The purpose of our Make Things Better series is to help anyone in need of a little extra advice or support for managing their property. Too often, managing agents are put in place that lack the time or knowledge required to deliver an excellent service to clients, and that is affecting the reputation of our industry. So we’re in a mission to change things and Make Things Better for you, and for us.
This week, we heard from a property owner and member of a RMC with this issue:
My managing agent organised for some roof repairs to our property but just one year later we need them to be redone. Clearly the supplier wasn’t very good. Is it fair that we need to pay again or is the managing agent liable for some of the repair costs?
First of all, we’re sorry to hear that this has happened to you. At TCML, we can say with confidence that we would never let this happen because of the guarantees we put in place for all major works that are carried out. There would be guarantees for the contractor as well as for the materials. That is very important and ensures another layer of protection if the contractor were to go bust.
Where your managing agent may have fallen flat is in their selection process of the contractor who carried out the work. No managing agent should take a chance on a new supplier. We have long standing relationships with the highest quality suppliers so you get suitably qualified and experienced people working on each and every job.
Unfortunately, it’s commonplace to find contractors who claim they can do any kind of maintenance or repair works when they’re not actually plumbing experts or roofing experts and therefore lack the specific knowledge required to do the work well. The only contractors that should be hired should have a solid track record for doing the job required and multiple references.
Also, all work should be inspected at several stages during any job and upon completion by a surveyor to sign off the project. This ensures that the job has been done properly and you have an independent expert to verify that.
It’s not right that you have to pay again and we would recommend looking at the support you’re getting from your managing agent.
Have you got an issue you’d like to run past us? Get in touch with us at mail@townandcity.com or find out how to switch to us here.