COVID-19

Our number one priority remains the health and wellbeing of residents, contractors working at a building and our Property Managers.

Whilst restrictions are gradually being relaxed we still recommend following the Government guidance and:

• Stay at home as much as possible.

• Work from home if you can.

• Limit contact with other people.

• Maintain Social Distancing when you go out. 

• Wash your hands regularly.

• Self isolate if you, or anyone in your household, has symptoms.

Please refer to https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus for any changes in the Government advise and recommendations.

We would add:

Please use hand-sanitizer when entering or leaving the building.

If you leave your apartment you should maintain social distancing when in any communal area.

For instance:

• Do not ride lifts with people outside of your own household. If you are able to use the stairs instead, please do so.

• If crossing on the stairs wait on a landing, at a distance of two metres if you can, for the other person to pass.

Closure of Facilities

Facilities where social distancing cannot be sustained, such as some gyms and saunas will remain closed until further notice. 

Maintenance

Whenever repair or maintenance tasks arise there will still be a triage process, even though the lockdown rules are being relaxed.

Critical repair needs, as well as those that impact on critical services (e.g. electrical or water supply), health and safety, security and the needs of vulnerable residents will be prioritised and carried out as normal.

At the other end of the scale, minor repairs and maintenance may be deferred until a later date.

We have a duty of care to residents, but we also have a duty of care to the contractors sent to do work at the building. They will themselves face challenges, with employees and those running the business falling ill or having to self-isolate and be unable to work.  They may also have difficulties getting parts and materials.

When contractors do attend, they will need to practice social distancing and will be instructed to wash their hands on arrival and regularly during their work. They must practice social distancing from residents, carry with them adequate PPE, hand-wash, sanitiser and wipe any exposed surfaces clean when they have completed their work. 

Cleaners continue to prioritise wiping and sanitizing hard surfaces, such as door handles, door locks, buttons and rails in lifts. If vacuuming of carpets isn’t being done as regularly, or as thoroughly, as was usual in the past please understand that they are spending more time on the higher priority jobs.

Residents should be mindful that whilst the cleaners will do their best, whenever you touch locks, handrails, lift buttons and any other surface this risks transmitting the virus. You should wash your hands as soon as you can when you get home or use hand sanitizer after leaving the building.

How are Managed Partnerships working?

Property Managers continue to carry out regular inspections. Doing so is even more important now than ever, to monitor the measures being put in place to try and keep residents safe. All Property Managers carry and use hand-sanitiser and will wear a face mask and use disposable gloves. These are discarded and changed for each property to minimise the risk of cross-contamination from one to another.

Property Managers are instructed to maintain social distancing at all times and we thank residents for doing so as well. 

Remember that residents can report repair and management issues 24 hours a day via the portal on our website as well as by email or telephone.

All previously arranged group resident meetings, including AGMs, will remain postponed until a later date. We are now arranging socially distanced meetings with clients and individual residents and continue to hold virtual meetings via Skype, WhatsApp or other similar portals.

With guidelines and requirements changing regularly, communication is more important than ever and so regular updates on the website and by email to residents should let people know what is happening at their building, what steps are being taken to protect and help them and what they can do to help as well, such as shopping for neighbours who are unwell (keeping their social distancing obviously).

Service Charges and Ground Rent

Service Charges and Ground Rent continue to be payable as normal but inevitably some Leaseholders will have had their circumstances changed by the current crisis and will struggle to afford to pay.

There is currently no Government support for Leaseholders. Whilst owners may have ben able to secure payment holidays for their mortgage or other financial commitments, it is important to understand why this is not possible for Service Charges.

With many residents still spending the majority of their time at home, ensuring the building is clean, well-maintained and safe is more important than ever. These services can only be delivered if owners pay their Service Charges so that funds are there to continue to pay the cleaners and essential contractors.   

"Will I be told if someone in my building has been diagnosed with the virus?"

No. If we become aware that someone in the building has been diagnosed with the virus this is highly sensitive information and the resident concerned has the right for it to remain confidential. We have to guard against disclosing such information either expressly or implicitly. 

In a large building it is regrettably the case that there is a high likelihood that a resident or residents have the virus, knowingly or not. Whatever the size of your building, it is better to assume someone in the building has the virus and take the proper precautions to keep yourself safe. Follow the Government guidance. Stay at home as much as you can. Keep your distance from others and wash your hands regularly, particularly if you have had to touch a hard surface, for instance lift buttons or a handrail.