Grand, old manor houses sit proud in the countryside.
Impressive, architectural landmarks from bygone eras stand tall, wedged in busy cityscapes. Even in modern day housing developments you can find listed buildings with their heritage woven into the local community.
Everywhere we turn, historic buildings have stories to tell. Many of them are becoming the perfect new homes, welcoming new residents and families. But it takes a certain mindfulness of the heritage, and an understanding of the unique challenges of older properties to really make these historic buildings suitable for modern day living.
Take a buzzing new development on the edge of the City of London, for example. Set amongst the new-build high-rise apartment blocks is a building with an impressive frontage,
stretching more than 300 feet, and with origins in the early 1900’s.
As part of the new development, this building has been redeveloped too; creating new,
luxury apartments with facilities including concierge, fitness and spa areas, a cinema room
and much more. The wider estate comprises commercial and residential properties.
The 1900s building was once an important part of the city’s textiles industry, but today holds
architectural delights alongside the many newly-created apartments. As a result, the building
has been deemed historically important enough for both interior and exteriors to be Grade II
listed.
The fact that such a historically significant building can now be home to many more families
is brilliant.
The old has been given a new lease of life.
But for the apartments to be a true success – and for the building to preserve its heritage –
exact care needs to be taken. And that goes beyond the initial redevelopment of the building,
and into its ongoing care and management.
At Encore, we’re the managing agent of many different historic buildings that require a
bespoke approach to their ongoing maintenance. What may work for a new build, may not,
for example, be appropriate for a listed building – or additional measures may need to be
taken.
In the example from the City of London just described, the developer has taken excellent care during building works – and that care and attention then needs to be recognised by us as the managing agent too.
The building boasts an impressive entrance hall and stairwell, with incredible bottle green
tiling. It’s a beautiful frontage to have as an entrance to your home – but it is also listed. And
that means extra care needs to be taken. As the managing agent and whilst we’re getting set
up to manage the estate – a period we call ‘mobilisation’ – we then need to consider whether
steps need to be taken to preserve these important elements of the building. For instance, is a moving in strategy required, to make sure residents moving large items into their apartments don’t inadvertently cause damage to the tiling and stairwell?
But there’s much more that needs to be considered too. The managing agent needs to
carefully assess the listing for a historic building, to understand how different parts of the
building are affected. A thorough asset register needs to be taken; although this is done for
new builds too, it takes on another level of importance in older buildings where certain
assets have historical value. This is vital as it means the team managing the property going
forwards have a clear and easy to follow guide of what is what, and how each area or item
should be treated.
Again, taking the example in the City of London, we had to be sure to add old window eye bolts to the asset register for the building – clearly stating that they are listed items. It’s a small feature, but a historically important one, having been fitted many years ago to enable safer window cleaning.
That in turn has informed our property management strategy – even if only to a small degree
– for the building going forwards. Although the eye bolts aren’t used for window cleaning
now, we’ll make sure contractors are aware of their presence, so they don’t get damaged.
We even need to take a critical eye to make sure all has been done to keep modern fittings
in keeping with the setting. For example, fire safety is of the utmost importance but where
possible we’ll look at fire alarms and fire safety systems to make sure they look right or
whether they could be more discreet.
This thorough approach, mindful of the building’s history, is taken from the very first days
managing an estate, through to the ongoing property management strategy that will create a
positive ongoing legacy for the development.
Historic buildings will demand additional considerations, for example, when it comes to
budgeting for major works, such as redecoration, adjustments required to meet new building safety standards or external works to cladding or roofing.
The service charge – a fee per property in a development, which collectively funds the
maintenance of communal spaces, amenities and systems – will need to cover the cost of
these major works, and take into consideration additional implications due to a building’s age and possibly listed status.
For example, if a surveyor needs to be engaged, then specialist surveyors for listed buildings
will be required and contractors would preferably have worked on buildings with similar
challenges. As the managing agent manages the contractors, it’s vital that we work with
those who understand the complexities of the development and what’s needed from them to be sympathetic towards the history of a building.
The heritage of every property is different, and its place in our history unique, so there’s
never a one-size-fits-all approach to its ongoing management.
At Encore, we look after a regeneration scheme on an old American Air Base, where a listed
watchtower has been melded into the community and where careful landscaping is needed
to make it work as part of the wider estate.
Another example is a 1980s high-rise building, now listed, in London, known for its ship-like architecture.
With the right management it’s become the perfect place for modern city-living,
in a great location and communal facilities including secure parking, a 24-hour concierge
service, a gym, swimming pool and sauna. The communal gardens contain tennis courts and
a barbecue area.
Or, take a building from another era altogether, the mid 1800s, which was once an asylum and is now a Grade II listed building home to over 200 residential units.
We even work with housing developments and apartment blocks where the buildings aren’t
listed, but the gardens have significant historical importance.
All of these estates require very different management and maintenance, to preserve the
important heritage of the sites. And it’s not just preserving the physical amenities and
features of a development, but making sure the history is respected and, where appropriate,
becomes a part of the modern-day community.
That’s why, from the very beginning ‘mobilising’ a new development, through to the ongoing
property management strategy, at Encore we never use a uniform approach.
We always take a bespoke approach so the unique history of each place is preserved – and
modern living comes to complement it. We put the right resources into each estate from the
very start, from asset registers to scrutinising the listing of buildings, so we set off on the
right foot. And as Head of Mobilisation at Encore, that’s something I’m really proud to be a
part of every day. It’s brilliant to see so many historic places creating a new legacy for
communities, from the city to the countryside.
About the Author
Head of Mobilisation
Laura has been working in the property management industry for over 18 years. During this, her passion for bespoke property management and historical buildings has been developed through various positions in the industry and on many prestigious developments (both old and new). Laura transitioned to mobilisation in 2023, and is heading up Encore’s mobilisation team to ensure all new estates (no matter how unique) are set-up and have all aspects considered for the Estate Manager.
For more from Encore, click here.
For more from Flat Living, click here.
