How’s your health? Why Property management health checks matter
by Claire Savill, Consultant
When was the last time you had a property “health check”?
Just like a trip to the GP, dentist or optician, a health check for your scheme is a chance to take stock, assess performance, and address any issues before they become bigger problems.
What is a health check?
A property management health check is a snapshot review of how a scheme is being run. It looks at compliance, best practice, and overall management performance, as well as the quality of customer service and resident communication. As each Block, Estate, and Community is unique we take a tailored approach to our Health Checks. We always start with a look at the lease (of course!), service charge budgets, year end accounts, section 20b notices, section 20 consultations, example resident comms and explanatory notes. As the examination continues, we delve more into the detail of engagement strategies, use of apps or portal technology, PPM planners, contract schedules, management agreements and much more.
We also like to include a site inspection to see what’s really going on and truly understand the detail, looking at cleaning standards, interactions with site staff, quality of the amenities, wayfinding and signage etc.
The health check can be as in-depth or as light touch as required and focus on one or more areas of concern or importance.
Our aim is to provide an independent assessment of performance with a pass/fail scoring system in accordance with best practise and statutory legislation plus reccomendations for improvements and a clear action plan. These reviews give clients and residents clarity and reassurance, while also supporting managing agents with practical, impartial guidance.
Why bother with a health check?
Even well-managed schemes benefit from a fresh pair of eyes. A health check gives you an honest view of how things are really going and helps answer questions like:
Are you compliant, what are the risks?
Are schemes being managed in line with leases, legislation, and best practice?
Has resident satisfaction dipped — and why?
How is the managing agent actually performing?
Has the agent become complacent?
Could resident engagement be improved?
Are residents truly getting value for money from service charges?
The aim of our impartial, risk-based approach is to give a detailed and honest picture of compliance and performance. Our health checks identify risks before they become an issue and make clear, practical recommendations for improvement.
We highlight successes to be celebrated. We know all too well property management is a thankless task.
Health checks can also provide useful performance indicators, whether that’s rewarding a managing agent for a job well done, benchmarking across a portfolio, or putting improvement plans in place where needed.
With experience on both the managing agent and client side, we know the best results come when performance is reviewed objectively and collaboratively. At the end of the day, it’s about raising standards and supporting our customers, the residents who live in these schemes.
The benefits of a health check:
Provides transparency and confidence in how your scheme is managed.
Identifies issues early and offers a sensible roadmap to remediation.
Builds trust with an independent review of managing agents’ performance.
Reduces the risk of financial or reputational damage.
Strengthens the relationship between landlords, tenants, and managing agents
Where are we seeing these improvements? A recent health check for a Housing Association client was a deep dive into the service charge management which they managed in-house. They thought they would achieve a low score but in fact their budget and year end packs were by far the best we have seen and something the private sector can learn from.
Another client wanted to consolidate the number of managing agents across their portfolio. Whilst the reporting on health and safety compliance was strong, there was little to no understanding of the Agents performance across resident engagement and customer service.
Our health checks are re-shaping the way in which they approach the relationship with their managing agents and residents. Property and service charge management is more than just compliance, of course the buildings need to be safe, but residents need to feel safe and assured their homes are in good hands.
Key areas we review include:
Lease – ensuring costs are correctly apportioned and compliant with lease terms, legislation, and best practice.
Resources – reviewing on-site and off-site staff performance, communication, and delivery against agreed standards.
Consultation – checking that supplier contracts meet Section 20 consultation requirements and protect residents’ interests.
Service Charge – assessing whether service charge administration is transparent, fair, and reasonable, with budgets tested against actuals.
Safety – reviewing health and safety compliance records, ensuring all obligations are met.
Communication & Customer Service – evaluating how well managing agents engage with residents and deliver a positive customer experience.
Following the review, we provide a clear, independent report that:
Outlines compliance status.
Highlights risks and opportunities.
Sets out practical next steps and achievable timescales for improvement.
Offers a roadmap towards compliance and better performance.