Sawyer & Co Block Management Brochure 2019

Multi-Award Winning Knowledgable Transparent and Caring

A new standard in block management Our Block Management department opened in 2012 due to demand from vendors and landlords who were looking for a higher standard of service than they could find elsewhere.

We listened to their concerns and realised that many resulted from their previous experiences of poor communication and lack of transparency. So from day one we set out to provide a service to our clients and leaseholders that offered a new standard in block management.

We understand that we are managing homes and investments that really matter to people. We also know that a ‘one size fits all’ approach doesn’t work because each block requires an individual approach, so we tailor a bespoke strategy for each and every client.

Our directors Chris Sawyer & Adam Farrell know that specialisation is the real key to successful block management. As an example of our belief in this, led by Sarah Ledwidge our dedicated team have all undergone thorough training to ensure they have the key skills and knowledge needed to surpass our clients’ expectations.

The Brighton & Hove property experts

Sawyer & Co are market leaders in the city with a strong reputation for integrity and local knowledge.

Standing out from the crowd with a clear and constant focus on providing the highest levels of customer experience, our aim is clear - to be better than our competitors in every way

We pride ourselves on doing things differently.

Having a dedicated block management team ensures a good level of communication and correspondence at all times. Block management demands careful planning and you need a professional agent who will look after your interests, and at the same time make your status as a leaseholder or freeholder as stress-free as possible.

We make it a priority to ensure our clients are up to date with and adhering to the many complex areas of compliance and health and safety legislation.

It pays to talk to the right people, you’re in safe hands with us Whether it’s AllAgents, Facebook or Google, our customer satisfaction reviews give a clear indication that we deliver on our promises.

98%

98% of our clients would recommend us* and more than 700 have done so on allAgents.co.uk.

Every agent will tell you that they are the best in your area. However, to be completely confident you have chosen an exceptional agent you need to discover what their previous customers and clients think of them. *correct at the time of writing

We have always been more than impressed with the high quality service and prompt communication we consistently receive from the Block Management team at Sawyer and Co. Sarah’s in-depth knowledge and expertise on all aspects of block management is consistently impressive so we feel very reassured knowing that everything is being handled by someone who is properly qualified and highly trained.

I would wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone.

We are all very grateful and appreciative of what you do for us throughout the year. You are always very helpful professional and friendly. We feel we are in safe hands with you and look forward to working together again in the year ahead.

It’s easy to switch

If you like the sound of what we can do for you but you already have a managing agent, changing over to us is actually very easy and straightforward.

In fact, once you have made the decision we do all the work for you.

Once you have served notice to your current managing agent we can arrange for all the relevant documents to be sent over to us, along with a closing statement and outstanding funds.

It’s all part of our honest and transparent approach.

We offer a streamlined contract for your own block requirements and we pride ourselves on having jargon-free agreements written in easy to understand language.

We will then arrange for a separate bank account to be opened for your block’s funds and all statements will be made available to you.

Offering complete transparency, our cloud based platform enables directors and leaseholders to log in and view information on their block at any time from their phone, desktop or iPad. Our office is open Monday to Friday 8.45am to 6pm and we also offer 24 hour contact to a team of experienced property coordinators who can assist you with any out of hours needs.

As well as a bespoke service for each block, our clients also benefit from: • A team of dedicated block management specialists

• An In-house bookkeeper specialising in service charge accounts • Annual sourcing of the best insurance premiums and cover • Preparation and review of annual service charge budgets • Circulation of annual accounts to the lessees after review • Regular inspections of blocks • Dealing with lessees enquiries • Responding to solicitor enquiries • Overseeing major works • Reviewing contractor performance and value • Full debt management and recovery service • Health, safety and fire risk assessments • 24 hour online access to view your account

New builds & conversions

Working closely with our established Land and New Homes division, we can make the transition from new build to completion as easy for you as possible. We will liaise with you throughout the building process to ensure a smooth transition takes place when our management phase commences.

By making sure that future property owners fully understand the services that are available to them on your development, as well as being clear about any service charges they will be contributing and what they cover, we take the pressure away from you.

Whether its large purpose built blocks or Grade Listed buildings, we have the experience, contractors and specialists to assist you in all aspects of Block Management.

Right to Manage (RTM)

The Commonhold and Leasehold reform act 2002 gave leaseholders the right to form and operate resident management companies. This means that leaseholders can appoint their own managing agents to act and report to them. *To be eligible to take advantage of this Right to Manage (RTM) you must meet the following criteria: *At least 50% of the flat owners within the physical block of flats must want to go through the process *At least two thirds of the flat owners within the physical block must have long leases (more than 21 years at the time of issue) *No more than 25% of the block may be used for non-residential use.

Having assisted many clients now in this regard, we would be happy to offer you our RTM service or a confidential consultation.

We can also assist you by recommending specialist solicitors who will be able to confirm if you are eligible and who will then guide you through the process.

Once the RTM process has been completed we can offer you our full range of block management services.

Award Winners

As a company Sawyer & Co has been commended by the Guild of Professional Estate Agents for our “consistently high levels of customer service” and our standards are endorsed at both local and national levels with many high profile industry awards.

We’re proud that these awards recognise our ongoing commitment to delivering outstanding levels of customer service.

Another reason that we continue to win awards is that we pride ourselves on ‘going the extra mile’. This means give each block our full commitment and that comes with an added assurance of full accountability and transparency.

We also value knowledgeable staff, so it’s no surprise that our dedicated block management department of Sarah Ledwidge, Harriet Wood, Rachelle Hillier and Joe Harding have more than 25 years combined industry experience between them.

Our Customer Service Promise

We aim to provide an exceptional level of customer service and that means getting things right first time. The whole ethos of Sawyer & Co is based on being honest and transparent and that means we never make promises that we know we can’t keep.

By making sure that all of your details are held correctly and securely we can keep you up to date at all times and that means you are always in control.

“I would like to personally thank all of our staff for always striving to go above and beyond what is expected to provide our clients with a personable service” Chris Sawyer

Hove 52 Church Road, Hove BN3 2FN Phone: 01273 778844

Portslade 10 Station Road, Portslade BN41 1GA Phone: 01273 383830

Brighton 113 St George’s Road, Kemp Town, Brighton BN2 1EA Phone: 01273 685111

London 121 Park Lane, Mayfair W1K 7AG Phone: 0207 0791519

sawyerandco.co.uk