Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2007 | Page 15

PROPERTY

A hedge
against hassles

“We’re all about providing a
comfort zone,” says Gillian
Shaw of BSC Management. “If
you employ an agent to manage
your property, everything
from the legal requirements
to the day to day hassles
of living in a community are
taken away from you.”
She and her partner Rebecca
Blake have a wealth of
experience in problem solving.
Silly issues can get out of hand
among communities leasing
flats: loud parties, people
parking in their neighbour’s
bay, sacks of rubbish left out
for foxes to trash. If you’re
the owner of the property
these hassles are messy
and time-consuming.
“If we are there to sort out
a problem, the issues of
personality are taken away
with us,” says Gillian. “The
complaint will be dealt with,
but the person who raised the
issue will remain anonymous.”
With property legislation
constantly evolving – the
notorious HIPs are soon
to apply to two bedroom
properties, which means the
majority of flats – it is vital to
keep up with the changes. As
the only Isle of Wight member
of ARMA, the Association
of Residential Management
Agents, the company is kept
informed about the latest
legislation concerning property

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regulations and health and
safety – vital, she says in
these days when people
sue at the drop of a hat.
It works both ways. The
Association also sets out its own
standards and code of practice
with which a management
company like BSC must
comply, which often makes all
the difference in making the
decision about whether to take
them on. “We get a lot of verbal
recommendations,” Gillian
says. “Developers are using us
to keep their new builds to the
standard they were when built.
We pride ourselves on getting
to know our clients really well.”
A management company’s
main roles are to collect service
charges for the property owner,
to undertake building work
and repairs, and to ensure
tenants adhere to the terms
of their lease. Also to make
sure the day-to-day bills are
paid. Then there are the
communal areas to keep tidy,
gardens to be kept up and
fire alarms to be checked.
Surely these are all things
that a residents’ management
company can organise? “Yes,
of course they can. But often
these things can fall to one or
two people who would rather
not give it the time. They
want to live in their home, not
manage it,” says Gillian.

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