Managing agents ....

[zerocool2009]

We are in the market for a new managing agent very soon

If you are an owner or trustee (please comment).

Who are your managing agent (and good and bad points) ?

 

[Cius]

Been through a few. They tend to be similar in many ways. In the end though if you look at how much you pay these guys it is typically fairly low for the amount of time and energy most people want a managing agent to sink in. In my experience if they handle billing well, and somewhat manage the run of the mill issues and contractors its good. For anything out of the ordinary all the ones I have experienced are unreliable or unable to commit the time needed to resolve it and its really up to the trustees to then drive things to a close. Getting a paid complex maintenance manager on the books is useful to chase the bigger stuff from a maintenance side of things.

 

[saturnz]

I would stay away from Trafalgar, we are with them and I've tried many times to have them replaced but internal politics is a stumbling block.

Our portfolio manager has over 30 properties that she manages, so its impossible for her to manage any. Not to mention all levies are paid into one slush fund, no way to get a bank statement from them and etc etc etc. Its so bad that we had to hire an accountant to produce financials which are fit to be audited because Trafalgar is useless.

I've heard the pitch from Land and Sea managing agents, and I like the way they do things- for starters one portfolio manager has less than 10 properties under management. The owner understands the problems current managing agents create and has designed his service to specifically address these things.