Ethical Maintenance

What services does a property factor provide?

This is an overview of the services we can provide for you:

• Propose a maintenance programme to keep your property in top condition; and should there be an emergency, decide what you would want your factor to do for you.
• Organise meetings for homeowners and Residents’ Associations to agree maintenance programmes and discuss all aspects of your factoring service.
• Hire and manage contractors, such as gardeners, cleaners, specialist maintenance and repair contractors.
• Inspect buildings and common areas routinely; arrange specialist safety inspections as needed.
• Coordinate repairs and supervise these works.
• Liaise with relevant bodies about utilities, way leaves and other access rights.
• Arrange building insurance at a competitive price.
• Collect payments for maintenance works, manage all monies and run a joint account with Residents’ Association.

Here are some of the things we look after

• Landscaped areas including lawns, shrub beds, trees and footpaths
• Boundary walls, gates, fences and hedges
• External road and path lighting
• Entrance doors and entrance security systems for apartment buildings
• Parking areas, garage doors, vehicle entry systems, entry barriers and bollards
• Windows, doors, hallways, stairs, lifts, landings, lighting and emergency lighting
• Roofs, walls, balconies and external pipework
• Alarms, safety detectors, emergency fire-fighting and evacuation equipment
• Shared TV aerials and telecom networks
• Water mains, sewers and septic tanks
• Oil tanks and gas storage tanks

Points to consider when deciding on a factor

In our experience, in small developments with small grounds and where everybody knows each other, homeowners can find it relatively easy to look after things themselves.

However, where there are more homeowners, it’s not always easy collecting money. In this instance you could ask a property factor to collect and manage monies for specific jobs and outlays, while you carry out simple maintenance and cleaning jobs yourselves.

Finally, where work is more complex or large scale, as well as organising works and monies there may be significant health and safety issues to consider.

Here, you’d benefit from having a professional, experienced property factor oversee planning and works and look after the financial side as well.

Before deciding, it is advisable to contact at least two property factors and ask for a quote for their services; bear in mind that the more responsibilities they have the more they’ll cost.