My management month - September 2008

As the weeks roll by I see more and more why all residential managing agents end up the same. The amount of abuse and vitriol that comes from the keyboard and telephone receiver you would not believe. People shout, rant and rave and generally it is something else in their life that has triggered it!

It takes a conscious effort everyday to remember why I moved Chainbow in to residential management and it takes huge motivation to protect and focus my teams. Do I regret the move? No, not at all and each episode just makes us more determined to manage for the 95 per cent of nice people and not be blown off course by the five per cent for whom the world is probably the wrong shape!

We have had some strange experiences and each month they get stranger – but boy they will make for a great book. Trust me you cannot make it up.

Our first referral to LVT has gone incredibly well! A one day hearing turning into two days the details of which are bizarre and more of which when I can. I have been taken to the High Court to stop me harassing someone with whom I have only replied to his letters and he turned up at my home to shout at me! Naturally the judge threw it out as no case.

We had a tiny site where they never engaged or wanted managing abusing one of my staff, and we told them they could have their building back as we do not need to be treated like that.

The other extreme is a tiny building where the developer could be described as a cowboy, but that is a bit harsh on cowboys! This will run for a while but I have leapt on to the white charger and we are endeavouring to slay the dragons of incompetence and malpractice.

Of course we do not get everything right, but we do try and engage and act responsibly. So we will stay on course for the 95 per cent!