renting-building manager complaint

Michy78

Hello All,

I was looking to get some advise from your expertise as i have been renting a flat for the past year and half and the building manager works for the same Estate agent i signed the contract with. The issue i am having, it is that the Building manager completely ignores everything i raise via email in regards of issues in the building and never responds to me .For example for over a year, i raised issues of dumped rubbish from one person who rented one of the garages at the back facing the flats and he never responded to me although i raised it over 6 or 7 times . Only the estate agent was coming back to me but no action was taken until one of the other flat owner in the building started complaining for a very long time . The same has happened about the gardener who is emptying the grass mower basket back in the garden and bushes when he finished. I have also been raising issues for over 6 months, with the main entrance door which is causing lot of nuisance , due to heavy slamming and he never came back to me .The agency has told me they chased this issue with him directly but i don't ever hear back from him even when i have copied him in the correspondence with the Estate Agent and he should take action. I have now sent a signed letter with proof of signature but it has been lost by Royal Mail. I find this very frustrating as my rent includes the maintenance expenses and i know my landlord is paying for it so i wonder what can i do as i already complained to the Estate Agent few times about the building manager behaviour and they are not doing anything about it. What can i do?

Thank you in advance 

Michela

TBagpuss

(a) Make a formal complaint
(b) Speak to your neighbours and all complain
(c) contact your landlord directly and raise it on the basis that you are not recieveing the services you are paying for and that the agents a/ manager are not dealing wit the issue.

macman

Your tenancy is with the LL, not their letting agent, so if the LA is not getting maintenance issues dealt with,  you should make your complaint direct to the LL.

user1977

From a legal perspective, your only contract is with your landlord. So if you're having problems with the property, you complain to your landlord (or their agent), and it's up to them to sort it out with the building manager or whoever.

eddddy

You've mentioned two different roles that the estate agent has/had:

• They found the landlord a tenant (i.e. you)
• They manage the building (probably on behalf of the freeholder, as the freeholder's managing agent)

But do they have a 3rd role as well:

• Are they managing the flat rental on behalf of your landlord (i.e. are they your landlord's letting agent)? Are they the people dealing with your tenancy on an ongoing basis?

If they have that 3rd role as well (i.e. they are your landlord's ongoing letting agent) - you're right to contact them about problems.

If they don't have that 3rd role, you should be contacting your landlord about problems.


(But it's also possible that your landlord also owns the freehold of the building! So they have 2 roles!)

Michy78

Thank you so much for your prompt responses . The flat i rent in London is managed as well as rented by the Estate Agent and within the Estate agent , the building manger has also the same domain email however he does not respond to any issue i raised in the past and i only get responses from the ladies who are owns and manage the Estate Agency.
 I don't know if the landlord is the freeholder of the building however i want to mention that my flat is a loft conversion which also has a communal water tank in the eaves connected to all  6 flats below which is not even stated in the contract. Two other flat owners complaint in regards of some other issues to the building manager and he almost acted straightaway so i am the only one he is not responding if I raise anything regarding the building he just ignores me. When i mentioned several times to the Estate agent which is have a good relationship with , that the building manager behaviour is unprofessional and unresponsive , they never comment.

I have already sent a formal letter complaining about the noise from the main entrance door which has been signed by the whole residents except one as she is moving out soon however it has been lost by Royal Mail  

P.S @MACMAN Sorry do not understand the terminology LL

Thank you

Michela

macman

LL = landlord.
I'd stop focusing on your alleged grievance with the building manager and address your complaint to the person with who you are contracted, which is the landlord.
You have no contract with the building manager, the EA or anyone else, only the landlord. 

eddddy

Michy78 said:

Thank you so much for your prompt responses . The flat i rent in London is managed as well as rented by the Estate Agent and within the Estate agent , the building manger has also the same domain email however he does not respond to any issue i raised in the past and i only get responses from the ladies who are owns and manage the Estate Agency.

You need to deal with the person who is managing your rental property (i.e. Your landlord's agent)

You don't deal with the person who is managing your building.

Even though they work for the same company, they may be completely different people.


I'd assume your Tenancy Agreement (and/or other documents) give details of who to contact and how to contact them about issues with the flat. You should follow those instructions.

Michy78

Thank you  all , I will address the complaint to my landlord as i have his email on the contract . I wanted to avoid disturbing since he is also paying the Estate agency to manage the property .I have a feeling that the building manager is family related to them and this is why they do not take action because i raised it so many times . Unfortunately the Estate Agent does not respond of certain works in the building so this door nuisance needs to be resolved by the building manager who is ignoring me 

sourpuss2021

Door-nuisances are usually people-nuisances!  

I take it there someone that slams the heavy front door behind them, instead of gently closing it behind them, and the reverberation impact rattles through the whole building?

Sometimes people do this when there's a sash-lock that requires force to close.  The door can still be closed quietly, you just need to turn the sash latch on the inside when you close it.  Or pull the door-handle firmly but quietly from the outside.

Unfortunately door-closer devices like you see on interior fire doors are not really suitable for front doors.  So I'm not sure what the solution could be, other than telling people how the door can be closed more quietly.   But this may not get you anywhere, when you have no power over them, and/or they are just inconsiderate.

Mind you, I'd have thought the hallway flat(s) were most affected by this problem - though I can quite believe that anyone who has a room at the front of the property will feel it rattle their bones!

user1977

sourpuss2021 said:

Unfortunately door-closer devices like you see on interior fire doors are not really suitable for front doors.

They can be adjusted to be less vicious. It's a common cause of complaint around here with HMO flats (where the rules require them on interior doors too), so neighbours end up hearing every time somebody enters or leaves the kitchen etc. But the springs can be tweaked.