Property Management in North London

Property management service only

Hotblack Desiato offer comprehensive property management services in North London, from our three branches in Islington, Highbury and Camden. We tailor our services to landlords with single properties, and those with extensive portfolios.

Routine Visits

We’ll visit your property twice a year, and provide reports after each visit, if required. This service comes as part of the package, at no extra cost. During these visits, we’ll focus on identifying any obvious problems.

Non-Routine Visits

Our team are also on hand to inspect any major issues in the property. Again, this incurs no extra fee. A non-routine visit may be counted as one of our two routine inspections, if appropriate.

Outgoings

We pay out rents received, plus current outgoings and other accounts relating to the property. This includes things like utilities, ground rent, service charges, maintenance charges, or insurance premiums.

Repairs

Our team will handle repairs, along with any services needed to keep the property in good condition. This includes all repairs up to the value of £300 plus VAT, and will be done without your prior written consent.

If repair work is quoted at over £300, we’ll submit the quote to you, unless it’s an emergency situation (e.g. no heating, hot water, no lighting,  a serious leak or damage caused by a break-in which compromises property security). In an emergency, we’ll do our best to contact you first, and if we can’t get in touch, we’ll resolve the problem on your behalf. Any costs will be deducted from funds held on your behalf, such as rental payments.

We only use contractors that have been carefully assessed and rated for their quality of work, reliability and trustworthiness. These third-party providers work independently of us – we receive no payment or gratuity in exchange for using their services.

Gas Safety

Gas safety is a legal requirement. If we haven’t received your renewed Gas Safety documentation and certificate seven days before the date of expiry, we’ll initiate all work required to ensure the gas appliances in the property comply with current gas safety regulations. The cost of this work is the responsibility of the landlord.

Insurance

We’ll also handle any insurance claims relating to the property, on your behalf. For insurance claims over £1000 (which normally require the appointment of a loss adjuster), we reserve the right to charge a fee of 12% of the total insurance claim (including VAT). We’ll notify you in advance that this fee will be charged. It covers the work involved in arranging quotations, meeting the loss adjuster, overseeing repair work or purchasing replacement items, and negotiating the claim on your behalf.

Please note – we’ll try to include our fee in the claim, but some insurance companies may decline to pay it.

Planning Notices & Disputes

We’ll send you any party wall notices or planning notices we receive, then await your instructions. For party wall notices / disputes, we can appoint a qualified building surveyor to protect your interests. They’re an independent third-party supplier and may charge a fee.

We’re also happy to act on your behalf to resolve neighbour disputes, or disputes in apartment blocks or flats between neighbours, or management agents / freeholders.

End of Tenancy Claim and Deposit

When the tenancy ends, an independent inventory clerk will send us a report. If required, we’ll visit the property and arrange for the items mentioned on the report to be costed, then we’ll draw up a claim for your approval. This end of tenancy claim will then be sent to the tenant.

For more details about tenancy deposit protection schemes which are relevant to deposit disputes (where the property is let on an assured shorthold tenancy), see below.

If the property is vacant, (and subject to having sufficient funds in place), we’ll continue to settle accounts in your name. We’ll also visit the property once a month to collect post, check that it’s still secure, that it’s adequately heated, and that the garden hasn’t become overgrown.

We’ll also inspect the property for any maintenance issues, like leaking pipes, and arrange for it to be cleaned if necessary. We can also dress the property for you, for marketing purposes. Please note, the costs involved with this are the landlord’s responsibility.

Full Terms and Conditions are available upon request.