Based in London
SE1, MLP is a totally independent residential property management company. We
provide a dedicated and flexible service tailored to match your individual
Freeholder or RTM company needs for residential apartments and buildings
throughout London.
We are not part
of a conglomerate that offers estate agency
or surveying services; we are totally focussed on delivering a professional and
proactive residential block management service that:
• Manages day-to-day administration - giving you freedom to take a more
strategic view of board activities
• Proactively supplies the
information you need to manage your property
• Provides a comprehensive
service via your own dedicated Property Manager
• Imposes comprehensive financial controls over collections and outgoings
– reducing costs wherever possible
• Ensures that leaseholders are treated fairly and that their property
assets are protected
• Keeps the development well maintained, with all proper services in place
MLP are members of ARMA, the leading trade association for residential leasehold management. We were the first firm in London to gain ARMA Q accreditation.
We adhere to strict professional guidelines - and in the event of any dispute, we refer to the independent Ombudsman service.
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Our property managers are all qualified to IRPM standards.
Find out how our dedicated property management service can save you time and money. Request our free guide to ‘Becoming a Director’ now.
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Our Directors
were formerly Board members of a Freehold company - and both had experienced
the shortcomings of a number of existing management companies. That’s why they decided to use their
experience to create a new type of management company that would specifically
answer the needs of Freehold and RTM companies – so they
established MLP in 2009.
What makes us
different:
• We provide proactive maintenance
- to preserve and improve the value of your investment
• We minimise service charges - by monitoring
all external costs to ensure they are competitive
• We provide a fast, sympathetic
and effective response - to solve your problems
• We manage the finances of your
building and provide regular, clear reports – to make your life easier
Our promise:
At MLP, our aim is to make life easier for landlords, directors of RTM
companies and residents. We provide a swift
and considerate service - with transparency in all we do. Above all, we’re here
to serve you. The quality and
dedication of our service speaks for itself; since 2009, MLP has grown steadily
- and we now manage over 1300 units in over 40 private property estates in
London.
Call 020 7099 1119 to find out how we can help you
“After several difficult years with our previous managing agent, at last we feel comfortable that our service charges are under control; that they are well spent; and that the estate is being well managed by MLP”
“MLP has consistently responded promptly to all my queries – thanks a million to you and your team, who went out of their way to assist in a friendly, helpful and professional manner every time I had a question.”
“MLP helped us to recover over £30,000 from our previous managing agent; the process took three years to complete, but they stuck with us the whole way.”
MLP was founded in response to the shortcomings of many property management companies. Founded in 2009 and today led by Simon Oliver and David Tamsitt, they are supported by Associate Director Samantha Massey on property management matters. The accounting team is led by Parvez Chowdhury. Both lead highly professional teams of fully qualified property managers, accountants and administrative staff.
We believe that the value of any business lies in the people it employs. We invest in our team members through Continuing Professional Development, by encouraging them to take professional qualifications, and by ensuring that they are always up to date with the latest regulations. All our property managers are qualified in accordance with IRPM (the Institute of Residential Property Management).
MLP is based in London and our founders have lived in the area for many years. We understand the capital’s environment and its properties – and we have strong relationships with many locally-based service providers.
Operating throughout London, we provide property management services for a range of apartment complexes and blocks. The Case Studies below demonstrate our capabilities and underline our achievements on behalf of our clients.
MLP specialises in providing an extensive range of property management services tailored to your needs. We aim to relieve you of the time-consuming and often burdensome duties of block management and administration. Our services embrace the following key areas:
Fast and accurate information, advice and support right when you need it.
learn moreWe are here to
respond and answer questions from all leaseholders
and board members, to keep all parties informed about important matters.
As well as answering day-to-day enquiries
from our clients, we provide year-round written communications covering
everything from annual budgets to circulars and newsletters.
We work closely
with the Board, attending Board meetings where necessary, and shouldering Board
responsibilities whenever we can.
We also organise
free evening seminars which address the duties of being a Director of a
UK-registered company, and of a Right-to-Manage company.
Proactively planning your residential block maintenance and service needs.
learn moreTo keep your
building in the best possible condition, we organise thorough programmes of
regular preventative maintenance, over and above attending to specific repairs
and improvements.
Over the years,
we have developed strong relationships with a range of tried and tested service
providers, who have excellent reputations for completing jobs on time, to high
standards and within defined budgets. Where appropriate, we will put jobs out
to tender, so that we can be sure of obtaining the most competitive price for
the job.
We provide a full
out-of-hours service which handles all emergencies
Clear processes to ensure no call or request gets unattended and keeping your costs down.
learn moreIn all that we
do, we are scrupulous in our attention to detail – and, thanks to our rigorous
approach to administration, clients receive equally high-quality information
and analysis. Our administrative remit covers a wide range of matters, and we
would
be delighted to supply detailed information on any of the following:
• Annual service charge estimating
• Recovery of service charge
• Annual service charge accounting
• Record keeping
• Building cyclical maintenance
• Management of plant (boilers, lifts etc)
• Managing contractors &
contracts
• Insurance
• Health & Safety compliance
• Preparing sales packs for
solicitors
• Company secretarial services
If you are considering joining (or have recently joined) the Board of a Residential Property Management Company, here are some commonly asked questions, together with their answers.
What is a residential managing agent (MA)?
What are the landlord’s/RTM’s responsibilities?
As noted often a managing agent (MA) is hired by the landlord/RTM to fulfil these duties on their behalf, but it must be remembered that the ultimate responsibility still remains in the eyes of the law with the landlord/RTM.
What is the best sort of contract to use with a managing agent (MA)?
Many managing agents have developed their own contracts over time. So whenever you change over your managing agent, you will have to obtain legal advice on the new contract. To overcome this, ARMA has introduced a standard contract which all members are recommended to use.
What is a service charge?
The service charge is a contribution from each leaseholder (in accordance with their lease) towards the expenses of running a block of flats. The service charge is designed to cover items such as utility charges for the common parts, buildings insurance, redecoration of the exterior of the buildings and the interior common parts, cleaning, health and safety etc. It does not cover items that are within individuals flats – these are for the leaseholders themselves to arrange.
If I’m unhappy with my managing agent (MA) how do I make a complaint?
All ARMA Q agents must follow strict procedures to ensure that every grievance is heard fairly and equitably. You can view our procedure here
Why do I have to pay service charges and do you let me know how my service charge has been spent?
Service charges are levied for the maintenance and management of the building. The lease for your property will stipulate what you are obliged to contribute to, how this is calculated, and when it should be paid.
Following the end of the development's financial year the annual accounts are prepared by an independent firm of accountants. A summary is sent to every owner and the accounts will be fully explained.
What are typical duties of a managing agent (MA) when managing a residential block of flats?
The managing agent will ensure that many essential things happen at your development and these are principally as follows:
What kind of financial systems are required when running a managing agent (MA)?
Systems must exist both to estimate the money required for works - and to collect the money which will be required for works and for other services. The managing agent will need to be familiar with how the lease allows charges to be raised in advance of requirements or in arrears.
What kind of accounting procedures are needed to show the financial operations of a block management company?
Accounting procedures must show final management company accounts, and must set out annual statutory summaries to the leaseholders. The management company acts both as the landlord and as the financial overseer of all relevant matters relating to the apartment block, and the accounts must clearly distinguish between the financial affairs of the service charge and those in its capacity as a landlord.
What are the benefits of having a professional managing agent (MA) undertake the duties outlined above?
Professional managing agents can take the burden of responsibility from a block management company by providing an organised and methodical approach to the planning and collection of service charges and reserve funds. As they manage a portfolio of properties they can identify when costs are out of sync and investigate why to find out where savings can be made. They will also organise timetables for redecoration and repairs, inspect and supervise works – plus they can deal with lessees (especially regarding collection of service charges and lessees responsibilities with respect to sub-let) as neutral third parties. This avoids any awkwardness that might arise between Board members and lessees, whom Board members may well know personally as neighbours or friends.
What if I have a complaint about my managing agent (MA)?
All ARMA members must as a condition of Membership have a documented complaints procedure and be a member of an Ombudsman scheme. If you are not getting full and timely answers to your questions you can take up your complaint first with ARMA and if that doesn’t resolve your issue with the Ombudsman (Property). If you continue to be unhappy, changing agent is not difficult. Speak to us about the process and how to plan a handover.
Does the landlord have to consult with me about expenditure (if there is no RTM)?
For routine expenditure (running costs), the landlord must submit a detailed budget estimate with your service charge demands which you must not withhold. For non-routine items (eg re-decoration) incurring costs in excess of £250 for one or more flats in the development, the landlord has to raise various statutory notices (Section 20 notices) to inform you in advance and seek your input.
What are the duties of the Company Secretary?
If
you have a Residential Management Company (RMC) or a Right to Manage Company
(RTM) you will need a Company Secretary. This can be a member of your own team
or you can ask your accountant or managing agent (MA) to do this. Traditionally
the Company Secretary will deal with Companies House on such matters as
appointing/resigning a Director, issuing Notice Calls and associated
documentation for Annual General Meetings (AGMs) or Extraordinary General
Meetings (EGMs) and for filing the Annual Return (AR). The AR is a list of
directors and shareholders at a particular date.
The
directors of the RMC or RTM should be aware that the overall responsibility for
accounts or Annual Returns being filed on time rests with the directors
themselves and not with the Company Secretary. Being late in submitting either
will incur fines that escalate over time and can lead to the company being
struck off.
If your managing agent (MA) is your
Company Secretary they will do the above duties for you. It is not a wise
practice to ask the MA to do the minutes of any board meetings that they attend
– they are there to report to you on progress. In addition the MA can only
account for the time that they are with you and you may wish to discuss matters
without them being present. This also means that you have given away the
documenting of what should be done as an outcome of the meeting.
What structure should our board take?
It is good practice for there to be a Chairperson to control the whole meeting and to communicate with the managing agent (MA), a Treasurer to manage the finances of the company and a Secretary to record minutes. The Secretary and the Chairman help prepare and distribute the agenda and papers in advance of board meetings and set board meeting dates. Sub-committees can be set up for certain projects e.g. central boiler plant replacement, external redecorations and so forth – this will make liaising with the MA more efficient.
We have a Residential Management Company (RMC)/Right to Manage Company (RTM) and everyone is a shareholder – why do we need a separate bank account for our service charges?
The best way to think about this is to think of the RMC/RTM as if it were a completely independent landlord. You wouldn’t want your service charges being used to pay for their Directors & Officers insurance or Annual Returns costs would you? If there are Ground Rent charges involved again they should be separated from your service charges and so the RMC/RTM should ideally have a separate bank account if required (some RTM’s file dormant accounts as they have no income such as ground rent and no expenses – this saves on accountancy costs).
We have a Residential Management Company (RMC)/Right to Manage Company (RTM) and everyone is a shareholder – why do we need a Directors and Officers insurance as we are all friends?
You may all be friends at the moment but things can change – a leak into someone’s flat can strain relationships, people can sell and the new leaseholders might not have the same views. Something could happen that years down the line turns out to be a wrong decision – you personally need the insurance to protect yourself from any action against you as a Director. It usually only costs a few hundred pounds and is a wise investment. For more details click here >
If you’d like to get in contact with us, please don’t hesitate to phone 020 7099 1119 or simply complete and submit the form. We look forward to hearing from you.
59-61 Old Kent Road
London SE1 4RF
T 020 7099 1119
E mlp@managedliving.co.uk
