Changing agent
Most boards that get in touch already have an agent and have simply had enough. Switching is more straightforward than people expect. Two things really matter: what your management agreement says about notice, and getting a clean handover of funds, records and contracts. Here is how it works, and what tends to go wrong.
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Before you start
Changing agent takes effort, and it is worth being honest about whether it will fix the problem. If the issue is one manager rather than the firm, asking for a different point of contact sometimes solves it. If the issue is that the service charge is not covering what the building needs, a new agent will arrive at the same conclusion the old one did.
Where it usually is worth changing is when the pattern is consistent: repairs that never get closed out, accounts that arrive late or do not reconcile, compliance that has quietly lapsed, contractors who seem to be chosen for reasons nobody explains, or a firm that simply does not respond. If you have raised the same thing three times and nothing has changed, it is not going to change.
We would rather tell you the problem is fixable where it is than take on a block under a false expectation.
Who decides
This is the first thing to establish, because it determines whether the decision is yours to make.
The board appoints and dismisses the agent. It is normally a decision for the directors rather than a vote of every leaseholder, unless your articles say otherwise. Worth reading them before the meeting.
Same position. The RTM company holds the management functions and appoints the agent it wants.
If the freeholder appoints the agent, leaseholders cannot simply dismiss them. That is a common and frustrating situation, and there are routes out of it - exercising the right to manage among them. A recognised tenants' association also has a statutory right to be consulted about the appointment of a managing agent, which is a useful lever short of a full claim.
The agreement
The notice period in your existing agreement governs the timing. Three months is common, but they vary, and some agreements roll over annually unless notice is given inside a particular window. Find the document before you do anything else - if nobody can find it, ask the agent for a copy, which you are entitled to.
Look for the notice period, how notice must be given and to what address, whether there is a minimum term still running, and whether any charge falls due on termination. Then serve notice in writing and keep proof of when you sent it.
You do not have to wait for the notice period to end before appointing someone else. Lining up the new agent early is what makes the handover work.
The process
Notice period, method, minimum term, termination charges.
1
Minute the decision. If your articles require anything further, do that too.
2
So the handover list is ready and the transfer date is realistic.
3
Keep proof of service.
4
Put the handover requirements in writing to the outgoing agent.
5
This is the part that takes the effort, and it is where a new agent earns its place.
6
New contact details, where to send payments, and who to call in an emergency.
7
Funds, arrears, contracts, compliance.
8
Common problems
Everything that would otherwise land in a director's evening.
Service charge balances and any reserve fund should transfer promptly once the agreement ends. Delays are common. Ask for a dated statement of what is held and what will be transferred, rather than an assurance.
The single most damaging thing to lose. Without an accurate leaseholder-by-leaseholder ledger, arrears chasing stops dead and disputes become impossible to resolve. Ask for it in a usable format, not a screenshot.
The fire risk assessment and its outstanding actions, electrical test certificates, asbestos survey and any water hygiene records. If they cannot be produced, assume they need redoing and budget accordingly.
Long-term agreements for lifts, alarms, door entry or grounds sometimes come with notice periods of their own. Find out what is running and when it ends before assuming you can change supplier.
Renewal dates have a habit of landing in the middle of a handover. Confirm who is dealing with it in writing, well before the date.
Timing
Usually you can switch at any point, subject to the notice period. Year end is tidier for the accounts, but it is not a requirement, and waiting nine months for a convenient date while a building deteriorates is rarely the right trade.
Where the timing does matter is around insurance renewal and any major works already in progress or in consultation. Those are worth sequencing carefully rather than moving mid-flow.
Our part
We write to the outgoing agent with a defined list of what we need and by when, then chase it. We reconcile the funds and the arrears position against the records rather than accepting a summary. We inspect the building early so the first report to the board is based on what is actually there, not on what we were told.
Then we tell you honestly what we have found. If the compliance position is behind, or the reserve fund will not cover what is coming, you will hear it in the first few weeks rather than in month eleven.
And where a backlog has built up under the old arrangement, we can work through it with our own maintenance teams - usually the quickest route - or manage contractors you choose. We will price the work either way and let the board decide
Areas we cover
We work along the A127 and A13 corridor, close enough to the buildings we manage to attend them properly.
That is a deliberate choice rather than a coverage list - being able to get to a building matters more than claiming to cover everywhere.
Basildon · Wickford · Billericay · Brentwood · Rayleigh · Benfleet · Canvey Island · Southend-on-Sea · Leigh-on-Sea · Westcliff-on-Sea · Grays · Chelmsford
If your building is nearby but not listed, get in touch and we will tell you honestly whether we can look after it properly.
Get in touch
Send us your block details and your current arrangement. We will tell you what switching would actually involve before anyone commits to anything.
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What we do
We manage residential blocks and estates for RMCs, RTM companies and freeholders. No sales department, no lettings arm, no distractions
Talk to Us
Whether you are setting up an RTM company or leaving an agent who stopped answering, send us the details of your building and we will come back to you with a proposal.
Nexus Premier Property Management is a block management specialist working across east London and Essex. We look after residential blocks for resident management companies, right to manage companies and freeholders.
Nexus Premier Property Management Ltd
Registered in England & Wales, company no. 17386704
15 Rockstone Place, Southampton, SO15 2EP.
T: 01268 975436
E: info@nexusppm.co.uk