbuilding whenpurchasing a flat.Awell maintainedbuildingwill normal add value. Wecouldall add to the above


butthese aloneought to bemore thanenoughto address opposition againstregularmaintenance.


Certainly reasonablenesshas to be a factor ofanywell draftedplanned maintenancereport,butthat shouldn’tmeannothing gets done.


maintenance


pLanning Maintenanceofabuilding includeseverythingfrom day- to-day cleaning right through to repairing and painting the


external elevations, roofs etc. A wellmaintained building should have apredetermined plan of all themaintenance tasks required.


SuRveyoR SeRviceS Ihavereadpreviousarticlesin relation to the value of having a surveyor prepare a detailed PlannedMaintenanceReport andthiswould be an excellent starting point, butitshouldn’t stop there. Inmanycases blockswillhave


in placecontractswith retained servicesengineersandlift contractors.Where this is the case, it isworthreviewingtheschedule of dutiesregularly toensure it is comprehensiveenoughto cover legal requirementsandeffective futuremaintenance.Thesurveyor should be able to estimate likely replacements ofmajorparts from these contractorsandtheir reports.


HeaLtHand


Safety RepoRtS Look at anyavailable documentation relating to the building. Ensure the surveyor has sight of thesewhen preparing the plan. Those responsible for the daytodaymanagement should work throughthese as well to be familiar with requirements. Health&safetydocuments


are veryimportant in preparing immediateandfuture plansand will formanintegral part of the maintenance plan; contractors


Issue 15 Flat Living


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