Ringley launch Block Management Revolution

Leading London managing agent Ringley Group is campaigning to revolutionise the way the UK residential block management industry operates through a sophisticated new online block administration system. This will enable owners of the flats within small apartment blocks to manage their service charges to save money and improve the overall management of their apartments. To launch their Block Management Revolution, Ringley has launched a national marketing and digital campaign to encourage leaseholders to take control of their block. Ringley has even developed its cartoon character, flat, to be the face of the campaign and act as a champion for leaseholders everywhere who believe that small blocks need the same quality advice and service that big blocks can receive.

Flatie is appearing at shopping centers and tube stations throughout London, supported by his own YouTube video, Facebook fan page, and launch on Twitter, offering help and advice to leaseholders disillusioned with their managing agent and unveiling the highly innovative new range of block management software packages available exclusively through Ringley Group. After nearly three years in development, Ringley has launched its administration packages, which it calculates to be up to 90% cheaper than employing outside managing agents. The packages, aimed at blocks of less than 8 apartments, are suitable for those with no prior experience in managing buildings and include all the tools and information needed for leaseholders to take and maintain control of their blocks without risking the penalties associated with improper management, which can range from fines to imprisonment.

Mary-Anne Bowring, Managing Director of Ringley Group, comments: Most managing agents don't like dealing with small blocks of less than eight or ten flats because they take up a lot of time and are therefore less profitable and less desirable to work with. The feeling is generally mutual with leaseholders resenting the minimum fees levied by managing agents that make the service charge higher than necessary. We recognise that our campaign is revolutionary, and will be seen as controversial and threatening in some quarters. However, we have based this initiative on careful research and are doing it to try and raise industry standards and enhance and strengthen the reputation of the property management sector.

We remain highly supportive of industry bodies such as ARMA and ARLA and their members and the steps to enhance standards that have been achieved over the years. At Ringley, it is our opinion that smaller blocks rarely get the service and attention they deserve from external managing agents, despite the fees they pay, and so we have developed our Blockcare range as a solution to this. This software, which gives leaseholders the help and guidance that they need to navigate the obstacles and pitfalls of block management, is unique, and nothing else like it exists on the market.

Ringley is offering leaseholders three different software packages. Blockcare 100 is the standard package and is currently being given away for a fee by Ringley. It gives users essential tools and knowledge on block management and includes things such as advice on how to change managing agents and guides on lease extensions and Right to Manage (RTM). For those who want to save money and manage their blocks themselves, the Blockcare 200 software is a virtual managing agent that allows leaseholders to build their service charge budget, legally valid print demands, allocate money to flat owners, and produce year-end accounts. Costing under £15 per month and suitable for as many flats as the user desires, this package could save leaseholders 90% of their management cost per year.

Suitable for up to 12 flats, the enhanced Blockcare 300 package incorporates all the benefits of the Blockcare 100 and 200 and is a service charge administrator to keep the financial and legal aspects of the block running, giving power to the owner who is in charge of the budget and what they want to spend. It costs from just £525 for blocks of up to four flats and offers potential savings of £1,225 or 70% per year. Established in 1997, Ringley is a property services company that provides its private, commercial, and industrial clients with a comprehensive range of property solutions from surveying and valuation to property and facilities management and sales and lettings. With a head office in London, Ringley provides block management services throughout London, Essex, Hertfordshire, and Kent.