In residential block management, ensuring communal services are delivered efficiently, safely, and to a high standard is essential, not just for maintaining buildings, but for creating homes where people feel safe, comfortable, and cared for. Behind every well-maintained entrance hall, landscaped garden, or serviced lift is a managing agent working hard to balance quality with cost, while never losing sight of their core responsibility to act in the best interests of the client and those paying the service charge.
Doing the Right Thing for Leaseholders
Managing agents are ultimately custodians of leaseholders’ money. Every contractor appointed to deliver communal services is being paid by leaseholders and with that comes a clear duty to deliver value. But value doesn’t always mean the cheapest option. The right decision often lies in understanding what’s needed, identifying providers who can deliver consistent quality, and ensuring long-term reliability over short-term savings.
This is where customer service plays a crucial role. Managing agents should be thinking not just about “getting the job done” but about how the end result will feel to residents. A communal clean that’s rushed or incomplete, or a contractor who misses appointments without communication, may tick a box on paper, but it’s poor customer service, and residents notice.
Quality Over Cost-Cutting
Appointing the right contractor involves more than comparing quotes. The best agents carry out due diligence by checking qualifications, insurance, previous experience, and client testimonials. They will often meet potential contractors onsite, ensuring they understand the development and its specific needs.
Where possible, leaseholders should be kept informed about how decisions are made, especially in developments with a Residents’ Management Company or Right to Manage structure. Transparency builds trust. When residents know that cost is being balanced with quality, professionalism, and reliability, there’s often greater confidence in the service charge being well spent.
Accountability and Performance
Appointing a contractor is not the end of the process, it’s the start of a relationship. Good managing agents take a proactive role in monitoring performance and handling concerns. This includes routine site inspections, setting clear service level expectations, and listening carefully to resident feedback.
If issues arise, it’s important to deal with them promptly and professionally. Open communication, both with the contractor and the client ensures problems are resolved before they escalate, reinforcing that the agent is acting as a responsible steward of leaseholder funds.
A People-Centric Approach
While it’s easy to focus on budgets and compliance (both essential, of course), communal services are about people – their homes, their safety and their lived experience. By choosing the right contractors, holding them to account, and making decisions rooted in fairness and care, managing agents can deliver services that truly reflect a commitment to excellent customer service and client care.
Because in the end, block management isn’t just about bricks and mortar, it’s about doing the right thing for the people who live there.
