Design for life and management

Posted by: Roger Southam

31 January 2012

Any homebuilder or developer would put together a new development design team and automatically include architects and lawyers but why not management specialists?  The architects will design a good building but do not have to manage it. The lawyers will draft the lease, but will not necessarily get the service charge provisions right because, again, they do not have to manage the building!

So what can managers bring to the party?  Their years of skill and service in knowing how the building will run; spot the areas that cannot be cleaned; spot the gaps in the leases that will cause issues at a Leasehold Valuation Tribunal (LVT) at a later date; and make sure the space is serviceable and manageable.

Historically the developer wants the manager to give his or her services for free and merely compile a service charge budget and then the estate agents will come along and want that slashed to make it easier to sell the apartments.  This is instead of utilising the manager’s skills in upselling their services, management and making the running of the building a virtue of the added value.

A truly enlightened developer will realise the benefit and the need of bringing the manager into the heart of the design team as early as possible.  This is where they can gain value in the apartments and gain value in their sales.  Along with making sure the running of the building can and will be smooth following completion. 

Is this a pipe dream?  No, I believe times are changing and the realism will come to the fore.  Chainbow is positioning itself to lead this changing added value service.