Unstaffed Buildings - A Stumbling Block?
Back in 2019, pre-pandemic, I asked the rhetorical question “Can the on-site team run the show?” and wrote a blog.
I came to the conclusion that yes, absolutely, they can and more than that – it’s vital that they do for the reasons mentioned in the blog, such as:
Residential block managers have more on their plate than ever before, so the reliance on the team on-site has never been greater.
On-site staff are regularly under-utilised. If you could take a step back and draw up a brand new staffing plan, what would it look like? Often very different from the current set up.
Who knows the residents better than the on-site staff? Use this closeness to your advantage.
And the building itself – have your on-site staff learn every nook and cranny. This can only help achieve first time fixes, and therefore happier residents.
Health and safety on site is best managed day to day by the team that is there most if not all of the time.
Unstaffed Blocks
That blog neglected to mention the majority of blocks of flats in the UK which do not benefit from on-site staff. For these blocks, there is more for the block manager to do than would otherwise be the case, and largely for this reason, many block management companies turn down the opportunity manage smaller buildings.
“They’re more hassle than they’re worth” or “They’re as much work as a large building” are sentences I hear a lot. That said, we work with smaller agents that charge a premium for smaller block management and they do very well from them.
So I decided to look more closely at how these agents taking on smaller blocks manage to do so successfully. And I realised that Cledor has has an important role to play.
Take out what a concierge, porter or caretaker does on site for a property manager and the residents and who is left to do the work?
Packages: More than ever, residents are ordering online. Before the pandemic, the trends were 20%+ year on year, according to our friends at Dwellant. Without on-site staff, residents must be at home to accept a package. Or have friendly neighbours.
Meter readings: A major distraction for property mangers. Estimates from electricity and gas companies are often inaccurate, which means utility bills are based on guesses. Guesses often mean service charge funds are up affecting cashflow, and make it very difficult to budget and close off year-end accounts accurately. Block management company owners are loathe to approve utilities bills based on estimated meter readings, but if they don’t, the red ‘overdue’ letters are not far behind – and these days they are delivered to the property right away.
Security: Before the pandemic, entire unstaffed blocks of flats could lie empty, with its residents all at work. Empty blocks of flats encourage thieves to find their way into the common parts and into individual apartments. Yes, it’s very different at the moment (lockdown) and the chances are, far more residents will be working from home when everyone has been vaccinated. On-site staff quite clearly help to prevent crime by the very fact they are present. Without staff, there is more reliance on robust physical security/access control, CCTV and neighbours looking out for each other.
Access for repairs: It’s an obvious one of course. An unstaffed block is harder to get into to carry out repairs or conduct a risk assessment – and there is no-one to accompany the contractor. Key safes and helpful residents are the solution here, although we are always delighted to let a contractor in when our cleaners are on site.
Meet and greet: Staffed blocks mean there is someone to say ‘have a nice day’ to and someone to welcome you back home. It may only happen once a week when they’re on site, but our cleaners will always stop to say hello to residents.
The first thing that may strike you is the amount of heavy lifting that on-site staff do, which explains why many managing agents want to steer clear of blocks without site presence. As a provider of on-site staff, we do our best to get the most out of our team, so they are supporting you, the property manager, and the residents as well.
The same applies to unstaffed blocks too, albeit only when our cleaners are present. They’re your eyes and ears when on site. We’ve developed an app so they can capture anything important happening on site, with photographic evidence. Some examples:
Meter readings: A classic admin task that if left undone, can have inconvenient consequences as mentioned above. Whether you want us to send meter readings to you or directly to your utility consultant, that’s not a problem. For most managing agents, it’s as simple as taking a photo that shows the meter’s serial number and reading at the same time. (We also know how to read meters that are dual rate). Obviously smart meters are the longer-term solution.
Fresh damage to the common parts: We’ll record its location, take a photo and send to you.
Entrance door not locking properly: We’ll let you know right away. Security is of paramount importance.
Damp patch appearing: We’ll take down some details, photos and email them across to you.
Fire alarm panel beeping or flashing: We’ll do a short video and WhatsApp it to you.
From our conversations with managing agents managing smaller blocks – and doing a great job too – it’s clear they rely more heavily on their network of independent suppliers. Like Cledor. All the little jobs add up so the more we can do for you, the more you can focus on customer care.