What Should Your Block Manager Be Doing Every Day and Every Week?

Blog title: What Should Your Block Manager Be Doing Every Day and Every Week?

Paying a management fee should mean your building receives consistent attention: repairs followed through, money accounted for and residents kept informed.

Much of a block manager’s work happens behind the scenes. But leaseholders, freeholders and Right to Manage directors should still be able to see what has been done, what remains outstanding and who is responsible for the next step.

So, what should day-to-day block management actually involve?

Start with the lease and management agreement

Every block is different. The lease sets out responsibilities and how costs can be recovered, while the management agreement defines the agent’s appointment.

There is no single legal checklist requiring every block manager to visit every building daily or weekly. Inspection frequency should reflect the building’s risks, facilities and agreed service.

However, there should always be a clear routine for managing the work.

Every working day: review reports and prioritise problems

Incoming emails, calls and maintenance reports need assessing. A dangerous electrical fault, active leak or damaged entrance door requires a different response from a routine decorating request.

Each reported issue should have:

• A record of the problem and when it was reported.

• A named person responsible for progressing it.

• A priority based on the risk.

• A clear next action.

• An update to the person who reported it.

Residents should also know how to report an emergency outside office hours.

Follow repairs through to completion

Instructing a contractor is only one stage.

A block manager should arrange access, obtain any necessary approval, chase attendance and keep affected residents informed. Once the work is reported complete, there should be proportionate evidence that the problem has been addressed.

For larger or recurring problems, that may require photographs, a return inspection or specialist advice.

An invoice arriving does not, by itself, prove that a repair has been successful.

Every week: review everything still outstanding

A weekly review helps stop smaller problems becoming long-running disputes.

It should cover:

• Repairs awaiting quotations, approval or attendance.

• Contractors who have missed appointments.

• Recurring leaks, drainage faults or security problems.

• Complaints awaiting a response.

• Safety actions approaching or exceeding their deadlines.

• Decisions required from the freeholder or RTM directors.

Every open item needs a next step. “We are chasing” should be supported by a record of who was contacted and when further action is due.

Check the condition of communal areas

Regular site inspections should follow an agreed schedule. Depending on the building, checks may include entrances, stairs, lighting, door-entry systems, bin stores, grounds and visible signs of leaks or damage.

Inspectors should record defects and arrange follow-up work. Taking photographs without acting on the findings achieves very little.

Cleaning and gardening also need checking against the agreed specification. Residents should receive the service their block is paying for.

Keep safety work on a proper schedule

A block manager should maintain a building-specific compliance diary and track actions arising from assessments and inspections.

The requirements depend on the building, its equipment and the relevant legal duties. A weekly management review does not mean every safety inspection must take place weekly.

For example, in residential buildings in England above 11 metres, the Responsible Person must arrange checks of communal fire doors at least every three months and use best endeavours to check flat entrance doors at least annually.

Appointing an agent does not automatically remove the legal responsibilities of the freeholder, RTM company or other dutyholders.

Keep control of the finances

Financial oversight should continue throughout the year.

The management team should monitor receipts, arrears, invoices, committed expenditure and the funds available for upcoming work. Formal bank reconciliations and financial reports should follow a documented timetable.

Service-charge money must be handled appropriately, and expenditure must be considered against the lease, available funds and approval arrangements.

Before major expenditure is committed, the manager should also check whether statutory consultation is required.

Communicate before residents have to chase

A useful update explains what has happened, what is causing any delay and when the next update will be provided.

Directors need clear reports that distinguish between work the agent can progress and decisions requiring board approval.

Where a resident portal is available, it should provide appropriate access to relevant documents, notices and records, with personal information protected.

Plan ahead

Good management includes preparing for foreseeable costs.

Roof maintenance, external decoration, drainage work and equipment replacement should form part of a longer-term plan, supported by realistic budgets and reserve-fund planning where the lease permits.

Regular inspections can help identify developing problems. They cannot guarantee that a building will never suffer damage or that an insurer will accept every claim.

What should you ask your block manager?

Ask for the latest inspection report, outstanding repairs list, financial report and compliance-action schedule.

Those records should make it clear how your building is being managed.

At MyEstate, we welcome conversations with leaseholders, freeholders and RTM directors about inspections, maintenance, communication and financial reporting.

If you would like to discuss your block in Luton or the surrounding areas, contact Richard and the team.

Richard Gedall MNAEA | AARLA
Director | MyEstate Luton Limited
01582 380330 | 07735 046589
luton@my-estate.co.uk

The legal points were checked against government fire-door guidance and LEASE guidance on management duties, service charges and consultation. GOV.UK