Management companies.

[jules_s]

Evening all,

Some advice requested please.

I own a flat (one of six) and 'we' (the tenants) pay and employ a management company to manage the flats for us.

Now, it's my understanding that some time ago (10 years or so....so bear with my sketchy memory of events back then) that when we employed said managment co they set up a company dedicated to our block (they manage other blocks too, so that would make sense) and I was made a director of the company. As a director all I do is sign off the accounts each year, which hasn't been a problem; after all we, as a collective of six, pay the mangement company to run the day to day stuff like gardening etc.

So.....to the issue in hand.

It would appear that the management company has been taking certain liberties with their remit. They seem to have been employing their favorite companies to carry out maintenance contracts and paying them without the work being carried out

We have a meeting at short notice tomorrow to try and sort matters out, but to be frank, I'm almost certainly going to hear a load of BS and want to terminate the management contract.

So how on earth do i do that? I've just been on company house and the business is registered in their name, with no mention of me being a director. If I am registered as a director can I simply dissolve the company and sack the mangement company? I should add i verbally resigned last year (was selling up) but I haven't heard anything since.

Thanks in advance for any advice offered

[sjj84]

Not sure on your question, but isn't what they've done classed as freud? I'd be getting legal advice in your position with a view to financial reimbursement for the services you've paid for but not received.

[Hereward]

Property management companies = biggest gravy train on the planet.

[TooLateForAName]

First thing you need to do is find the contracts and legal paperwork.

Doubt if you have time before the meeting so I would throw a wobbly and demand refunds. Know any accountants or police bods? I'd have someone there to observe with a view to legal action for fraud/theft.


Reality is that unless you know the basis of the agreements you dont know where you stand (other than on the guys balls after you kick him to the ground)

Edited by TooLateForAName on Tuesday 22 September 20:47

[jules_s]

Well, we had the meeting...but things had come on a bit beforehand.

Eighteen months or so a leaseholder made numerous complaints about the (lack of) gardening which was taking place. After many 'heated' e-mails regarding the matter the management co agreed to dispense with the gardener in question.

Roll on twelve months and the (lack of) gardening has returned....and it transpires that the mangement co decided to 'give him another chance' out of the goodness of their hearts

Mr gardener chappies has been submitting invoices like confetti to the tune of £430 since May....the managment co have paid them without checking whether any work has been carried out, despite numerous e-mails telling them nothing was being done.

The meeting was rather fraught, man co woman acting/speaking like deflon Don...simply apologising when pressed as to why she was paying unsubstantiated invoices.

So, we now have a new gardener who is doing things differently...with a fortnightly e-mail reporting set up and a signing in sheet. All of the gardens were sorted this week (£185ish) which we aren't going to pay for.

Management company are in no uncertain terms aware that their P45 will be in the post if anything like this happens again, but we are investigating their replacement as a fall back.

Hassle I could do without if I'm honest.