Frequently Asked Questions
Please click on the questions below to reveal our answers to some frequently asked questions.
If your question is not covered here, why not Ask the Expert by clicking the button below.
At the end of each financial year, a summary of expenditure is prepared by an independent accountant showing income and expenditure for your property. The statements are circulated to all leaseholders.
We recognise that personal circumstances change and some property owners may find that they have difficulty in meeting service charge payment obligations. In the first instance please contact our Customer Services team to discuss payment options or email us using our feedback form on the Contact Us page, particularly if you have received a letter from our Credit Control department.
Initially, please contact our Customer Services advisors who will liaise with the Property Manager responsible for your building.
Tel: 08453 370272 (Monday-Friday 9am-5pm)
Email:
Although the Property Manager has overall responsibility for the management of your development, he or she is supported by the Luton support teams.
All communication received from customers is recorded on our property management system database, allowing any advisor to see copies of everything that we have sent by locating your address. This robust recording of information, allows us to ensure that responses are issued in a timely manner, even when individual staff members are on annual leave. It means that the Customer Service team can often resolve complaints straight away, without having to contact the Property Manager.
Tel: 08453 370272 (Monday-Friday 9am-5pm)
Email:
Although the Property Manager has overall responsibility for the management of your development, he or she is supported by the Luton support teams.
All communication received from customers is recorded on our property management system database, allowing any advisor to see copies of everything that we have sent by locating your address. This robust recording of information, allows us to ensure that responses are issued in a timely manner, even when individual staff members are on annual leave. It means that the Customer Service team can often resolve complaints straight away, without having to contact the Property Manager.
Service charges and ground rents can be paid in several ways. We accept card payment both online and over the phone (please call our Customer Services department on 08453 370272.)
We accept the following card types:
Credit Cards
Mastercard
Visa
Debit Cards
Switch Solo
UK Maestro
Visa Debit / Delta
Visa Electron
We also accept payment by Cheque or Bank Transfer.
We accept the following card types:
Credit Cards
Mastercard
Visa
Debit Cards
Switch Solo
UK Maestro
Visa Debit / Delta
Visa Electron
We also accept payment by Cheque or Bank Transfer.
We collect Service Charges in line with legal documents i.e. your Lease. However, you may be able to pay by monthly instalments in certain circumstances. Should you wish to find out more information or to take advantage of this, please contact our Direct Debit team on 01582 393700.
All invoices for Service Charges and Ground Rents are due on specified dates within the year and we will always provide a demand for payment by the respective due dates. If your account is settled by Direct Debit, the invoice will be for your information only.
We are appointed to maintain any communal grounds i.e. car parks or landscaped areas, by the Freeholder of these areas. Your Transfer document will outline your requirement to contribute towards the maintenance of these areas.
Yes. As the owner of the property when the invoice was issued, the payment is due from you in full. You should request a receipt when you pay as your solicitor will require this and will obtain a refund from your purchaser or a contribution to the cost you have incurred. If you are completing a sale prior to the beginning of the invoice period, please pass the invoice to your solicitor so that they become aware of it. For most sales, solicitors write to ask us if there are any payments outstanding. If you have not paid it is possible that this may delay your sale.
This usually occurs when a sale has taken place and your solicitor has not registered the assignment with us as required by your Lease. You should contact your solicitor immediately to ensure that the position is regularised.
Until registration has taken place, we are unable to amend the record relating to your property. However, as the owner, you are responsible for the charges and should pay these even though you may be resolving matters with your solicitor.
Until registration has taken place, we are unable to amend the record relating to your property. However, as the owner, you are responsible for the charges and should pay these even though you may be resolving matters with your solicitor.
In the first instance, we suggest you should make contact with the flat above. Quite often, they are unaware of the fault and will rectify the problem straight away. Should you experience difficulty making contact with the flat in question, please contact our Customer Services team who will contact the owner of the property advising them that there is a leak. Regrettably, OM Property Management cannot carry out any repairs to pipe work falling within the responsibility of individual owners.
Should there be any damage caused to your property and you wish to make a claim on the block buildings insurance, please contact our Customer Services Team who will provide you with the necessary information.
Should there be any damage caused to your property and you wish to make a claim on the block buildings insurance, please contact our Customer Services Team who will provide you with the necessary information.
Noise from TVs, stereos, party guests leaving the property etc. can be very frustrating, particularly late at night. Persistent noise nuisance is best dealt with by your local Environmental Health Department which has the necessary powers to deal with this and whose involvement usually provides a speedy resolution.
Under the terms of most Leases we are required to insure the whole building but not your belongings and home contents. Where your bank or building society has required you to insure through them, you should obtain from us a copy of the insurance summary details and current schedule and give this to them.
Regrettably we cannot protect a resident's individual parking space. If any vehicle parks upon it, the only person who can take action is the leaseholder who owns that space. Please contact Customer Services for further information 08453 370272 (lo-call).
If you purchase a freehold property, you will own the home and the land it is built on. There may however be a freehold company who owns the estate areas, such as communal car parking or garden areas, which we have been appointed to maintain and for which service charges are due.
There is often an adjustment to the service charge after the year end as it is unlikely that our estimate will equal the amount expended during the year. This adjustment can be a credit if we over estimate or a debit if we under estimate. If we under estimate; an invoice will be sent to you for the balance due. If we over estimate, the adjustment are credited to your account and can reduce future invoices.
It is common sense and good practice to save for future known large expenditure and the proverbial 'rainy day'. That’s why it is sensible for a development to have its own 'Reserve Fund'.
Reserve Funds are collected to help contribute towards the cost of non annual expenditure such as external and internal decorations, the renewal or major repair to parts of the building or plant and machinery such as lifts and pumps.
An amount is collected each year so that money is accumulated and available to meet either significant unexpected expenditure or other periodic repair or renewals.
The process also helps to ensure fairness, so that every leaseholder is making an annual contribution to future major works costs, even if no work is carried out whilst that leaseholder is in occupation. The leaseholder therefore shares the cost of parts of the building or equipment wearing out relative to the period he or she was an owner.
The money is held in the same way as other service charge funds in a trust account with any interest being for the benefit of the reserve fund. The money can only be spent on your development.
Reserve Funds are collected to help contribute towards the cost of non annual expenditure such as external and internal decorations, the renewal or major repair to parts of the building or plant and machinery such as lifts and pumps.
An amount is collected each year so that money is accumulated and available to meet either significant unexpected expenditure or other periodic repair or renewals.
The process also helps to ensure fairness, so that every leaseholder is making an annual contribution to future major works costs, even if no work is carried out whilst that leaseholder is in occupation. The leaseholder therefore shares the cost of parts of the building or equipment wearing out relative to the period he or she was an owner.
The money is held in the same way as other service charge funds in a trust account with any interest being for the benefit of the reserve fund. The money can only be spent on your development.
As the current owner, you are now liable for making this payment. However, your solicitor should have made arrangements to cover this contingency, usually by retaining an amount of the money due to the person who sold the property to you. You should check this with your solicitor.
We aim to do our best to provide a good service, in a polite, efficient and fair way but we understand that sometimes things can go wrong.
We take all complaints about our service very seriously and will endeavour to deal with your complaint promptly. To ensure that we have all the facts necessary to investigate your complaint, we ask that you follow a simple step-by-step procedure, which will enable us to expedite your complaint to a mutually satisfactory resolution.
To view a copy or download our customer complaints procedure please click here.
We take all complaints about our service very seriously and will endeavour to deal with your complaint promptly. To ensure that we have all the facts necessary to investigate your complaint, we ask that you follow a simple step-by-step procedure, which will enable us to expedite your complaint to a mutually satisfactory resolution.
To view a copy or download our customer complaints procedure please click here.
If you’re looking to rent your property you should be aware that most leasehold properties require consent to sublet; full details of your obligations will be contained in the terms of your lease. If this is the case then please contact us with a written application form, as we are obliged to have full details of tenants in order to comply with the lease terms of the building or development.
Most Leases state that you should obtain consent and that the sub-tenant should enter into a 'direct deed of covenant' to ensure the sub-tenant complies with the general terms and regulations contained within the Lease.
Please note you need to pay reasonable solicitor's costs for the preparation and completion of the 'deed of covenant' and that there will be an administrative charge for the issue of the appropriate consent. These fees are set out within the application form.
In order to protect the other residents in the building and to comply with the terms of the Lease, references are required and the letting must be to a specific person.
Most Leases state that you should obtain consent and that the sub-tenant should enter into a 'direct deed of covenant' to ensure the sub-tenant complies with the general terms and regulations contained within the Lease.
Please note you need to pay reasonable solicitor's costs for the preparation and completion of the 'deed of covenant' and that there will be an administrative charge for the issue of the appropriate consent. These fees are set out within the application form.
In order to protect the other residents in the building and to comply with the terms of the Lease, references are required and the letting must be to a specific person.
Some Leases have an absolute ban on any pets, or certain specified animals. Other Leases allow pets provided consent is obtained beforehand. In these cases a written consent is required.
Where you wish to have a cat or dog, please write to us for consent. In the case of a dog, we would normally require a photograph to ensure that it is a breed which is consistent with living in such a property. The written consent is given subject to what are termed 'good neighbour' conditions, details of which can be obtained from our Customer Service Team.
Where you wish to have a cat or dog, please write to us for consent. In the case of a dog, we would normally require a photograph to ensure that it is a breed which is consistent with living in such a property. The written consent is given subject to what are termed 'good neighbour' conditions, details of which can be obtained from our Customer Service Team.
We can help you find the ideal tenants and manage the lettings process through our partner company Insero Lettings a trading division of Peverel OM Ltd.
Insero is experienced in lettings for every size and type of property and uses a network of the best local estate agents to find the right tenants, offer specialist advice and help customers get the most out of letting. As members of the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), Insero aims to exceed expectations at every stage in the lettings process.
To find out more please visit their website www.insero-lettings.co.uk
You can also contact the Insero team on 0845 034 5792 (lo-call) or email them on
Insero is experienced in lettings for every size and type of property and uses a network of the best local estate agents to find the right tenants, offer specialist advice and help customers get the most out of letting. As members of the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), Insero aims to exceed expectations at every stage in the lettings process.
To find out more please visit their website www.insero-lettings.co.uk
You can also contact the Insero team on 0845 034 5792 (lo-call) or email them on
The Service Charge payable for a given year is based on an estimate of costs,
so property owners will pay an estimated Service Charge on-account. Once the
actual costs incurred during the Service Charge accounting year have been
calculated, they are set against the estimated costs to establish whether there
was a surplus or deficit of funds.
The difference between the actual and estimated costs represents the Service Charge adjustment. This is then added to each property owner’s Service Charge account in the form of a credit, where there is a surplus of funds for the year, or a debit if there is a deficit of funds. It is a covenant within each Lease and Transfer that the Service Charge adjustment is paid on demand.
The difference between the actual and estimated costs represents the Service Charge adjustment. This is then added to each property owner’s Service Charge account in the form of a credit, where there is a surplus of funds for the year, or a debit if there is a deficit of funds. It is a covenant within each Lease and Transfer that the Service Charge adjustment is paid on demand.
All funds paid on account are paid into a named, interest-bearing trust
bank account which is specific to your OM development and protected
by trust legislation. The account is independent of the trading accounts
of OM Property Management and any money paid into this account can
only be spent on your development. The account balance accumulates
interest and the accounts for each period will reflect any interest
accumulated within the year.
The terms of your Lease or Transfer requires you to contribute towards
the upkeep of the development from the date of the legal completion of
your purchase. Whilst the development may not be fully completed and
OM Property Management may not have commenced their management
duties (in full), the purchaser remains under covenant to pay the Service
Charges demanded. This is an on-account payment until actual
expenditure is known. However, during this period we endeavour
to be flexible and may agree reduced on-account payments where
appropriate. Our Customer Services department will be happy to
discuss this, should you require further clarification. Please call the team
on 08453 370272 (lo-call).
Advance Billing ensures that funds are held for initial expenses e.g. insurance costs, and to pay contractors once the development becomes fully managed by OM Property Management. It is also important to ensure that the development’s bank account does not become overdrawn; thereby incurring extra charges which may further increase the Service Charge. Upon the certification of the first set of annual accounts, any surplus Service Charge funds are redistributed back to the property owners in accordance with the relevant covenants contained within their Lease or Transfer.
Advance Billing ensures that funds are held for initial expenses e.g. insurance costs, and to pay contractors once the development becomes fully managed by OM Property Management. It is also important to ensure that the development’s bank account does not become overdrawn; thereby incurring extra charges which may further increase the Service Charge. Upon the certification of the first set of annual accounts, any surplus Service Charge funds are redistributed back to the property owners in accordance with the relevant covenants contained within their Lease or Transfer.
If you purchase a freehold property, you will own the home and the land
it is built on. There may however be a freehold company who owns the
estate areas, such as communal car parking or garden areas. If you buy
a leasehold property you are actually buying the rights to live in a
property for a set period of time. You won’t actually own the structure,
or the grounds it is situated on. Most flats are leasehold.
OM Property Management has been appointed to maintain any
communal grounds i.e. car parks or landscaped areas, by the Freeholder
of these areas. Your Transfer document will outline your requirement to
contribute towards the maintenance of these areas.
If your property is insured through OM Property Management under our
Residential Insurance Policy and you have a query relating to a claim, or
wish to make a claim, please call our dedicated Insurance Claims Line
on 08458 725729.
Property owners can also access the policy document itself at their development homepage on OM Online.
If you have a query relating to insurance matters other than claims, please telephone Kingsborough Insurance Services on 01425 632341.
Property owners can also access the policy document itself at their development homepage on OM Online.
If you have a query relating to insurance matters other than claims, please telephone Kingsborough Insurance Services on 01425 632341.
Most Leases state that you should obtain consent and that the subtenant
should enter into a ‘direct deed of covenant’ to ensure the subtenant
complies with the general terms and regulations contained within
the Lease.
In order to protect the other residents in the building and to comply with the terms of the Lease, references are required and the letting must be to a specific person.
You are required to pay reasonable solicitor’s costs for the preparation and completion of the ‘deed of covenant’ and an administration cost to us for dealing with this matter. These fees are set out within the application form.
In order to protect the other residents in the building and to comply with the terms of the Lease, references are required and the letting must be to a specific person.
You are required to pay reasonable solicitor’s costs for the preparation and completion of the ‘deed of covenant’ and an administration cost to us for dealing with this matter. These fees are set out within the application form.
Please be aware that most leasehold properties require consent to
sublet. A written application must be made to our office and an
administrative charge may be made to issue the appropriate consent.
No consent will be issued if there are any outstanding charges.
The address to write to can be found on the final page of this brochure
or on our website www.ompropertymanagement.co.uk. (A standard
application form can be sent on request.)
Our Property Transfer department deals with all queries relating to sales
and remortgages and will liaise directly with your solicitor throughout the
process. If you are intending to sell or remortgage your property, please
ensure your solicitor advises us in writing well in advance of completion.
As the managing agent, OM Property Management is responsible for
the maintenance/repair of the common parts of building, grounds and
shared services but not for repairs within an owner’s individual property.
If an emergency occurs within the communal areas of the development,
please contact Customer Services on 08453 370272 (lo-call) during
normal office hours. Outside of office hours you will be referred to the
‘Out of Hours’ service, which will be able to assist and offer advice.
Some emergency situations may require the appointment of
contractors to attend the site; other situations may be covered by our
insurers, in which case your call will be referred directly to the insurers.
Firstly, please check the electrical distribution board within your
property to see if any of the trip switches are in the ‘off’ position and
try turning them on again. If the problem persists, you may well have
an electrical problem within your property. As the managing agent,
we are not responsible for attending to private repairs within individual
properties so you should appoint a qualified electrician to investigate
the problem further.
Residents of apartments should also check the common electrical services within the building are in operation, (such as the lighting in the communal areas) and contact your neighbour. If these electrical supplies are not working either, there may be a major problem or power cut. In the event of a power cut, it is advisable to contact your local electricity supplier by telephone as they often provide a recorded message to advise customers of the nature of the problem and the time scale within which they expect to resume normal service. If you are still unsure of the best course of action, please contact OM Customer Services on 08453 370272 (lo-call).
Residents of apartments should also check the common electrical services within the building are in operation, (such as the lighting in the communal areas) and contact your neighbour. If these electrical supplies are not working either, there may be a major problem or power cut. In the event of a power cut, it is advisable to contact your local electricity supplier by telephone as they often provide a recorded message to advise customers of the nature of the problem and the time scale within which they expect to resume normal service. If you are still unsure of the best course of action, please contact OM Customer Services on 08453 370272 (lo-call).
In the first instance, you should make contact with the occupant of the
flat above. Quite often, the occupier is unaware of the fault and will
rectify the problem straight away. Should you experience difficulty
making contact with the offending flat, Customer Services will arrange
to contact the owner of the property advising them that there is a leak.
Regrettably, OM cannot carry out any repairs to pipe work falling within
the responsibility of individual owners.
Should there be any damage caused to your property and you wish to make a claim on the block buildings insurance, please contact our Customer Services Team on 08453 370272 (lo-call) who will provide you with the necessary information.
Should there be any damage caused to your property and you wish to make a claim on the block buildings insurance, please contact our Customer Services Team on 08453 370272 (lo-call) who will provide you with the necessary information.
Most Leases and Transfers include covenants that prevent alterations
to either the plan or the elevations of the property without the prior
written consent of the managing agent. Such alterations include
replacing windows, the removal of internal walls, installing external
lights or the construction of an extension. The purpose of these
covenants is to maintain the structural integrity and aesthetic
appearance of the building and to adhere to other restrictions.
If you wish to make an alteration, you should apply to us in writing,
including appropriate plans and specifications for the intended work.
An administration charge is made to cover the processing and inspection
of applications. The alterations may also require local authority planning
approval and we would require copies of any consent to proceed.
Property Managers regularly visit the developments and will take
appropriate action where it is found that alterations have taken place
without the landlord’s consent. Such action may include ensuring that
the property is returned to its original condition at the owner’s expense.
Yes, OM Online is a password-protected website. The process of
logging in is made secure by encrypting your login details via a secure
SSL security certificate. Once logged in, all the subsequent pages that
are viewed are secure and encrypted. If you use an incorrect password
five times, the system will temporarily lock your account effectively
preventing unauthorised access.
When making a card payment you will be connected to the Sage Pay secure server to verify the transaction. Sage Pay provides an extremely secure, state of the art internet payment service platform. Its services, which have been audited and approved by all major UK acquiring banks, are amongst the most advanced in the industry. Sage Pay employs very high levels of encryption, backed by VeriSign, to find, connect, secure and transact online business.
When making a card payment you will be connected to the Sage Pay secure server to verify the transaction. Sage Pay provides an extremely secure, state of the art internet payment service platform. Its services, which have been audited and approved by all major UK acquiring banks, are amongst the most advanced in the industry. Sage Pay employs very high levels of encryption, backed by VeriSign, to find, connect, secure and transact online business.
If you own or rent a property at a development managed by
OM Property Management, you can register online for an individual
OM Online account.
To register, simply visit www.ompropertymanagement.co.uk, click through using the button on the homepage and follow the easy steps.
To register, simply visit www.ompropertymanagement.co.uk, click through using the button on the homepage and follow the easy steps.
Should you experience a problem trying to make an online payment
via OM Online, please check you have correctly entered your details.
If you continue to have problems, please consult your card issuer.
Occasionally, card issuers will prevent online payments being made.
There are several possible reasons for this:
1) There are insufficient funds on the card
2) The transaction is for a high or unusual value
3) The card has been reported lost or stolen
4) The card number is incorrect or the account is closed
There are several possible reasons for this:
1) There are insufficient funds on the card
2) The transaction is for a high or unusual value
3) The card has been reported lost or stolen
4) The card number is incorrect or the account is closed
Please contact the Website Support team at
All comments and suggestions relating to the “Your Property Online”
website should be sent to our Website Support team at
Where leasehold properties are sublet to a tenant, correspondence
relating to the property is generally sent to the owner at their main
residence. In other cases, the owner may request that correspondence
is sent to a letting agent. In this instance, it is essential that the property
owner advises our Customer Services department of alternative contact
details, in writing by letter or email.
Property owners can also notify us of a change to their correspondence address by using the ‘Your Profile’ section of OM Online.
Property owners can also notify us of a change to their correspondence address by using the ‘Your Profile’ section of OM Online.
To make a change to the name of the registered owner, please contact
our Customer Services department on 08453 370272 (lo-call)
Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm.
The name of the account holders should always reflect the registered owners of the property. Therefore, we ask that any change to our records is supported by legal evidence noting the change e.g. a marriage or deed-poll certificate. If the registered property owner is a company, then any change in the company name should be evidenced with a certificate of name change.
The name of the account holders should always reflect the registered owners of the property. Therefore, we ask that any change to our records is supported by legal evidence noting the change e.g. a marriage or deed-poll certificate. If the registered property owner is a company, then any change in the company name should be evidenced with a certificate of name change.
