Butterfly_v4.jpg Retirement Accommodation Management

Introduction

Mainstay currently manages in excess of 700 retirement apartments at schemes in various locations throughout England and Wales.

Our management philosophy is the same across all our customers - to work as a team with our clients providing the information and support that they require to enable the development to run smoothly.

Mainstay can provide a tailored solution to suit your development, taking into account services required, reporting requirements and ultimately the lease and legislation. The following sections discuss our services in more detail.

An overview of Mainstay's Retirement Housing ManagementMainstay manages retirement schemes ranging in size from 30 to 100 apartments each with a diverse range of services including, 24 hour emergency response, House Manager, communal residents lounge, laundry and guest accommodation.

As members of the Association of Retirement Housing Managers we fully subscribe to their code of practice, whilst also drawing on our knowledge and experience of managing in this sector.

Our aim is to provide a calm and enjoyable environment in which our residents can relax and enjoy their retirement, whilst the day to day issues of maintaining the development are taken care of.

Day to Day Support and Information
Each of our developments has a House Manager who takes direct responsibility for day to day management, whilst being supported by a Senior Property Manager and team at head office all providing technical and administrative assistance.

Mainstay maintains accurate and ongoing records of all our schemes from correspondence with individual customers to inspection and maintenance reports for site equipment.

Emergency Assistance
Whether during working hours, evenings or weekends, an emergency response is always available to our residents. All developments have an emergency call system installed allowing residents to summon appropriate assistance whatever the problem.

Facilities Management
Our retirement management team are responsible for ensuring that all services are provided in an efficient and professional manner.

Work such as gardening, window cleaning, building maintenance and insurance are just some of the communal services Mainstay arrange on behalf of our residents.

Financial Budgets
Mainstay prepare financial budgets each year for the projected costs of each development, copies of which are circulated to all residents prior to a presentation meeting to which everyone is invited and given the opportunity to query any aspect of the budget.

In addition to this, expenditure is monitored throughout the year to check performance against budget.

Fully Audited Annual Financial Accounts
Mainstay has a team of qualified and committed service charge accountants with direct responsibility for a number of residential developments. Each accountant is ably assisted by a purchase ledger assistant and cashier to ensure that our financial records are in pristine condition.

Mainstay aims to provide all service charge accounts within four months of the financial year end although the industry standard is six months. Copies of audited financial accounts are again circulated to all residents prior to a presentation meeting at which residents can raise any queries

Health and SafetyHealth and safety management is an important and time-intensive activity and the penalties for breaches of Health and Safety Law are of serious concern.  As a result Mainstay invests heavily in ensuring that all our managements are completely compliant and safe.

Mainstay has a dedicated team who track and control all maintenance contracts and statutory inspections to ensure that these take place and any resultant works are completed.  We ensure that all systems comply with relevant legislation, any British Standards and the manufacturer’s recommendations. Through proactive maintenance and inspection, we believe this protects our managements and customers and ultimately also prolongs the working life of the equipment.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, 2005 requires for the operator of a building to ensure that a regular fire risk assessment is carried out on the structure and communal facilities. Mainstay directly employs its own team of Health & Safety consultants to carry out these activities and will ensure full complaince with this and other regulations.

Contractor monitoringThere are many contractors around who will carry out work at a low cost but provide no reassurance on their methods and often hold no insurance if the worst should happen. It is important to both Mainstay and our Clients that contractors provide a good quality service and represent value for money.

Good contractors are yet another key element to successful property management. They are often the most regular visitors to a development and their services need to be strictly defined and closely monitored.

In 2008, Mainstay took the bold decision to bring our contractor accreditation in house. This allows us to check and maintain all control systems for all contractors who work on our sites including working method statements and insurance.