Darren Bagnall of Manage Your Block provides some insight into making sure your documentation is ready for the New Year.
One of the major perks of utilising Manage Your Block’s software is being able to organise and safely store your documentation. This includes leases, policies, procedures, inspection reports, insurance policies, works orders, receipts, invoices, service charge demands- the list goes on.
As the New Year approaches, now could be a great time to get on top of your paperwork so you’re ready to hit the ground running in January. Head into 2023 with organised, up to date records and a diary full of useful reminders so you don’t get caught out- here’s a checklist to help.
Inspections
Hopefully all your inspections are already carried out at a similar time of year to avoid having to plan inspector visits throughout the months. If not, now may be a good time to book them all in at once to make sure you’re up to date for the new year and so less reminders are needed.
Your list should include the following assessments:
- Health & Safety Risk
- Fires Safety
- Electrical Safety
- Hazardous Substances
- Asbestos
- Legionella
- Lift Inspection (if needed)
Once you have all your inspection reports back, Manage Your Block can help you to keep them organised and easily accessible. You can create different documentation sections and corresponding sub-sections (watch our tutorial videos for instructions) to keep things nice and tidy.
Once you’ve actioned any recommendations from the reports, you can store the works orders and invoices etc alongside the relevant report so it’s easy to produce the proof that you’ve reacted appropriately.
Policies, Processes and Procedures:
You can safely store and access all your building policies and procedures in Manage Your Block too. This could include your Working at Heights process for contractors working on the building (a key part of your responsibility to ensure a safe working environment for leaseholders, visitors and all contractors), your fire evacuation procedure, escape of water process and due diligence checklist for new contractors.
Add each one under the Procedures tab in your account and make sure to set a diary reminder to read through and update them as necessary at least once a year.
Contractor Due Diligence
Part of your role includes doing your due diligence on any contractors working on site. This includes checking that they hold the right qualifications to be able to do the job properly and safely.
Once you have assured yourself that they are qualified to work on site and complete the works to a high standard, you can add each worker as a supplier under the Works Orders/Quotes tab in your account. You can also save any documentation regarding their suitability for the work in an appropriate documentation section.
While this might seem like quite the list to tackle during the busy festive season, it will stand you in good stead come January; clearing the way for other commitments such as your statutory accounts, service charge budget approvals and any unexpected events such as resident complaints or water leaks. All we’ll say is, you’ll thank yourself later!
Manage Your Block aren’t here to tell you how to run your block of flats, but we can provide you with highly specialised software to make the management of your block much easier. Call us for more details on 0333 577 9070 or email info@manageyourblock.co.uk.