Hemingford Road, Islington

When the tenancy eventually came to an end, a number of significant maintenance issues had developed. These included a leak from the property’s sprinkler system and problems with the air-conditioning system, which had not been serviced regularly and was no longer performing as it should.

Having invested considerably in creating the home before leaving the UK, the client was understandably disheartened by its condition when they saw the property again.

Black Brick was subsequently introduced to the client through one of our trusted insurance partners, initially with a brief to help restore the property and put the appropriate management structure in place to prevent the same situation happening again.

There was, however, an additional consideration. Rather than returning the property to the conventional rental market, the client had reached a private arrangement for friends to occupy the house. They therefore did not require a standard letting and management service, but still wanted the reassurance of a professional Property Manager overseeing the home, its maintenance and its ongoing condition while they remained overseas.

Our first priority was to understand the property in detail and establish what was required to bring it back to the standard the client expected.

Black Brick coordinated the necessary inspections and specialist contractors, addressed the immediate maintenance issues and reviewed the property’s key systems and servicing requirements. This allowed us not only to deal with the visible problems following the previous tenancy, but also to establish a proactive maintenance programme for the house going forward.

We created a comprehensive schedule of outstanding works and, drawing on our Black Book of trusted specialist contractors, arranged further inspections to identify any underlying issues that may previously have gone unnoticed. We then obtained and reviewed quotations, prioritised the works and presented the client with a clear remedial plan, budget and timeline for bringing the property back to the required standard.

With the client’s friends due to occupy the house, the works were carefully coordinated around them, allowing us to restore and improve the property while minimising disruption to their day-to-day enjoyment of the home. For our client in Hong Kong, this provided peace of mind that the entire process was being managed on their behalf, with one point of contact overseeing the property from assessment through to completion.

The next consideration was how the property should be managed for the longer term. Given the size and complexity of the house, together with the client’s private arrangement with its occupants, neither a conventional buy-to-let management service nor our second-home management service was quite the right fit. Instead, we created a bespoke management structure combining elements of both services, tailored specifically to how the client wanted the property to be occupied and cared for.

The occupants have a dedicated point of contact at Black Brick should an issue arise, while our responsibility remains firmly to the client and the protection of their asset. We undertake regular inspections ourselves, coordinate preventative servicing and reactive maintenance, oversee specialist contractors and keep the client informed of the property’s condition and any recommended expenditure.

Our involvement is not limited to arranging a contractor when something goes wrong. Our Property Manager attends key maintenance visits and servicing appointments where appropriate, developing a detailed understanding of the property’s systems and their history. This enables us to identify recurring issues, challenge recommendations where necessary and advise the client on preventative works before minor problems become costly ones.

For a client living thousands of miles away, this provides something particularly valuable: the confidence that someone who genuinely knows their home is looking after it on their behalf.

Not every property, or every client’s circumstances, fits neatly into a traditional management model.

A former family home occupied privately by friends requires a very different approach from a conventional investment property. Equally, a five-storey, high-specification London house with sophisticated mechanical systems requires more oversight than simply collecting rent and responding to maintenance requests.

Black Brick’s advantage is our ability to tailor the management around the property and the client, rather than expecting the client to fit around a predetermined service.

Our Property Managers also oversee deliberately smaller portfolios than is typical of volume residential management. This allows them to spend more time at the properties they manage, develop a detailed understanding of their systems and maintenance history, and respond personally when an issue arises.

Regular inspections are undertaken by the Property Manager themselves rather than simply outsourced, and key servicing and maintenance is actively overseen. Over time, this creates something particularly valuable for an overseas owner: institutional knowledge of the home.

Whether a property is tenanted, occupied by friends and family, used as a second home or transitioning between these arrangements, the client’s circumstances may change, but the need to protect the property does not.

For this client, Black Brick provides the reassurance of knowing that while they are living in Hong Kong, their London home is being cared for with the same attention they would give it themselves.