How are we better than the rest?

Technology is at the heart of any business and even more so at Canonbury Management. We continually invest in our systems to provide simple, clear effective communication mechanisms and to ensure that problems are promptly resolved. Leaseholders have full access to detailed accounting records including invoices so they can be sure where their hard earned money is being spent.

Canonbury Management only works with blocks where the leaseholders are in control either through ownership of their own freehold or a Right to Manage company. This means that we must provide an excellent standard of service or we would not be able to retain clients so you can be confident of the quality of our service.

Our unique service can be tailored to the specific needs of your block through the use of our bespoke management system. This has either unique or at worst rare functionality to assist us in providing the best possible service with clear, consise and tailored communication and detailed record keeping visible to leaseholders (where permitted by data protection law). For our staff we have a full customer relationship management system which means that all tasks, faults or jobs must be seen through to completion. Integrated links to Companies House, HMRC, FCA, Land Registry and many other entities we can very efficiently deal with all aspects of the day to day management of your block / development.

We also have a team of skilled staff members who perform all of the day to day maintenance of your building, from cleaning to lift maintenance. All staff are trained to spot problems as they occur and report them back to head office for resolution. For the small number of issues that are not picked up by our staff, our customers all have access to mobile phone based reporting tool. All you need to do is detail the problem, where it is and provide a photo or two and we will do the rest, always keeping the reporting person up to date on what is happening.

Client liaison is dealt wth via one of our directors who will provide up to 4 meetings per annum depending on the block size. You probably won't feel that they are needed though as our Directors Dashboard allows you to view all outstanding tasks for authorisation, detailed accounting records shows you which leaseholders are in arrears, what your bank account balance is and what your future liabilities are.

One of the major issues we have found with the block management services undertaken in our industry is the lack of engagement with those who live at the development, with respect to the way in which the service charge monies are calculated and spent. In order to resolve this problem, we always engage the directors of the block / development when calculating the service charge budgets, and for any discretionary expenditure. For instance, if a problem is reported to us for which there is no existing maintenance contract, an estimate is calculated for the cost of repair and the matter is then automatically referred to the building directors for authorisation to proceed. This ensures they are always aware of where the money is being spent. As with all our systems, the ability to review, defer, close, authorise or raise new tasks is made available through our online client area, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

FAQ

Is there a way to have an account linked to more than one client?

Whilst it is a legal requirement for each managed client to have their own designated client account, some agents ignore this rule and mix all client monies under a single account. Canonbury does not do this. We maintain all client funds in separate designated accounts so money is never mixed with that of other clients.

How long does it take Canonbury to take over management of a building?

Once you are happy with the level of services and quote produced by our online quote calculator, Canonbury's systems can produce contracts to be signed online in just a few minutes. Once these are completed, Canonbury is then under contract as your new manager and can usually have your block set up within 5 working days of taking over. If there is a need for urgency, we can take blocks on in as little as 1 working day. What if there are services we want which are not shown on the quote calculator? If you require a quote to include any other services which are not shown on our quote calculator, simply contact us and let us know your quote number and what the extra requirements are and we can add them to your quote and update our quote calculator for future customers.

Does Canonbury offer Service Level Agreements?

Canonbury's unique approach to management means that we will always respond to your emails promptly. We log all calls and reported problems in an online log available for you to see and problems are usually resolved as soon as they can practicably be done, subject to funds being available.

Is Canonbury able to act as company Secretary or Director of our management company?

Yes. Canonbury can act as company secretary and nominee directors if this is required. We would also require that you change the registered office of the company to our offices so that we are made aware of any filing requirements. We can file annual returns and accounts as required.

Does Canonbury offer emergency out of hours cover?

Yes. Canonbury has a system whereby calls to our offices are monitored 24 hours a day by nominated personnel. Clients simply need to mark their emails with the subject 'Emergency' or to state that it is an emergency in any voicemails left and these will be picked up and responded to promptly. We also have arrangements with our insurance brokers to deal with emergencies which are covered by insurance and we can arrange for bespoke redirect numbers so you get through to the contractors who know about your block.

What happens if we have problem lessees who do not pay their bills?

It is normal in any block that there may be lessees who do not pay their bills in either the short or long term. Depending on the number of lessees who fall into this category, we would advise that the service charge may have to be higher than our quote engine has specified, in order that we have sufficient funds available to provide services at the block. In the longer term, everyone will pay the same amount though. As money are received from those who are not paying, the client account balance will be greater and can then fund future reductions in service charges. Canonbury can take full legal action to recover unpaid service charges, however, customers must be aware that at present, the recovery of legal costs is limited to £500 for each lessee. What happens if there are no funds in our client account at present? If there is a low level of funding in your client account at present, it may limit force any management company managing your block to have to set the frequency of payment of the service charge to a less frequeny payment basis, such as once per year or twice per year, so that funds can be collected to provide services. If sufficiently high contingency and capital funding are built into the quote, it should be possible to increase the frequency of service charge payment and reduce the amount, in the second year of management.

What happens if there are arrears owing by lessees?

It is normal that at any point in time, some lessees may have arrears. The previous management company usually passes on details of these arrears to us and these are added onto the lessees account for us to collect on behalf of your block. Arrears cannot be written off because some people will have paid their bills and so it would not be equitable to write-off those arrears which have not yet been paid. If there are disputes over elements of expenditure by the previous company, it would be down to individual lessees to dispute these with the management company and if not successful, they would have to take their claims to the First Tier Property Tribunal in order to have them determine whether there was any validity in what they say.

Can Canonbury deal with problems with the building left over from the Developers?

Yes. Canonbury has considerable experience in liaising with developers on behalf of lessees to achieve a rapid solution to their problems. Developers are usually very poor at resolving snagging issues and so by taking those off their hands and presenting them with an easy-to-pay single invoice, we are normally able to resolve these issues quite effectively.

Can we keep our existing contractors if we are happy with them?

Yes. As long as contractors can comply with our terms and conditions for third party service providers then we can retain their services.