What is a service charge?
A service charge is payable by leaseholders or freeholders (where they form part of a private estate) to cover the cost or repairs to communal areas such as open space, private road or in the case of blocks of flats the fabric of the building, communal areas and services such as communal utilities.
Who will manage my block or estate?
At Kingston we pride ourselves on our excellent level of service. If you decide to appoint us, our dedicated property managers will be responsible for managing your block or estate and responding promptly to queries or concerns.
How do you assess your contractors?
At Kingston we never levy charges on top of contractors invoices so you only pay for the cost of the actual works. To ensure we deliver value for money to our clients we only use reputable local contractors with whom we have worked with before and who comply with the relevant Health and Safety requirements and hold valid insurance.
Is our Money Safe?
Your money is safe and held in one of our client accounts that earns interest which is allocated to each of our clients fairly. Your money is not mixed with our businesses current account. All of our client accounts are audited annually by an independent chartered accountant.
I have been served a Section 20 Notice of Intention to Carry out Works, what does this mean?
When a freeholder or management company intends to undertake works that exceed £250 per leaseholder they have a statutory obligation to serve a notice under Section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (as amended). This gives each leaseholder the opportunity to make observations or propose contractors they would like to quote for the works. This is followed by a 30 day consultation period when the “Statement of Estimates” is issued for leaseholders to comment on the quotations that have be procured.
How do I contact you in case of emergencies outside of office hours?
In the event of an emergency the relevant out of office contact details can be found here
What commissions do you earn over and above your monthly management fees?
We are completely transparent with our fee structures and all fees are detailed within our contract with you. We never add commission to contractors or other suppliers invoices as we do not believe this is ethical business practice. We do receive commission for insurance policies we place however this does not affect the cost of your premium. We adhere to the multi-occupancy leasehold insurance reforms
What happens if we are not happy with your service levels?
Our complaints handling procedure can be found here