Month: May 2024

In our previous blog, we delved into the importance of effective communication when it comes to engaging residents on building safety. As many will be aware, the Building Safety Act (BSA) 2022 mandates that Accountable Persons (APs) prepare and keep under review a resident engagement strategy.  

The aims of this strategy are to ensure all residents:

• Feel safe in the buildings in which they live. 
• Know how to easily report any problems about their home or any part of the building which may impact on their or their neighbour’s safety. 
• Know what to do in the event of an incident in the block where they live. 

A core component of this is establishing and operating a system for the investigation of relevant complaints, as well as ensuring that residents are fully aware of their own responsibilities. 

So where do you start?

Firstly, it’s imperative to implement an effective system for residents to report issues and submit feedback, with building safety complaints able to be prioritised based on the level of risk involved rather than that date they were received. You should also consider what to do if residents find it challenging to articulate issues. For example, you may want to allow them to submit photos that help communicate their concerns. 

In addition, the  Principal Accountable Person (PAP) must keep a record of any relevant complaint for seven years, including details of the complaint, actions taken by APs, regulatory involvement, and the complaint’s resolution.

How technology can help?

With 81% of residents  saying that it’s important or very important for them to be able to access a portal from a mobile device, it’s paramount that you have a system in place that is mobile-friendly. This will encourage residents to report issues when they spot them rather than having to wait until they are back in front of a computer.

With Spike PMS, residents are able to report any concerns or issues via the Spike app, and even attach photos so that staff can get a clearer idea of the issue. 

What’s more, Spike PMS can flag any high priority issues based on the information that has been submitted. This means that high-risk issues can be immediately flagged and directed to the relevant team members, with SLAs being set up and tracked against. Issues can also be automatically shared with external approved contractors to be investigated and resolved, with residents being informed and kept up to date on the progress. As all history is recorded against a property, leaseholder and tenant, this provides a central log of all communication which can be used as evidence of notification, in case of future disputes. 

Additionally, according to the government’s building safety advice, residents must:

• Read and understand all information provided to them by the building’s duty holders. 
• Communicate any identified risks, hazards or concerns with the building’s structural safety and fire safety measures. 
• Strictly follow all fire safety measures for the building. 

With this in mind, Spike PMS provides residents with easy access to key documentation such as safety policies and fire safety documents via a mobile app. Furthermore, whenever newer versions are available residents can be notified, with staff able to see who’s opened and read them which forms an important part of the golden thread. 

Example

A resident notices a fire door isn’t closing properly. They immediately report the issue via the Spike app. The issue automatically gets sent to the maintenance team and flagged as a priority seeing as it is integral to the safety of the building and the rest of the residents. 

The maintenance team respond directly back to the resident acknowledging the reported issue and then send out a building-wide communication via email and the Spike app to notify the rest of the residents of the issue. 

Once the maintenance team arrive onsite and after inspecting the fire door, they find that the hinges are loose, causing it not to close properly. They replace the faulty hinges and ensure that the door meets all safety standards and regulations. They then schedule regular inspections over the coming weeks to prevent similar issues in the future. 

The property manager sends out an update to the rest of the building informing them that the issue has now been resolved and to remind residents of their responsibility to report any issues via the Spike app.  

Summary

With Spike PMS, property managers can ensure that they not only have an effective resident engagement strategy in place which can be communicated easily to all residents, but also able to provide a quick and effective way for residents to report safety concerns and request additional information via a dedicated app. Thus, ensuring building safety remains a collective responsibility among all stakeholders. 

We are delighted to share that Spike has been nominated for the PropTech Solution of The Year award at The Property Institute ACE Awards 2024, recognising Spike’s substantial impact in leveraging technology to reshape industry practices and enhance property managers’ efficiency throughout the past year.

In recent years, property management has evolved significantly due to technological advancements, regulatory changes, shifting tenant expectations, and a growing focus on community.

According to latest research, 89% of property managers believe that technology can streamline property management processes, while 31% of tenants do not renew their tenancies due to seeking better management.

In response to these trends, Spike has developed Spike PMS, an innovative property management platform, helping property professionals drive new efficiencies, discover compelling clarity and enhance client communication like never before.

Spike PMS provides full visibility of an entire portfolio at a glance giving managers access to the information they need, at their fingertips, whilst the dedicated app makes communication a breeze, bringing property managers, tenants, and leaseholders closer together.

As we eagerly await the ACE Awards ceremony on Friday 21st June 2024, at Old Billingsgate, London, we extend our gratitude to the judges for recognising Spike’s contributions to the industry.

Congratulations to all the finalists who made the shortlist! We’re looking forward to an exciting night celebrating innovation, excellence, and the future of the property management sector.

See the full shortlist here.

In collaboration with KC, Leasehold Property Expert and Founder of LeasedByKC.

In the fast-paced world of property management, where demands are high and time is always of the essence, maintaining the health and well-being of employees might seem like a secondary concern.  

However, with ever-increasing workloads and expectations placed on property managers, as well as the mounting pressure from external national sources, it is not surprising that 1 in 4 property managers are now considering leaving the industry according to the latest research. What’s more, property management staff consistently score well below the Office for National Statistics (ONS) averages when asked about how worthwhile their life is, their life satisfaction, and their level of happiness.  

While administrative tasks still make up a lot of the workload for a typical property manager, the role is shifting to one of relationship management, bringing a whole host of additional stress for property managers to contend with who ultimately want to deliver outstanding results to both leaseholders and their tenants.  

The role technology can play in supporting property managers

It’s no secret that current property management systems are outdated and lack the flexibility to keep up with the pace of change. Accessing even the most fundamental information can be arduous and time-consuming due to data being held in multiple systems, sporadic emails, and spreadsheets. 

Drawing on over 13 years of experience in the property sector, Spike’s innovative property management platform, Spike PMS, helps property managers drive new efficiencies, discover compelling clarity and enhance tenant and leaseholder communication like never before. 

Here’s how solutions like Spike PMS can contribute to enhancing health and well-being within the industry. 

Automate time-consuming tasks

On average, property managers spend 288 hours a year performing repetitive tasks. Tasks often include sending monthly reminders for service charge demands, welcome emails to new property owners, and sending key documentation such as the latest fire policies and key health and safety documents. 

Having systems in place that can automate many of these manual tasks can improve the work-life balance and productivity of property managers. This means that property managers can spend less time on administrative work and more time on the ground, conducting site inspections, meeting contractors, or building customer relationships via resident surgeries, reducing the number of complaints and improving morale. 

Efficient maintenance management for safety

Maintenance issues are a common source of stress in property management. Without a central system in place, leaseholders and their tenants will use email, WhatsApp messages or text messages to report issues. Sporadic messages and using different channels make it challenging for property managers to keep track of what has been reported and run the risk of duplicating reports, making it even harder to keep residents updated on the progress. Not to mention making it almost impossible to track against SLAs and performance metrics for response times. Property management is also a complaint-heavy industry and tracking complaints is crucial to protecting a company and individual staff in case of future legal disputes.

Property management systems such as Spike PMS can streamline maintenance management by allowing residents to submit maintenance requests directly via a mobile app, and even attach photos so that staff can diagnose the fault ahead of time. What’s more, the system can be set up to divert defects and issues directly to the relevant team members, or automatically shared with external approved contractors to be investigated and resolved, with residents being informed and kept up to date on the progress. 

Access a single centralised view of all data

More often or not, there will be a number of disparate tools and systems in place at a property management company which means that key information can be difficult to access. With one of the requirements of the Building Safety Act 2022 being that building owners and property managers should understand the needs of every household living within the building, it’s paramount that this information is easily accessible. 

Spike PMS has been designed to be the single view for property managers, with integrations with third-party systems including finance, CRM, and maintenance management. By pulling in data from different systems and sources, this allows property managers to see all logged activities against a property, leaseholder and tenant, enabling property managers to quickly and efficiently find and access the information they need, whenever they need it.

This means that property managers can spend less time digging through files and emails, and claw back some of that precious time to focus on other activities. As well as being able to have a central activity log to be used as evidence of notification, in case of future disputes. 

Effortless tenant and leaseholder communication 

On average, it can take up to 7 calls and emails to get hold of a resident. Clear and timely communication can reduce misunderstandings, improve transparency, and foster trust and collaboration among leaseholders, ultimately contributing to a healthier and more supportive work environment. 

Having a property management system in place means that regulatory documents and compliance-related information are also readily accessible. Storing important documents digitally and providing easy access to relevant information facilitates transparency and accountability in property management practices.  

Furthermore, Spike PMS provides transparent insights into financial transactions, enabling leaseholders and tenants to view detailed service charge statements and transaction histories, ensuring clarity and accountability in financial matters. Additionally, PMS platforms often offer secure payment portals where leaseholders can make service charge payments electronically, further enhancing transparency and convenience. 

Summary

Forward-thinking property management companies are realising that investing in systems and technology not only streamlines operations but also plays a crucial role in fostering a healthy and supportive work environment. By streamlining processes, facilitating efficient maintenance management, enabling data-driven decision-making, and enhancing communication, systems like Spike PMS can contribute to creating a positive work environment where employees can thrive.