When a board appoints Essex Block Management, the first ninety days follow a set plan: the handover from the outgoing agent is requested on day one and chased until every item is in, the building is inspected, the money is moved into a client account in the building's own name, residents are written to, and the board gets a written report at the end of the quarter.
What a board can expect from us between signing and the end of the first quarter, v1, 2026-09-18. This is the plan we work to; the dates are filled in per building.
01Before the start date
- Board's notice served on the outgoing agent (their letter, our draft). Handover checklist sent the same day.
- Client bank account opened in the building's name. Details confirmed to the board by telephone, never by email alone.
- Named manager and named second confirmed to the board in writing, with direct lines.
- Servanda set up for the building: directors invited, every resident given a way to report a problem.
- Welcome letter to every owner and resident, with the privacy notice and the new payment details.
02Weeks one to four
- Site visit with a director, walking every common part, plant room, roof access and bin store. Photographed.
- Records received from the outgoing agent logged against the checklist; the first fortnightly handover report to the board.
- Every compliance certificate on file dated and diarised: fire risk assessment, electrical, lifts, water, asbestos, gas where relevant. Anything missing or expired is named to the board with a date it will be put right.
- Contracts in force listed with end dates and notice periods. Nothing cancelled without the board's say.
- Insurance schedule and reinstatement valuation checked and their renewal dates diarised.
- Open issues from residents ("reported to the last agent and never dealt with") collected and listed.
03Weeks five to eight
- Second fortnightly handover report. Money and closing accounts chased if not received.
- Budget review: the current year's budget against what the building actually spends, with anything that looks wrong flagged now rather than at year end.
- Arrears reviewed owner by owner, and the board told what we propose for each.
- The open-issues list worked through and reported on, item by item.
04Weeks nine to thirteen
- First quarterly report to the board: money, compliance, works, arrears, complaints, and what is planned for the next quarter.
- Handover checklist closed, or the board told exactly what is still outstanding and what we are doing about it.
- Second site visit if the first found anything that needed one.
- A short review meeting with the board: what has worked, what has not, and what we change.
Questions
What happens when you change managing agent?
The new agent asks the outgoing agent for the money, accounts, contracts, keys and records, inspects the building, sets up the client account and writes to every resident with the new contact details and how to pay. The board should get a written report on what was received and what is still outstanding.
How long does a managing agent handover take?
The core handover usually takes a few weeks after the old agent's notice ends; final accounts for the part year can take longer. Our checklist sets out what should arrive by when and we report on it to the board until every line is closed.
05Related
Block management in Essex, the handover checklist, the three letters, how we hold your money, the first ninety days. The free switching pack for Essex directors is at essexblockmanagement.co.uk. For a written quotation, the form takes two minutes.