Management Company Repairs

everything in writing and a formal letter to the freeholder with a copy to the management co. The management co will only take instructions from the freeholder. You do have rights as leaseholders and the freeholder should have arranged a sinking fund for bigger expenses such as yours

Just keep asking your Management Company when will it be done. Say you have been waiting since April, and why the delay etc. E-mail is good because you have a written record of what was said which you don't with a phone call. You may have to keep asking, but don't let it go. Try to get them to commit to a date at each stage, not just a vague 'it will be sorted' which is meaningless. You must have dates.

I'm afraid everything seems to have slowed down to snails' pace since the pandemic and covid still being used as an excuse in some places.

This website gives answers to most everything:
Leasehold Advisory Service
This is a big website and there is loads under the Advice tab at the top. If you need more help you can even book a phone call with a lease advisor.

Just to add, it's August and everything tends to shut down anyway as most people are on holiday. You may not get any action until September now. I agree you should copy your freehold landlord into the e-mails unless they are the same as the management company. In our case we are both because we manage ourselves. But the freehold landlord is the one who makes decisions and can chase up the management company if they are slacking.

Thanks Chestnut. I have looked at our property documents and there is no landlord. There is just the residents of the flats also called shareholders and the management company. I will have a look at that website.

It sounds like you and the other leaseholders are the freehold landlord and are managing yourselves with your own management company, of which you are members. Your management company is very likely a limited company and one (or more) of you (the leaseholders) are directors and are making the decisions. The rest of you are just members but the directors have to answer to you if you are not happy. Your lease should show details.

Probably you and all the flats equally share the freehold, so you would all have a share certificate. However, the Management Company may be an external one and it is these who you need to chase up.

I would just say, in their defence, that getting hold of well established companies to carry out any building work is extremely difficult at present and even if quotes have been sought and given, often having to wait several months for work to be carried out. So, this maybe the case for you.

However, you have a right to be kept informed as to reason for this delay and also to know when the work is going to be carried out. So, a letter to the Management Company asking for this information.

As you have a share in the freehold then you are a freeholder, the freehold will be jointly shared amongst all of you. You need to know some basics ie did the directors employ a management company or is the development self-managed. Find out who the directors are, this will be on your documentation. There will be a chairperson, secretary and treasurer at the very least. I would expect that there will also be a number of directors.

Go onto the companies house website and look up the name of the mangement company, there will be a company address and a list of involved people. You could write to each of those people at the company address. Be formal, state facts, don`t say please or be friendly, just straightforward facts with dates

Date everything and keep a record and file of written letters. Sending letters via recorded delivery is far the best way, take a copy and file it with the date received at destination

The leasehold advisory service is helpful but be sure to know and understand the basic facts concerning your freehold and management company

Change your management company. We had to do that here and our new one is much more efficient.

AGAA4

Change your management company. We had to do that here and our new one is much more efficient.

As freeholders they will probably be a limited company and may be managing themselves. If their company are using another outside company to actually manage the property it won't be that easy to change this because there are 77 flats involved. It would be the directors of their own company who make the decision to change to another outside company.

We are a limited company. The directors have the final say whether to change management company although everyone is consulted.

Just to say that the directors are chosen by shareholders at the agm. Sadly people don`t turn up for agm in such a big complex, people are worried about having to do `work`. You will find a list of the chosen directors on your agm minutes. Definitely is worth attending AGM meetings, when you can get involved in aob at the very least

we decided to become a limited company, it just protects personal assets and personal liability, it changes nothing else. The OP needs to do a lot more research and to be more `forceful` armed with facts as bullet points. She needs to inform directors that the residents as a whole will be responsible for extra charges occurred due to neglect of maintenance

Just to update you all. Me and my neighbour have sent an email to the management company to complain that the repairs have not yet been done and the weather will soon change. We also mentioned that if the work is not done we would be prepared to take it further. We received a reply that the work is to be done by the end of August. So we shall see.

Very good Marilynne, now wait and see. if it has not started by 25th august then send another formal e mail. Be factual, this e mail would need to remind them about the end of august. That will be letter number two in your file.

If it is not done by august 31 then send a letter to the leasehold advisory service, again just factual, like bullet points. Send a copy to the management company, also dated. Let them know that this is a copy of a letter you sent to the LAS. Don`t hang about at this stage. Your management co need to see that you mean business

Thanks Karmalady. I have had a look at the LAS website and will certainly contact them if I need to.

Latest update. After another couple of emails to the management company the roof is now in the process of being repaired. Thanks for everyones input. Seems these days it takes some badgering to get things done.