Management Companies and extension

lolo2116

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone has experienced any problems with their management company when building onto their house. We are getting an extension put onto the rear of the house - the size does not require planning permission. Our estate is 'managed' by a property management company (MC). Out of courtesy, we contacted the MC to check if they had any requirements. We were told that we needed to put in writing that our builders have public liability insurance. We did this - and now they are saying that they need to know the amount of public liability insurance the builder has. The builder has no problem giving us this info, but we are afrqaid that the MC are going to start putting obstacles in our way to prevent us from building on. If anyone has experience of this -please advise.

lolo2116

Thanks Muffler

RIRI

Hi

I have no experience with this particular issue but deal with management agencies regularly.

Legally they would require insurance information for any contractor working within the estate whether employed by themselves or a third party. They may also require a safety statement or similar. My best advice would be to give the Agent a call and ask that they email you a list of all documentation required for contractors working within the development. Your builder should have no problem supplying this (so long as they're reputible )

Hope this helps & let us know how you get on, I'd be interested to know

Best of luck

How Strange

RIRI wrote: »

Hi

I have no experience with this particular issue but deal with management agencies regularly.

Legally they would require insurance information for any contractor working within the estate whether employed by themselves or a third party. They may also require a safety statement or similar. My best advice would be to give the Agent a call and ask that they email you a list of all documentation required for contractors working within the development. Your builder should have no problem supplying this (so long as they're reputible )

TBH, this seems a bit heavy handed on the part of the MA/MC. People in apartment blocks get their apartments refurbished all the time especially after buying second hand ones. When I was an MA I never asked for all this info from owners. I would be aware of who was getting the work done and if there were any public liability risks i.e. leaving tools around or not cleaning up after themselves in common areas I would contact the owners and tell them to get it sorted out. The legal obligation is on the owners side to ensure that the contractor has public liability insurance, safety statements etc etc.

The most the MA/MC could reasonably ask is proof the contractor has public liability insurance so if one of his employees is injured or someone in the development is injured as a result of the contractors negligence then he/she is liable not the MC.

OP, I'd say you were far too obliging and conscientious in this case and while trying to do the right thing you got yourself into a situation with the MA.

The extension is at the back of the house, it's not considered a common area i.e. it belongs only to you so the most you have to provide to the MA/MC is the contractors public liability insurance details.

lolo2116

Thanks for your replies. The builder we are using is reputable and we have looked at completed work he has done so we are very confident that he will do a good job. I think you are right when you say that we were too conscientious. When I first contacted the MA, they said that they only required confirmation in writing that the builder was insured. Then they contacted me again saying that they rang their insurers and that the public liability insurance that the builder has, has to be for a certain amount - they couldn't tell me what that amount is - they are waiting for their insurers to get back to them. It seems like we were the first to contact them about this issue - although others around the estate have had work done to their house (conservatories, etc).

I will keep you posted as to how it pans out.

Thanks again.

RIRI

I should have read the post properly - didn't realise extension was to the rear of the property!

Nimina

Hi,

I cannot understand this.

I live in Fingal area - no management company.

We had a sunroom built a couple of years ago and didn't contact anyone beforehand. It didn't require planning either (12ft x 10ft).

Surely if the MA/MC requires all this stuff then why don't the county councils ask for it too? Or do they and we just didn't know!?

I am so glad I am not in a MC estate (yet anyway!) as they seem to be a law onto themselves who change the rules as they go!

Keep us posted on how this goes for you and best of luck with it!

Paulw

Nimina wrote: »

Surely if the MA/MC requires all this stuff then why don't the county councils ask for it too? Or do they and we just didn't know!?

I am so glad I am not in a MC estate (yet anyway!) as they seem to be a law onto themselves who change the rules as they go!

A Management Company would require these details because they hold the public liability insurance for the development. In an estate run by a council (say Fingal County Council) then there is generally no specific public liability insurance. The council would itself have responsibility for a whole area, rather than an estate, so the issues are actually very different.

Management Companies don't change the rules as they go. Rules are setup when the management company is formed. They are a legal company with very clear written and documented rules and regulations.

lolo2116

Paulw wrote: »

Management Companies don't change the rules as they go. Rules are setup when the management company is formed. They are a legal company with very clear written and documented rules and regulations.

The MA in my case obviously doesn't have very clear written and documented rules and regulations on the issue of building extensions that are exempt from planning permission. They initially said that all they required was written confirmation that the builders have public liability insurance. We provided this. Then they said that they rang their insurers and they need to know the amount of public liability insurance that the builder has.

This is also not mentioned in the contract we have with the MC - and when I mentioned this to the MA I was met with a silence!

So I agree with Nimina that on certain issues, the MA don't have a clue - they do make the rules up as they go along.