With the advent of King Charles’ first speech, changes are underway to ensure a fairer system for those currently living within a leasehold property. Some important areas covered within his speech which should be considered by the tenants of said properties are:
- Requiring transparency over leaseholders’ service charges – so all leaseholders receive better transparency over the costs they are being charged by their freeholder or managing agent in a standardised comparable format and can scrutinise and better challenge them if they are unreasonable.
- Building on the legislation brought forward by the Building Safety Act 2022, ensuring freeholders and developers are unable to escape their liabilities to fund building remediation work – protecting leaseholders by extending the measures in the Building Safety Act 2022 to ensure it operates as intended.
A comprehensive reform would allow leaseholders to have far more responsibility for decisions affecting the buildings and communities they live in, and part of this would include the communal areas such as the lift(s). With change on the horizon, it will be important for all residents to ensure that if they make changes which affect how the managing agents serve the properties, that they still have contingency funds in place when capital expenditure projects (such as lifts, communal areas, roof repairs, etc) are required.
A way to ensure leaseholders futureproof their expenditure is to undertake PPM (planned preventative maintenance) schedules of their building (including fabric and services). From our perspective, this relates to our site survey reports, which offer a full and comprehensive explanation of the current condition of the lift(s), our recommendations for future work, and a price guide to enable those affected to start making provisions.
As well as providing costings, Ardent can also ensure that changing legislation, accessibility, energy efficiency, and safety standards are adhered to and updated as necessary should works go ahead. We can see the project through from start to finish acting as a liaison between the contractor, managing agents, and the tenants, guaranteeing that everyone is keep abreast of the works at every stage.
Consultation Periods
Due to the costs associated with major works to lifts, if it becomes clear that a refurbishment or replacement is needed, the project will require the section 20 Notice to be implemented. This is when the plans for the works need to be clearly identified and explained to the leaseholders along with an outline of the objective, expected costs and timescales.
At this stage, supplying correct information to leaseholders is critical to ensure the project is accepted by all. Major works often cost substantial sums of money which can be an emotive issue, but well-produced evidence and plans can clearly demonstrate why such works are necessary.
Property managers, RMCs and RTMs should ensure that meetings are held with residents at the earliest possible stage. Anyone who is unable to attend these meetings should be informed of progress via emails or leaflets to ensure the consultation process is clear, effective and meets statutory requirements. It is important to respond fully to any written comments from leaseholders.
Well Specified Works
A correctly specified level of works has two distinct benefits:
- It ensures the client’s requirements are clearly listed so that a lift that meets and often exceeds expectations can be provided.
- It ensures that only those areas that need attention are addressed. Flat owners will have to pay for any remedial work, and it is easy to replace too much and leave them liable for the costs.
If the specification is clear, the lift contractors can supply the correct pricing, which will ultimately result in savings for the residents. The specialist consultant will draw up a full specification for your project, to ensure adherence to the contractual and technical requirements for the building, client, and those using the lift.
ARDENT Lift Consultancy can assist by undertaking our independent lift survey reports, looking at the current condition of lift equipment, and highlighting operational issues, typical energy consumption values, predicted lifespan, and recommendations with associated budget costing. Follow up consultation meetings to discuss our findings and assist with the planning of any required actions being what we do best.
