Factors in Scotland

Doomcow

(feel free to move this if you think its in the wrong forum!!!)

Just a quickie.

My factor (Hacking & Paterson), suck donkey balls. i wont go into it in too much detail, but they keep getting more expensive every month, and at christmas the quarterly bill was up to a whopping £160+.

The factor charges us £170 per quarter to clean the common windows, not bad but it works out at £5 per window - bear in mind this window is at maximum 1m x 1m in size.

also, the company cleaning the windows comes from about 40minutes drive away to do it (this is the same company that has the contract to clean the stairwells - coincidence?)

not only that, its a £30 / quarter management fee, which ends up beign no small amount.

My question is:
why are the factors ripping us off so much?
how do they get to rip us off so much?
what can i do to change this?

i asked them if they got quotes from any other companies more local and was told in no uncertain terms there wasnt and there'd be no chance of it.

finally, to finish, a neighbour recently installed a satellite dish (against deed of conditions), to which my factor said there was nothing they could do about it, yet any time i ask about x, y, or z, they state that i must pay up because deeed of conditions says i have common liability.

anyone can help???

jennifernil

our student daughter has a flat in the west end of glasgow which is factored, we pay the bills. we changed factor a few years back as the original ones were utter rubbish. since then bills have reduced. you need to read your agreement, most allow for a change if the majority of owners agree, so call a meeting and see what the others think. we went with forsyths and they seem to do a good job, they are a small family run firm.

we pay £40 per month plus property insurance, sometimes there is extra to pay, the building has a few issues, and a lift which is expensive.

the factors fee is £25 per quarter (included in the £40 per month)

your agreement should state your rights. ours says we can demand to see invoices, expenditure over a certain amount has to be agreed by all owners and competitive quotes must be obtained. for routine stuff the factor has firms they reckon reliable, but if a majority of owners want it, then other quotes must be obtained.

Euphoria1z

if your not happy with your factoring agent, then you and the rest of the people that are in the building need to write a letter to the agent raising your concerns and get them changed. im not sure what percent, but the majority needs to be in agreement that you wish to change factors. they can rip you off beause i believe there not regulated, im sure i read this in the metro.

bathgatebuyer

The OFT have recently been investigating property factors following loads of complaints. There was a Frontline Scotland programme about this roughly a year or so ago.

Thankfully I only deal with commercial property management which is controlled by the RICS as we're required to be members. The same doesn't exist for residential firms, although there is an organisation set up called the Property Managers Association Scotland who are mean to provide an accreditation system. How effective that is, I don't know.

Check your title deeds and it will tell you how you can change and what the ratio of any vote has to be, period of notice, etc.

I'm surprised that Hacking and Paterson don't regularly tender for the works they do for you - as if any excuse was needed to change, you have it right there! On a personal note, the block I live in has a requirement that all duties undertaken by the factors will be in accordance with the principles of 'good estate management' which would, in my professional opinion, include checking that the contracts put in place are both competitive and being performed. Check your titles to see whether there is anything in it in relation to the tendering of contracts and the management of these. The don't have to go for the cheapest, but it would be normal for them to justify this if a job is taken on an output specification rather than cost.

Good luck!

Edit - http://www.hackingandpaterson.co.uk/hacking.pdf

Note the section on Communications in which it says that they will provide info on contracts and their specifications. I would take them up on that. Ask if they use an Approved Contractors List and ask on what basis they appoint contractors. Disappointing if their service drops below what would generally be expected as they are a well known firm.

Oh, the Property Managers Assocation I mentioned have a website which also contains details of what to do if a satellite dish has been installed by a neighbour. In their words: My neighbour has erected their own satellite dish, can the factor get this removed? There are two issues here 1) did your neighbour obtain appropriate Planning Consent from the Local Authority. 2) Has the aerial/dish been attached to the building in contravention of the Deed of Conditions? Factors have no authority simply to have the aerial/dish removed. However we can assist by suggesting an appropriate course of action towards removal of the offending aerial/dish. That certainly sounds less than H & P offered you and they are members of this association so certainly point them in the direction of that particular part of the PMAS website!

SP123_3

H & P were the factors for th flat I used to live in. I thought their service was dire, they wouldn't return calls or provide info when requested, and they were expensive. They sent the bills promptly enough though!

Our flats (which were newly built at the time) also had a clause about satellite dishes. Needless to say, the first dishes appeared less than a year after the flats were built. I complained several times to the factor, but by the time we moved out 3 years later, every block was covered in dishes.

Not impressed at all. To be honest, I think the only way round it is to buy a property with no factor. When we moved, I made a point of asking that question at viewings. I don't know if other factrs are better, but I would never buy a house where H&P were the factors again.

JoyMo

Have recently decided to take the leap and get rid of Hacking and Paterson after 4 pipes burst in the shop unit downstairs, leaving the entire stair without water for 4 days - and our factor did nothing. This is just the latest in a long line of instances where H&P have done nothing and refused to answer any calls. A previous threat to remove them as factor did result in a call from a bullish company director, but apart from that, the owners have been paying a management fee of £120 plus VAT pa for a non-existent property management service. We are changing to D&I Scott, who have been recommended to us, and who charge a management fee of £96.00 plus VAT. Their number is 0141 649 1011 and I strongly recommned that Glasgow tenement owners change over from H&P as soon as possible. The Title Conditions Scotland Act and Tenements Scotland Act have made it easier to do so - only a majority of owners is required to agree, previously unanimity was required, but check title deeds in case they say something different.
Not having Hacking and Paterson as your property factor is also a definite plus when marketing your property. When getting rid of them, insist on the immediate return of the "property float" that will have been taken in the first invoice. If they do not return it - go straight to a small claim. These people have had it good for too long.

scotsbob

JoyMo wrote: »

We are changing to D&I Scott, who have been recommended to us,.............and I strongly recommned that Glasgow tenement owners change over from H&P as soon as possible.

As you have not yet changed over, it may be better to wait until they have been your factors for a few months before suggesting everyone else move "as soon as possible"

A recommendation from satisfied, rather than prospective, customers always carries more credibility, especially from a first time poster.

tbs624

Looks like the usual self promoting posts, in two separate threads

New poster
Forum grave digging - these 2 threads were last posted on 10months ago
Much detail on company being recommended

Perhaps Joymo has a personal connection to Scotts?

missile

£160 per quarter does not seem unreasonable to me. However it depends on what they do?

We pay £59 per month and get a regular statement detailing where the money has been spent.

crathesway

where do i start. its a long story. recently we got a bill for renewing our light sensors (that no one complained out) i live in a block of eight blocks of nine. we recently got the bill for renewing all the light sensors as they were faulty, in a three year old building, in all four towers that are currently been realeast by ogilvey homes. all 27 of us got charge a milleage charge and call out charge. none of us contacted them to complain about the timers as we all new that the clocks had just changed, £100.00 per house £2.700 for what. they are crooks. i can go on for hours - will you listen, we have been conned and pushed against your will against a bunch of crooks, they asked for a meeting with the residents, and then had the cheek to invoice us for the venue - crooks-crooks - crooks - at least turpin wore a mask.