Bristol Blocks Forum (BBF)

[Robin Williams]

Morning all,

I thought worth sharing with you the email below - this contains minutes of the forum's first 2 meetings and an idea as to the membership of the forum. As Ken (chair) writes below, please do not share this email (contents, attachments and email addresses) of this group with anyone, the forum works as a confidential group. Certainly no mention of BBF to our managing agent although I guess in time, they and other agents will become aware of our existence.

As I trust you will appreciate, I am your representative on the group. I will obviously keep you aware of further news etc from the BBF.

Whilst writing , as some of you are aware, I have an old man's medical issue at the moment. I am due for surgery next week and expect to be 'out of office' for a short while so please note accordingly. Once 'back in office', you will become aware!

In meantime, my best wishes to each of you for Christmas and let's hope the New Year becomes one of successful capital projects for DRBML!

Cheers - robin

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Ken Booth <ken.booth@btinternet.com>
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2023 at 19:28
Subject: Welcome to the Bristol Blocks Forum
To: Bryan Read - Millennium Promenade <invicta.leaseholders@gmail.com>, Heather Anne - Quay Point <heather4jwrhub@gmail.com>, John & Ann Martin - The Point <johnandannmartin@gmail.com>, John Warburton - Apollo Apartments <jwarburton59@gmail.com>, Sarah Morris - The Crescent <smorris648@btinternet.com>
Cc: Mark Corden - Contemporis <markcorden@btinternet.com>, Charlie Harrison - Dir Aldermans Park <charrison234@gmail.com>, Joan Gubbin - Durdhamside <mail@gubbin.co.uk>, Robin Williams - Deanery Road <robindrbml@gmail.com>, Kristin Payne - Harbourside <kristin.payne@gmail.com>


Dear All,

Firstly, let me introduce myself. I am the founder of the BBF and am presently acting as Chair and Secretary. My wife & I downsized to our flat nearly 4 years ago. I am a director of 6-23 Grange Rd Flats Ltd, the freehold company that owns Rodney Lodge, (Grange Rd, BS8 4EA). This is a small development of 18 flats. I am also a committee member of Rodney Lodge Management Co Ltd.

I attach the minutes of our inaugural meeting, and those of our 2nd, which I trust you will find interesting. May I please request that you don't circulate these beyond your directors and/or management committee. Inevitably we are still finding our way and we plan to move forward by focussing on one major agenda item per meeting. Let's see how that works! We also welcome on-going email communications with the proviso that they are kept to 1 topic per message so as to aid filing.

So as to save time at the next meeting I would be grateful if you could drop us a line with a brief description of your block, along the lines of those in our inaugural meeting. It would also be useful to have phone numbers.

Please do let me know if you have any questions.

I'm sure that 2024 will be an exciting year for us as we exchange knowledge, opinions and ideas which will help us all to manage the challenges we face.

In the meantime have a very merry Xmas & a happy New Year.

Regards

Ken Booth
07970 177476

 

[Mark Brough]

Robin has emailed to me the following list of resources for block managers...



1. Flat Living Magazine (Flat Living Magazine Back Issues - Flat Living)
[Free – get on mailing list – emailed monthly]

2. News on the Block (News on the Block | Help and advice for flat owners)
[Subscription about £50pa but digital version £25pa – often has price reduction promotions]

3. The Leasehold Advisory Service (“LEASE”) (government funded) (Home - The Leasehold Advisory Service)
[Free – access online]

4. Federation of Private Residents’ Associations (FPRA)
[Free – access online]

5. The Property Institute (“TPI”) (The Property Institute)
TPI was formed fairly recently by merging “ARMA” – Association of Residential managing Agents and “IRPM” – Institute of Residential Property Managers.
[Managing agent members only – but one can interrogate site/archives for info - access online]

By the way - if anyone is interested - ARMA (now TPI) runs reasonable training courses on various aspects of property management. But they are not exactly cheap, and mostly in London (usually one or half day courses). I used to live in central London, so it was easy for me to attend. Hope this might help someone. Kind regards, Bryan at Invicta =================== Dear Bryan, Black Friday has arrived early at NOTB. We have lots of fantastic offers now live through the rest of November! Take a look at some of the great offers available to you below: News on the Block 1 year Corporate Full Team Subscription - Only £100 (Usually £149) Please click here to take advantage of this offer and use the coupon code BLACKFRIDAYCORP News on the Block 1 year Standard Single User Subscription - Only £25 (Usually £49) Please click here to take advantage of this offer and use the coupon code BLACKFRIDAYPRINT News on the Block 1 year Digital Single User Subscription - Only £12.50 (Usually £24.99) Please click here to take advantage of this offer and use the coupon code BLACKFRIDAYDIGI To take advantage of one of our subscription offers, simply visit www.newsontheblock.com/subscribe and add the relevant subscription to your basket. Then all you need to do is use the coupon code at the checkout to get your discount! These offers will expire on 30th November 2024! Wait, there's more! We also have two special online advertising offers for you to take advantage of! Property Management Directory - 1 year listing (online) - ONLY £250! Please contact Nik Trevillion to secure your place before 30th November quoting BlackFridayDirectory. Online Banner Advert - 1 year listing - on www.newsontheblock.com ONLY £200! Please contact Nik Trevillion to secure your place before 30th November quoting BlackFridayBanner.

You may also be interested in some of our upcoming live and online events. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Online Knowledge Banks During our online Knowledge Banks, you will have the opportunity to listen and interact during sessions and not only update your knowledge, but ask questions to help solve any issues you may have. If you are interested in hosting one of our Knowledge Bank webinars, then please get in touch with vikki@newsontheblock.com Knowledge Bank: Advancing Compliance - Practical Strategies for Block Management under the Building Safety Regulations 26 November 2024 10-11am This webinar, led by Jon Clark, Senior Manager at MRI Software, focuses on practical strategies for meeting regulatory expectations. It will cover how to implement compliance solutions, streamline processes, and manage data using technology, reducing the need for external consultancy. To join us for this free webinar, register your place here.

 

[Robin Williams]

Thanks Mark.. all the above email addresses are personal and confidential so should there be any need to send an email to one of the names, please contact myself first being the formal Deanery contact within the BBF. Thanks.

 

[Mark Brough]

Any updated from the BBF @Robin Williams ?

I met today with two guys from the block called "Great Western Dockyard", ie. the block that the museum is within. They are considering doing a Right To Manage transfer from Hazeldeane and wanted to seek my experience of RTM. It was an illuminating meeting, in the way that your BBF meetings are illuminating:

• Their managing agent is unresponsive, not proactive, not communicative, and takes months to do things. In frustration, they are organising this RTM. I warned them that the situations at BNS and 3Sixty (until this month) were the same, even though we are their client and appoint them and have the right to sack them!
• But their service charge is much less than mine - £2k for a 2-bed a little smaller than my 2-bed, which costs me £4k.
• Their income/expenditure is about half of ours, for about 75% of the dwellings - 144.
• And they have fewer dwellings over which to spread the fixed costs. So very much cheaper.
• ... although their management fee and insurance are about the same as ours.
• Their electricity is a lot less.
• Would you like to see their management fee breakdown Robin?
• They have pitched roofs with good access. They never have leaks or damp. We reckon that this is one reason why their service charge is so much less.
• They are expecting to move to Adam Church, who they feel has a good reputation.

 

[Robin Williams]

Thanks Mark.
I am always a little hesitant when it comes to comparing service charges, all sorts of factors kick in - not least the age of the estate. Our 2526 budget spend (and thus service charges) could be reduced by c40% if we didn't have any capital/project spend. Much of our non-capital spend is essentially fixed (insurance, agents fees, electricity, even water), the major variable here being Maintenance. But yes do share their management fee breakdown please, will be an interesting comparison. How old is the estate?
Interesting to read their frustrations with managing agent, seems endemic across our blocks. Am not aware of anyone within BBF who has Adam C. as their agent. BBF has gone quiet over recent months. But if you wish me to rise a topic with members, let's discuss.
RTM is of course for us a completely different discussion!

 

[Mark Brough]

...yes do share their management fee breakdown please, will be an interesting comparison. How old is the estate?
...

Attached @Robin Williams . Great Western Dockyard block is 15 yrs old.

 

[Robin Williams]

Thanks Mark, an interesting read - & comparison. Immediate comments include - of £230k annual budget, 'just' £20k to reserves. Plenty in there for 'routine maintenance', but not much for 'ad hoc maintenance.

Am thinking to ask of BBF members if , on a P&C basis, they would like to share each other's budget spend details - any thoughts?