© 2025 News On The Block. All rights reserved.
News on the Block is a trading name of Premier Property Media Ltd.
© 2025 News On The Block. All rights reserved.
News on the Block is a trading name of Premier Property Media Ltd.
Continuing on in our series of meeting people on the front line of property management, this month we talk to Mark Perkins, who manages the exclusive Kings Chelsea development in West London.
Mark Perkins is the building manager of Kings Chelsea, a highly impressive development situated in the heart of the fashionable Kings Road. The gated community is home to a wide variety of professionals ranging from lawyers and doctors to Premiership footballers. Mark is the man charged with ensuring everybody is kept happy and the impeccably high standards are maintained and continually exceeded.
Mark has a colourful background including a stint in the RAF upon leaving school that involved two tours of the Falkland Islands (post-war that is, reminding he’s not that old yet), before moving into facilities management at a law firm in the city. After finishing there he moved into the world of estate management, looking after a block of 90 flats. Two years later he left to join Kings Chelsea, where he has been for the past five years.
Kings Chelsea is an exclusive development of 289 apartments, including 11 freehold houses, spread over 7.5 acres of prime real estate in the heart of one of the most fashionable areas in London. A stone’s throw away from Stamford Bridge football stadium, the appeal of the development that Mark is clearly very proud to have played a part in creating is the sense of a community within a community: “We like to promote a sense of community and it is very important because by doing that you can bring everyone together,” he said.
Mark also has to manage the team of 22 full-time staff members, which includes monitoring the 24-hour security on the site. “Our security is first class. When I first started here I was slightly concerned, especially being so close to the football stadium. But so far (touch wood) we haven’t had one single incident in the time I’ve been here.”
Mark’s day begins at 4.30am when he embarks on his daily jog, before arriving at work each morning at 7am. He will then meet with the security team and check the incident book and catch up on any events or reported maintenance while he has been off-duty. There is also a daily full inspection of the site to organise, as well as regular meetings with his estate coordinator to ensure that any contractors on site are briefed on what they can and can’t do.
Add to that the summer and Christmas social events to organise, and ensuring the residents know who their number one port of call is, Mark is certainly kept very busy on the estate. “My number one job is dealing with people. Explaining to them what will work and what won’t, and just letting them know we are always here for them,” he comments.
“Why do the half mile when you can do a whole one. We don’t meet expectations at Kings Chelsea, we have to exceed them,” he added.
After our meeting Mark takes me on a tour of the impressive site, and the sense of the community within a community he spoke about is instantly clear. The gardens, the lake and tennis courts are all kept in immaculate condition and the reason why properties within this development are regularly snapped up within days of going on the market is clear to see!
If you have any suggestions for this or any other feature idea call Jamie Reid on 0207 616 5262.