As the landlord the onus is on you to be compliant – with the consumer standards, with health and safety legislation, with fire and building regulations. You are responsible for ensuring any third-party managing agents that manage homes on your behalf meet all the obligations.

The Regulator of Social Housing has been highly critical of landlords for not doing enough. There has been a lack of evidence and assurance of compliance in blocks managed by agents. Improvements are needed.

However, that’s easier said than done. Managing those relationships is often complicated with different contractual terms and leases to be on top of, changing personnel and a significant amount of legislation to understand. Furthermore, leaseholders and tenants often contest the service charge costs on these properties and do not feel they provide value for money.

That’s why HQN has put together this practical workshop to help you get the most out of your relationships with your managing agents and get the assurance you need.

Our expert speakers and practitioners will explore the knotty issues involved in these relationships, tease out solutions and give practical advice with problem-solving tips.

What will be covered:

• An overview of the issues – how to get the most out of the relationship whilst keeping costs down and delivering value for money
• A legal perspective – the landlord responsibilities and managing agent responsibilities
• A managing agent’s perspective – what do they need from landlords?
• How to read your leases and enforce them
• How to manage contracts and improve your relationships – a practitioner’s perspective
• Lessons learnt from complaints to the Housing Ombudsman – what to focus on to prevent future problems.

Essential for:

• Housing association, council and ALMO staff with responsibility for third party managing agents
• Portfolio/block managers
• Contract managers and legal advisors
• Health and safety teams
• Building safety teams
• Governance, data and compliance teams
• Procurement managers
• Development teams
• Housing managers with relationships with third party managing agents
• Complaints officers dealing with complaints regarding third party managing agents
• Facilities managers
• Estate services managers.

10:30am Chair’s welcome and introduction

• Jackie Dickins, Associate, HQN

10:40am Navigating the challenges of working with managing agents

• Jackie Dickins, Associate, HQN

11:10am Common issues with managing agents

• Adrian Shaw, Group Head of Homeowner and Leasehold Support, London & Quadrant Housing Trust

11:25am A managing agent’s perspective

• Andrew Bulmer, Chief Executive Officer, The Property Institute

11:40am Break

12:00pm  A legal perspective on contracts

• Jonathan Hulley, Partner, Social Housing, Birketts

12:30pm Improving the customer experience 

• Caroline Millington, Director of Private Sector Management, Plumlife Management

1:00pm A panel discussion – navigating the challenges of working with managing agents

• Jackie Dickins, Associate, HQN

• Adrian Shaw, Group Head of Homeowner and Leasehold Support, London & Quadrant Housing Trust

• Andrew Bulmer, Chief Executive Officer, The Property Institutute

1:30pm Close

Jackie Dickins, Associate, HQN

Jackie Dickins has been an HQN Associate since 2001 and is our lead consultant for HQN’s Leasehold Network. Prior to this she held positions at a London borough and two large housing associations based in London, where she was responsible for leasehold management and promoting work in the field of low-cost home ownership initiatives. Jackie undertakes many of HQN’s service reviews and service improvement work on leaseholder and home ownership. She has also worked in interim positions with a number of local authorities, arm’s length management organisations and housing associations as Head of Home Ownership/Home Ownership Manager.

Jackie also runs pre-exam workshops at associate and member level for the Institute of Residential Property Managers (IRPM) and is delivering training for apprentices seeking associate membership of the IRPM.

Jackie is responsible for developing, and is a lead assessor of HQN’s leasehold accreditation scheme.

Adrian Shaw, Group Head of Homeowner and Leasehold Support, London & Quadrant Housing Trust

Adrian joined L&Q in June 2021 where his responsibility covers rent and service charge administration and s20 consultation. He was previously Head of Service Charges at Clarion Housing Group and prior to that was Director of Commercial & Leasehold Services for Circle Housing Group. He is an Assoc RICS and MIRPM and is a Board member of the National Leasehold Group and chairs their service charge group.

Andrew Bulmer, Chief Executive Officer, The Property Institute

A Fellow of both the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Institute of Residential Property Management, Andrew started his residential PRS and leasehold management practice in 1995-2016, taking on the role of UK Residential Director at RICS 2013-2016, then his CEO role at the Institute of Residential Property Management (IRPM), the UK’s leading body for residential property management professionals. He oversaw IRPM’s 2022 merger with the Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA), becoming CEO of The Property Institute, the new professional body formed from the merger.

Jonathan Hulley, Partner, Head of Social Housing, Birketts

Jonathan is an acknowledged expert in the field of housing and leasehold management law. He qualified as a solicitor in 2003. He is also known for advising social housing providers on best practice, policy and procedure, including the consumer standards set by the social housing regulator which housing associations have to meet.

The Property Institute is the UK’s leading professional body for residential leasehold and multi-family property management, representing both individual professionals and businesses alike. Andrew is passionate about raising standards across the property management sectors and encouraging property professionals to be a progressive and ethical force for good.

Caroline Millington, Director of Private Sector Management, Plumlife Management

Caroline completed a law degree before commencing her career in the leasehold sector in 2004, joining Plumlife as a Home Ownership Officer in 2005, when as a department they only had around 700 properties in management.  Caroline has grown with the business securing promotions until becoming the Director in 2021.

If you are unable to attend an event or public training course, please let us know in writing (email is fine) at least 48 hours before. Please email [email protected]

Otherwise, a cancellation fee of £60 plus VAT will be chargeable.

If you are using a package place to attend and do not inform us within the agreed time frame, then a place will be taken to cover your non-attendance.

Cancellations must be made in writing, and will be acknowledged by HQN Limited.