Resident

Author: ResiDev

  • Resident Version 2 New Accounts & Communications features

    Resident, launch of fantastic new features

    Having run Alexandre Boyes Block Management for over a decade Resident founder, Kate Boyes, was frustrated with what tools and admin support were available for managing blocks of flats. Kate designed Resident to make managing property simpler, more transparent, and more cost-effective for her team and for clients. Resident is the first platform designed to be accessible and affordable for those who self manage as well as managing agents. 

    In it’s first year, Resident has won bronze for Best Online Business in the Kent Digital Awards and was a finalist for the Best Services Provider at the News on the Block Property Management Awards. Happy birthday to Resident and here’s to a bright future!

    Resident is now releasing Version 2, which builds on the existing accounting, communication and compliance tools adding exciting new features as well as some refinements based on clients feedback. One of these is multi schedule accounting. Some of the existing large property management software suppliers do this already, but what makes Resident’s offering unique is the affordable cost and the integration on the web portal with all the other elements that experience has shown are required to manage blocks of flats effectively.

    The features also include easier and quicker communication with leaseholders and anyone else involved in the management process. The work put in to making Resident an integrated communication platform has been very well received by clients. Version 2 incorporates a built-in instant messaging service, a digital message board, and an online voting tool to speed up decision-making. All the information held is block specific, a real time saver during change in ownership and legal enquiries. As all leaseholders have logins too they can access budgets, documentation, and maintenance reports themselves, which frees up valuable admin time and makes the whole management process totally transparent.

    If you’d like to find out more about Resident or would like a demo of Version 2 and all the new features please email hello@resident.uk.com or telephone 01892 739442.

  • Resident celebrates the launch of Version 2 of its Block Management software with iPad giveaway

    Celebrating Resident Version 2 launch with an iPad giveaway #ResidentV2

    It’s here! Resident Property Management Software, the new kid on the block management block has launched Version 2 of the award-winning integrated portal that is revolutionising block management for managing agents and those who self-manage.

    It’s packed full of useful new features to make managing blocks of flats as easy and efficient as possible. Because Resident is cloud-based and responsive, you can access the online portal from anywhere and any device – including an iPad! So we’re going to be giving one away at the end of the week to give you a chance to try it out for yourself.

    And don’t worry if you don’t win, you can still sign up for a free demo by emailing hello@resident.uk.com

    To be in with a chance of winning an iPad in our Resident Property Management Software giveaway, all you have to do is

    Q. How many multi-schedule accounts can you set up per block?

    As a tip the answer can be found on the full features page here: http://staging.resident.uk.com/block-management-software-features.

    You must be following us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn and use the hashtag #ResidentV2 in your comment or your entry will not be considered. You can enter more than once.

    We will draw a winner at random from the followers on any one of our social media sites who has answered the question correctly and used the hashtag #ResidentV2. So to increase your chances of winning, make sure you are following us on all three of our social media sites! And get posting!

    The giveaway closes at midnight on Monday 24th August 2015 and the winner will be announced the following day, on Tuesday 25th August. Good luck and we hope you like Version 2 of Resident Property Management Software!

  • Block Management Tips: Saving Money on Building Insurance

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    Saving money on buildings insurance is something every flat owner and Managing Agent is keen to do. Renewal premiums seem to continue to rise, in most cases due to water damage claims. Water related claims can cost flat and block of flats owners dearly with inflated premiums and excesses, and yet through proper risk management they can be avoidable. To help you save money on your buildings insurance premiums, here is some advice on how to avoid internal and external water damage, along with some other helpful tips.

    Building maintenance and correct risk information

    • Check that your chimney, roof and pointing are in good condition
    • Secure any loose fence panels, including garden gates
    • Keep gutters free of debris and check them regularly. Make a record of these checks where possible
    • Timber floors, stairs and flat roofs are generally rated higher than concrete and will commonly have loadings to the premium by the insurer. Check the construction of the floors and particularly the condition of the roof, as this could save you money and is quite often a policy condition.

    How to reduce the risk of internal water damage

    • Ensure all pipes and tanks are well insulated before the weather turns cold
    • Regularly check appliances that can cause water damage – showers, baths, washing machines etc as part of your routine maintenance
    • Where applicable, ensure your tenants know how to turn off the water and electricity in an emergency as this could reduce the chance of damage and fire
    • If your flat will be unoccupied in the winter or autumn months, even for a couple of days, then leave the central heating on at a low temperature to stop pipes freezing or bursting.

    How to reduce the risk of external water damage

    • Check drains regularly, recommended annually, and where necessary clear them in the autumn and again in the spring. This will keep them free from leaves and stop water pooling
    • Look out for dripping overflow pipes, they can not only damage brickwork but can also be a sign of a defective cistern – a major cause of water damage in flats and a regular factor in increased buildings insurance premiums.

    How to get the best price for your buildings insurance

    When obtaining alternative quotations, check the cover is like for like and a fully comprehensive ‘block’ policy which includes Employees and Public liability cover. Also check the declared value or Sum Insured figure you are providing. If the Sum Insured figure is given as the rebuild cost rather than the declared value, then the Sum Insured amount can be up to 35% more than the declared value. Therefore the alternative quotation and premium offered could be significantly more as the declared value has been inflated by up to 35%.

    Thanks to Fowler Penfold Insurance Brokers for this guest blog post!

  • Service Charges: the lifeblood of block management?

    Service Charges: the lifeblood of block management?

    Managing agent or self-manage?

    Self-management. When leaseholders have had a bad experience with unresponsive or expensive managing agents, it can seem like a much more appealing option. And it’s true, for smaller blocks of flats, self-managing can mean a better quality of block management and better value for money. Saving money on administration and investing it back into the building to cover for the possibility of any upcoming major works is a sensible plan. It’s not always the easiest option though!

    Living in a flat carries with it communal responsibilities; however, as with most groups of people, the majority of residents tend to be pretty apathetic and it falls to a few conscientious souls to keep things on track. Effective property management is dependent on good cashflow and efficient credit control; having enough cash in the kitty to pay contractors when needed will keep them onside and willing to make themselves available for the next emergency.

    What’s the key to successful property management?

    Collecting everyone’s service charges on time is key to successful resident management companies, whether self-managed or not, but a lot of self-managed blocks neglect to send out service charge demands. This means that they are relying on the residents’ integrity and goodwill to pay their service charge on time. Worse, from a legal point of view, without sending out a service charge demand, or if it has been served incorrectly, there is no way of recovering the debt if someone defaults or stops paying.

    It’s crucial, therefore, for people who self-manage properties to set up a system that works for service charge demands and collection. There are two elements that must be considered: what the lease says, and how the law says you must make these demands. If you’re not an experienced block managing agent, or a solicitor or accountant who specialises in service charge legislation and accounts, you could end up in problems before you know it.

    Save time and money with Resident®

    A cheaper and simpler solution for resident management companies and people who self-manage blocks of flats is to use our online block management tool, Resident®. One of its key features is to automate service charge demands and guide you through the compliance issues. Our users have found that this prompts more residents to pay their service charges on time; and if they do default, it’s much easier to enforce the debt as the correct procedures have been followed from the start. Resident® is the intelligent self-management software that does your thinking for you, saving you time, worry, and money.

  • Block management software Resident celebrates its first birthday

    Block management software Resident celebrates its first birthday

    Simplifying property management

    Resident’s founder, Kate Boyes, runs Alexandre Boyes, an award winning, residential sales, lettings and property management family business in Tunbridge Wells.

    As she was frustrated with what tools and admin support were available for managing blocks of flats, Kate set about designing something that would make managing property simpler, more transparent, and more cost-effective for her team and for clients. And so Resident Property Management Software was born in 2014.

    Integrated web portal

    One of Kate’s biggest frustrations was that there was no integration. Accounts had to be managed separately using a software package that could only be accessed in the office, as it had to be installed on one of the computers there; if her team needed to communicate with the block residents, they would have to send an email to each one or phone them individually; to keep on top of maintenance work schedules, they had to log into a separate calendar and search through different directories to find local contractors. To anyone else managing blocks of residential property, this probably sounds pretty familiar too!

    Flexible and cost-effective block management

    The aim with Resident was to create a single point of access, which would save time and money, for anything to do with block management. Working with a team of local web developers, Resident was designed from the start as a cloud-based online portal. It was also important to make it flexible and cost-effective enough to suit both managing agents and leaseholders who self-manage. And to date, we’ve had about the same number of managing agents as those who self-manage signing up to use Resident, so hopefully we’ve got that right! It helps that it has been developed by people who work in the property industry themselves, so they are only too aware of the need to save time and money on managing blocks of flats.

    Digital block management assistant

    For example, because we know that having service charges paid on time is so important to cashflow – providing vital funds to pay for maintenance and unexpected repairs – we’ve programmed Resident to generate and send service charge demands automatically. It also works out expenditure versus budget reports, again to help boost cashflow. Annual returns are a doddle as Resident keeps a record of all leaseholder, shareholder, director and company secretary details and it’s a simple click of a button to email the end of year accounts spreadsheet over to an accountant.

    Listening to client feedback

    It’s also very important to us to listen to feedback from our clients, and throughout the last year we have been tweaking Resident to better suit our clients’ demands. It’s this responsive and fresh approach that sets us apart from what else is available on the market. We’re about to release Version 2, which incorporates some exciting new features as well as some refinements based on what we know our clients would like. One of these is multi schedule accounting. Some of the big, expensive, property management software suppliers do this already, but what makes the Resident offering unique is the affordable cost and the integration on our web portal with all the other elements that we know from experience are required to manage blocks of flats effectively.

    Easier to communicate

    Some of those features are based around easier and quicker communication with leaseholders and anyone else involved in the management process. The work we’ve put in to making Resident an integrated communication platform has been very well received by our clients. Version 2 incorporates a built-in instant messaging service, a digital message board, and an online voting tool to speed up decision-making. All the information held is block specific, a real time saver during change in ownership and legal enquiries. As all leaseholders have logins too they can access budgets, documentation, and maintenance reports themselves, which frees up valuable admin time and makes the whole management process totally transparent.

    The little black book of local suppliers

    Another feature that gets the thumbs up is Resident’s online directory, which cleverly works out the location and connects clients directly to approved local contractors for maintenance and repairs, and to professional service firms if legal or accounting advice is required. One click gives access to specialist leasehold brokers for building, engineering, and directors’ & officers’ insurance; and there are also links to utility suppliers which our clients use to work out the most competitive electricity and gas unit rates for their block.

    Award-winning block management software

    In its first year, Resident has already won bronze for Best Online Business in the Kent Digital Awards and was a finalist for the Best Services Provider at the News on the Block Property Management Awards. We have worked very hard to provide a totally integrated online block management portal that is adaptable and affordable enough to suit individual developers and those who self-manage as well as start-up or established managing agents, and we are very proud of all that we have achieved over the past year. Happy birthday to Resident and here’s to a bright future!

  • Online Business Award for Resident Block Management Software

    Online Business Award for Resident Block Management Software


    Unique block management portal

    We were up against much more established businesses so we were really pleased with the result. Going for gold next year! What makes Resident a unique online business in property management, is that is has been designed by block managers, for block managers. We have drawn on our 12 years of experience letting and managing property. Our mission is to be an industry leader in the provision of block management software but taking it a step further and developing a fully integrated, access-anywhere cloud-based portal rather than just another piece of software that you need to install and update. We are also the first platform designed to be accessible and affordable for those who self-manage. Our ambition is to help our clients apply best practice to the management of their block and we provide them with the tools to help them do this saving them time, money and ensuring they stay compliant in the process. It’s cheaper and more intelligent than other block management software, and the only fully integrated cloud-based solution. Combined with our consultancy and training packages, it is encouraging entrepreneurship too, as we are providing agents with all the tools they need to start up a property management business.

    User-friendly property management website

    As well as the clever integrated functionality, what sets Resident apart from any other property management portal out there is its design. It is clean, uncluttered, and easy to navigate, and is responsive and optimised for all devices. Once you log in, the user area is just as pleasing on the eye and simple to use. We are very proud of the design and functionality, but that doesn’t stop us from gathering feedback from our users about what would make it even better for them. We have an iterative design process, and our development team is constantly tweaking and adapting the site behind the scenes to make the online experience as user-friendly as possible.

    We’ve also had our highest number of new enquiries so far in June – both from managing agents and those who self manage their properties. We’ve had a lot of interest from managing agents who are start-ups or looking at expanding their block management arm. Feedback is always that it is very comprehensive and intuitive and great design. Schedule a demo and see how Resident can revolutionise your block management!

    Backed by professionals

    The other piece of June good news is that Resident’s founder, Kate Boyes has been appointed as a Board member of the Association of Residential Lettings Agents (ARLA), the professional body for the UK letting agents, to represent Kent, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, & Cambridgeshire.

    Driving standards in the lettings industry

    The role involves acting in an advisory capacity and making decisions on the strategy of ARLA as well as to promote the benefits of membership. It is a three-year post and Kate’s ambitions for the future of ARLA are fivefold:

    • To continue to strengthen ARLA’s influence at Whitehall on housing policy
    • To introduce compulsory regulation for all letting agents
    • To educate members and consumers on lettings and regulation
    • To protect members and enhance their benefits, and
    • To raise the perception of lettings as a professional career.

    It is no secret that residential lettings is Kate’s first love having established the department at Alexandre Boyes 12 years ago, and she is therefore incredibly proud of this appointment and the challenges it will bring.