Case Studies

York, YO4

Block Buddy has been managing this large development of over 100 properties since February 2023. The development is a mix of apartments and houses. There are four apartment blocks in total. The development is nearly ten years old and so maintenance requirements are changing as the development ages.

The service charge is quite complicated as there are multiple schedules to deal with due to the mix of houses and apartments. There is an Apartment Internal Schedule, an Apartment External Schedule and an Estate Schedule. Apartment owners pay towards all three schedules whereas those living in the houses only pay towards the Estate Schedule.

Block Buddy took over the management of this development towards the end of the service charge financial year end. As a result, the first thing we did was analyse the accounts from the previous managing agent and prepare them for audit. This was a difficult task because of how the information was assembled, however we were able to prepare the accounts on time and the year-end accounts are now complete.

A thorough review of the site was carried out immediately after our appointment and it was apparent there were a number of things requiring immediate attention. In addition, there was a need to plan for future works, including internal refurbishment, as in some cases the condition of the internal communal areas was letting the development down and was frustrating the leaseholders.
Sinking fund levels were low and so Block Buddy has considered this for future budget setting.

That said, one of the worst blocks was recently redecorated and the remaining blocks will be redecorated on a phased basis.

Leaseholders complained of a lack of communication and confusion with service charge invoices and credit control processes. Block Buddy has simplified this process and because of our close proximity to the development, we are on site regularly to check on works, contractors and the development in general. This ensures we can identify issues before they become a problem to leaseholders, thus saving leaseholders time as they don’t have to take time out to report problems to us.
Our service charge demands are easy to understand, while still complying with landlord & tenant legislation. In addition, we will soon be providing all leaseholders with access to our online portal so they can view their account, download statements and other important documents, or report a repair, all at the click of a button. This will be a great benefit for the leaseholders and will greatly improve communication and transparency.
Leeds, LS2
Leeds, LS2

Block Buddy have been managing this development since January 2023. This development ...

Leeds, LS16
Leeds, LS16

Block Buddy have been managing this gated development of 100+ apartments since May 2023...

Leeds, LS14
Leeds, LS14

Block Buddy have been managing this exclusive gated development since January 2023....