Adrian Carter, Director of Goadsby Property Management has commented “Increasingly we are being asked by clients to have input when they are looking at new projects, including refurbishment of existing buildings and/or new builds. Most people may assume that the role of the Property Manager begins once the building work is complete and the Property Manager will manage the building that is constructed but by being involved in an early stage and having input on this design process, we can use our experience to reduce ongoing maintenance and service charge costs. For example, within the last few years we have been able to have input on the following items:
1. A client was undertaking refurbishment of an office building and was proposing retaining eye bolts that had been installed 15 years previously. The ongoing cost to test and maintain these eye bolts would have cost in the region of £1,000 a year. We were able to advise the client to strip out the eye bolts up to 4th floor level as we were aware that since the eye bolts had originally been installed technology had moved on and window cleaning could be undertaken via a pole system so the eye bolts were unnecessary. This also improved the aesthetics of the office space.
2. In respect of a new build office development the client was proposing building a reception area for a manned receptionist. I was able to advise the client that the cost of a manned reception would be approximately £30,000 a year and on a building of this type which was relatively small at only 6,000 sq.ft., this would have added approximately £5 p.s.f. to the service charge. This would have made the running cost of the building so high that it would become unattractive in the current market and therefore difficult to let.
These examples highlight how an experienced Property Manager can advise owners and designers how things can work well once a development is up and running, and to incorporate these ideas into their design process”.
