mainstay property portfolio management london

The Link Property Manager Update

Customer Satisfaction SurveyMainstay takes great pride in its Customer Service and we are keen to ensure that the services we provide meet your high expectations.

We have recently started an assessment of our services for your development, with the ultimate aim of becoming recognized under the ‘Investor in Customers’ scheme.

More information on this scheme can be found on their website:www.investorincustomers.com.

Leaseholders will have received an email from IIC which invited completion of a web-based questionnaire. The questionnaires form part of our assessment and will help us to further improve our services to you.

The responses will be completely confidential, so we are hoping to receive totally honest feedback.

In addition, as part of Mainstay’s efforts for continuous improvement, we are also undertaking customer satisfaction surveys every day, assessing your immediate feedback on how satisfied you were in using our services. This is another opportunity for you to honestly tell us how you feel and help us to improve your customer experience with us.

All comments are welcomed and valued so please take part if selected and help us make a real difference to the service you receive. We look forward to hearing from you.

Should you have any questions or concerns in relation to the Investor in Customers scheme, please contact us on:[email protected].

Alternatively, you can contact [email protected].

Many thanks for your help.

Adaptable Property Services | www.mainstaygroup.co.uk

Welcome to your Spring Newsletter.

I am pleased to report that we have been busy managing and maintaining your development. Outlined below are a number of new initiatives and simple reminders that will enhance the service you receive from us and help preserve and positively impact the environment at your development.

The first exciting news is that, since the beginning of March this year, we have extended the hours we do business for our office based Customer Services Team.

Our Customer Services Team are now available between the hours of 8.00 am until 7.00 pm Monday to Friday on 01905 357 777.

We are constantly monitoring and reviewing the way we deliver services to our customers. Extending our opening hours has been a popular suggestion – we hope you agree.

As you will read below, we are committed to listening to our customers and improving our services. We feel that in extending our opening hours we can give you, our customers, much more flexibility and support to fit in with your busy lifestyles. It will help us to continue delivering exceptional customer service and strive to exceed all of your needs and expectations of a Managing Agent.

Spring Newsletter 2012

Raising standards – improving service


Contractors from hell are to be avoided at all costs; the importance of this cannot be underestimated when contractors are working on the developments we manage.

In order to eradicate these unsafe contractors from working in the communal areas of your home, Mainstay managed a contractor registration scheme. This consisted of checking the credentials and insurances of contractors in order to keep you safe from harm and ensure best value for money.

The registration scheme has proved so effective that we can no longer keep up with demand. Therefore, we have now outsourced this by joining a nationally recognised independent scheme, SAFEContractor, at no cost to you offering a similar quality check.

Mainstay is accredited to both SAFEContractor and CHAS (Contractor health & Safety Scheme) ourselves, which means our own systems are independently checked for a similar quality check.

Emergency Out of Hours AssistanceOutside of normal office hours, Mainstay arrange and manage an emergency support service for any repairs or maintenance that affects either the communal areas of the development, or a number of apartments where there is an emergency situation such as a fire or major flood. We also provide a make-safe service for the development.

The 24 hour response provision is provided by Orbis Monitoring Services Ltd/Adieuvo. They receive all emergency calls and respond accordingly. They hold details of Mainstay accredited contractors and are able to respond to all emergency situations.

Please note that the telephone number provided below for this service is strictly for emergencies only. Misuse of this service may result in a charge being incurred by the caller.

Call: 0845 189 8024


Mainstay Website

Each property has a number of pages dedicated to it which we hope will help our customers keep up to date with the management of the site.

The pages cover:

• Site updates on maintenance, Contact Details for Property Manager, Customer Services and even onsite staff.

• Work Schedules dates for Grounds, Cleaning and even your Property Managers visits.

We have made even more improvements to our systems to allow us to stay in touch and to communicate effectively with all our customers. Our website has been designed with you in mind and Mainstay would like to encourage all Leaseholders to register their details and to use the Website as much as possible.

Once input you will need to register for the site and enter an email address. If this matches the information we hold, you will be issued with a password specific to your account. If not, we will check the information and send a password to your email address.

We hope that you continue to find the website a useful reference point and we will continue to update you as any new functionality comes into place.

• Key maintenance and any other ongoing issues such as gates/door entrance or even leaks, we can provide an update immediately without having to send out letters and relying on the post.

• Finance Information items such as your Budgets, Accounts and even the date as to when your service charge and/or ground rent payments are due.

• Documents include Budgets, Accounts, Insurance Certificates and Newsletters.

This area will continue to expand as we add more information and work with our clients and customers to detail information that they require and feel would be of benefit.

Through this area you will also be able to pay for your service charges, purchase a fob and report any maintenance issues.

When you next visit our website:

www.mainstaygroup.co.uk

you will be asked to enter your individual reference number, which is shown on all your correspondence from Mainstay and this usually looks like ABC123DEFG.

The Link

Anti-Social Behaviour

Local Councils can often help with fly tipping onsite and Mainstay would encourage Residents to contact the Council to remove bulky items from site. Overall, anti-social behaviour across our developments occurs relatively infrequently, however, when it does it can have a devastating effect on our customers.

We would strongly urge any Leaseholder who is experiencing problems to seek further advice via Mainstay or from sources such as:

www.direct.gov.ukwww.arma.org.uk www.homeoffice.gov.uk.


Anti-Social behaviour in the form of noise, threatening behaviour, vandalism and fly tipping occur on developments occasionally and are brought to the attention of Mainstay as your Managing Agent.

Mainstay is limited by the terms of the lease and legal restrictions to deal with such issues.

Most leases contain covenants that state that Leaseholders must not cause nuisance or annoyance to other Leaseholders and have restrictions which state that loud music must not be played between 11pm and 7am.

Mainstay can and does frequently write letters and discuss issues with Leaseholders who are or whose tenants are breaching the terms of the lease with regard to anti-social behaviour. It may not be common knowledge, but other statutory agencies are often well placed to deal with such issues.

Environmental Health is in a strong position to deal with noise complaints and will encourage affected Leaseholders to keep noise diaries. Some local authorities have emergency response teams that can issue warnings, fines and seize equipment under the Noise Act 1996.

Threatening behaviour and vandalism must always be reported to the Police as these may be considered Criminal Acts. Many local Police forces have specific teams to deal with anti-social behaviour and are happy to assist with cases involving this behaviour.


Reporting Maintenance IssuesIn order to maintain a good relationship between Mainstay and all residents, we request that all residents please assist Mainstay by reporting maintenance and other issues on the development, especially when it is unmanned.

This applies even if you may think that it had been reported previously, as this will clarify any ongoing work which could otherwise lead to uncertainty for the residents.

We can then give updates on the situation on our website so that they can be viewed by leaseholders and they can in turn update their tenants.

Residents must arrange their own Contents Insurance Mainstay deal with insurance claims when the damage is confirmed by the loss adjusters as being a result of a communal fault.

If the claim is as a result of an issue within your own property or inter apartment leak, then you will need to register the claim yourself (remember, the claimant is responsible for the excess amount for each insured event).

Insurers investigate all claims in great detail and it is therefore important to gather evidence to support any claim that you make.

We would advise you to take photographs of any damage caused, keep records of crime references and ensure that contractors provide you with adequate paperwork throughout.

Freehold properties are the responsibility of the individual owner and should be insured independently.

If in any doubt, please contact our Customer Services Team on telephone number 01905 357 777, who will be able to provide further information and assist you.

The Link

General Housekeeping Around the Development Update

Most leases will allow caged birds, fish and some even allow reptiles. Again please contact Mainstay who will be able to advise what can and cannot be allowed on site.

(4) Refuse Disposal

We would like to remind everyone that the removal of rubbish to the designated bin store areas is the responsibility of the resident. Refuse must be placed in the bins provided and in appropriate bin bags.

Any large, bulky items cannot be just left in the bin stores as this will not be collected. Please make arrangements directly with the local council for bulky items to be removed.

(5) Car Parking

We would like to remind all residents of the importance of parking in allocated car parking spaces only. All visitors should park in the visitor spaces if applicable.

Any car parking conditions are stipulated within the lease covenants that were agreed to when ownership was taken of the property. The responsibility lies with the leaseholder to ensure that any sub-tenants are aware of the lease covenants. We thank you in advance for your co-operation in this matter.



(1) Storage of Items in the Common Areas

Please note that under the terms of your Lease this is strictly prohibited. May we therefore request that all items including bicycles are not left in the communal hallways, as this causes inconvenience to residents and also damage to decorations and carpeting.

Please also note that “For Sale” and “To Let” boards are again strictly prohibited, and we would request that any sale boards are removed from the exterior or windows of individual properties.

(2) Alterations/Additions

If you are considering undertaking any structural alterations or additions to your property, you may need the permission beforehand from the Freeholder and the Managing Agent.

Please consult your lease in the first instance before undertaking any works to your property. The lease will set out what can and cannot be done to your property and whose permission is required. If you have any doubts please contact our Customer Services Team for advice.

(3) Pets

Before bringing a pet into your property please consult the terms of your lease. Many apartment leases forbid dogs (unless guide dogs) and cats to be allowed in apartments because of the potential nuisance they can cause to other residents and damage to property and grounds.

Buildings Insurance PolicyBuildings are insured on a comprehensive insurance policy to the full reinstatement value of all the properties at your development. The policy covers fire, flood and all the usual perils.

A copy of your sites buildings insurance certificate along with the relevant policy excesses is saved on the website and can be obtained when you log in to “My Development” under the section titled “Documents”.

Instructions on how to register a claim directly with the insurers (it is not Mainstay’s Customer Services Team) and how they will deal with insurance claims (including any enquiries you may have prior to making a claim) are outlined.

The right to insure the building on leasehold properties is defined by the lease and can rest either with the Freeholder or with a Residents Management Company.

The Link


Investors in People (IIP)

C O N T A C T I N F O R M A T I O NGeneral Enquiries and Repairs

Please contact our Customer Services Team:-

Out of Hours communal area emergency:-(for emergency use only)

Website - Please note you can pay your service charges, report a fault and order security fobs.

Compliment & Complaints: If you would like to pass on either a compliment or complaint to us, please do not hesitate to write to us.


Mainstay have recently been undergoing an external independent assessment as part of our bid to obtain the Investors In People Accreditation.

A considerable number of employees were interviewed as part of this process, the employees were chosen randomly by the external assessment team and our processes were rigorously tested.

We are pleased to say we have been recognised in this independent and objective assessment – further confirming our commitment to quality of execution and certainty of delivery through our people.

Mainstay FM continues to grow. Just four years ago the Mainstay Group set upon a strategy to broaden its service, offering to its existing and future client base by diversifying and putting in place a facilities management arm to directly drive up standards.

We now have in excess of 250 site based employees across England and Wales and we provide the whole spectrum of onsite staffing including management, concierge, security, caretakers and cleaners.

Mainstay Facilities Management The business benefits from

exceptionally strong regional management structure which operates in a consistent manner. Our clients have confidence that we understand their business and provide a dedicated customer driven service.

The Link

Telephone: 01905 357 777

Available between the hours of 8.00 am and 7.00 pm Monday to Friday.

E-Mail: [email protected]: 01905 361 046

Call: 0845 189 8024

www.mainstaygroup.co.uk

Whittington HallWhittington RoadWorcesterWR5 2ZX

mainstay property portfolio management london

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