Spinning Plates - Roger Southam of Chainbow

Property management is by definition a question of administration, or to give a circus analogy, plate spinning. It is impossible to get everything right and mistakes happen – the measure is how they are handled and what is done to resolve issues.

There is a ton of legislation trying to give protection and it only increases. For the lay-person it is hard to comprehend just how much can impact on managing blocks of flats. From Health and Safety to Fire Regulations to Asbestos Regulations, the list seems endless. All of which have cost implications for the service charge.

However, the secret has to be in keeping all informed, say what you’ll do and do what you’ll say. This is what we strive for at Chainbow. We have had some interesting situations over the past month, which have bought home the necessities of working systems, improving processes and constantly improving the service. It is never enough to sit back and assume all is well or to settle for what has always been done. All lessees are people and deserve to be treated as such. Of course they will get frustrated and of course there will be the same number of views as there are flats. But that is where the necessities of communication really work. The only way to find a path and bring solutions to varied opinion is explanation and negotiation. Quite possibly the frustrations might be related to their work rather than the building. But that will only be discovered if you communicate!