Making a complaint about the management of your block
18th Jul 2018
When things start to go wrong with the management of your block, you need to know who to complain to.
BEFORE MAKING A COMPLAINT
- The first thing to do is find out who’s in charge, its not always the managing agent.
- It’s always worth getting some good advice before making a complaint, this could save you time in the long run and help you establish who’s responsible, what the law says or whether the lease has been breached
- Check your lease
MAKING A COMPLAINT
RMCs and RTMs: If your block is controlled by an RMC or RTM then you should complain to the company directors as they have the most power to change things
ARMA Agents: All ARMA members must have a published complaints procedure that offers leaseholders the right to go to an independent ombudsman if they are not satisfied with the outcome. ARMA members must provide a copy of the complaints procedure when requested.
WHAT KIND OF ACTION CAN ARMA TAKE?
ARMA will be able to impose a number of actions on members who are found to have breached the high standards that ARMA expects from its members, they will be able to:
- Require the member to undertake training
- Require an apology and acknowledgement of the action that lead to the comlaint
- Issue a formal warning by letter
- Impose administration costs and fines
- Issue a caution
- Suspend a member
- Permanently expel a member
Non – ARMA members
- Check who’s in control of management of the block; it’s likely to be the landlord, RMC or RTM
- Check if they’re a member of another profession or trade body
- If the complaint is about service charges you could apply to the tribunal to resolve the complaint.
A FINAL THOUGHT
If things do start to go wrong with the management of your block, the first thing you’ve got to do us find out who’s in charge as it might not be the management agent that is entirely at fault. Usually the landlord, Residents Management Company or Right to Manage Company are responsible and they are the only ones that have the power to remove the problematic agent. If you’re experiencing ongoing issues with your current property manager, why not give us at Blocsphere a call? Blocpshere offers a high-quality service and a dedicated attitude to make sure that all our client’s needs are seen to, unlike other companies we don’t hide anything from our clients; fees included. Here at Blocsphere we pride ourselves in being a straight forward, honest company that priorities our customers – why not give us a call for a chat?