BernieWales AlanWalker Letters
Chris Hills interview
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AlanWalker Whenit comes to propertymanagement, it’s vital to strike the rightbalance
OscarWildeWascertainly not referring to anRMC directorwhen he defined a cynic as someone ‘who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing’. But is there a danger that, in a world with an increasingly sharpfocus on driving downcosts by searching for the lowest possible price for goods and services,the quality of serviceis also being driven down– or indeed out?
The question ofwhether to self-
manage adevelopmentortoappoint amanagingagent is onefor another day–sofor thosewho fall into the latter category,what are the key considerationswhen striking a balance between cost and value? In theconsumergoodsand
services world, brands,and even management personalities,send clearand clearlyunderstood messages. Michael O’Leary has developed his‘lowcost at allcosts’ persona to such an extent that it canbedifficult to identifywhere the real service suggestions end and theheadline-grabbingpublicity stunts begin. Yetpreviously ‘unthinkable’policiessuchasseats that don’trecline,windows without window blinds anda£70 feetohave a boarding pass re-printed have becomestandardpractice. Switching fromflying to food,
theM&S prawnmayosandwichisa knownquality at aknownpriceand famously the samewhether bought in
FalkirkorFalmouth.And at the other end of the price scale, Miele andMercedes-Benz find plenty of customers even though it is clear that othercompanies’offers cando ostensibly thesamejob at alower price. What about the leasehold
management world? In fact, selecting amanaging agent is nothing like buying a prawn sandwich or a pork pie – nor even an air ticket or amotor car. It is the establishment of a relationship whichshouldfulfilthe needsofthe leaseholders by offeringthe breadth anddepth of services they need for thespecificsoftheir estate. Flowingfrom thelevel of
management and support required, Flat Living Issue 17
...bewary of wanting only thelowest possible COST for your service –when you need itmost, theservice maymatch the price
Selectingamanagingagent
is nothing like buying an airline ticket butyou stillneedtoknow what youwillget foryourmoney
comes the cost of the services to be delivered–sotaketimetoset outyourbrief clearlyand look at proposals in detailwhen youare looking to appoint an agent. If your blockhas 24-hour
porterage, an Olympic-size swimming pool and extensive landscaped grounds, be sure that the offer you are reviewing covers notonlysomeattention to theestate facilities butthe required levelof service. Or perhapsyou areone of only a handful of flats in a building with minimal communal areas, no lift and no outside space - inwhich casemake sure you are not buying services you simply do not want or need. In short, it’s vital to think about
theservices youget forwhatyou pay – as well as howmuchmoney you pay forwhat you get. Formany flat owners,managingagentsare allbut
invisible until things go awry, and that is the point atwhich they are suddenly andmost urgently needed. Myadvice:when reviewing service
offers, keep three questions in mind: nWhat services areincluded, andto what depth/withwhat frequencyare they delivered? nWhat are the differences between the offers apart fromthe cost? nWhyisthe cheapest servicequote thecheapest? “Inthisworld thereare only two
tragedies,”wrote OscarWilde.“One is notgettingwhat onewants,and the other is getting it”. Finally, be wary of wanting
only the lowest possible COST for your service –when you need it most,the servicemaymatchthe price.●
alanWalker is anRMCdirector
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