The Client

Residential Management Company (RMC)

A group of busy leaseholders faced with taking over the Right To Manage their block of flats.

Chaos to Compliance

The Challenge: Zero Handover, Zero Compliance

When the RMC gained the right to manage the building, they received no documentation or handover from the previous agent. This left them in a state of chaos:

• Urgent Compliance Risks: There was no active insurance, fire safety records were non-existent, and compliance deadlines loomed.

• Administrative Overload: One volunteer leaseholder was scrambling to manage high-stakes tasks like securing insurance while also handling complex admin, including budgeting, invoicing, and mass communication.

• Software Limitation: The RMC was limited to an Office 365 Personal subscription, meaning they lacked the integrated tools of a full business/workspace account, forcing them to use a complex mix of Office and Google apps.

The Geek in a Cape Solution: Practical Systems & Cost-Effective Integration

We immediately stepped in to provide a flexible administrative and technical framework, focusing on using accessible, low-cost tools and expertly integrating their existing software:

• Software Strategy:

We leveraged the client's existing Office 365 Personal subscription, integrating it with external tools like Gmail and specific Google Sheets add-ons. This created a functional, robust system that met their needs without immediate, expensive upgrades.

• Finance & Invoicing:

Developed a robust budget spreadsheet and created an automated mail-merge system (harnessing the mixed app ecology) to prepare and dispatch a full set of compliant service charge invoices by the legal deadline.

• Compliance Data:

Created simple, secure digital forms, (and related flyers with QR codes for public display on site) to quickly gather vital leaseholder data (contact details, PEEPS forms, etc.), ensuring the company met regulatory requirements without expensive, proprietary software.

• Communication:

Established a clear, easy-to-use digital filing structure and communication strategy to manage all critical documents and reassure anxious residents. Created simple to use booking calendars for residents to book maintenance slots.

• Ongoing:

As time went on, supported and advised on the establishing of a robust, single environment system to streamline the management systems moving forward.

The Result: Confidence & Control Restored

Within weeks, the RMC was transformed from an anxious, non-compliant group into an organised management body.

• Compliance Achieved: Essential data was collected, and documents were organised, significantly reducing immediate legal and safety risk.

• Time Saved & Costs Contained: The lead leaseholder was able to focus on high-priority tasks, and the RMC avoided the cost of purchasing a full business software suite in the initial setup phase.

• Anxiety Reduced: Clear, professional communications restored confidence among the leaseholders and stabilised the new management.

Our broad experience meant we could provide technical setup for the forms, financial structure for the budgets, and communication clarity all at once. Crucially, we harnessed a complex, mixed ecology of software to help this volunteer RMC succeed without corporate overhead.