At Hazelvine, we have our own in-house insurance specialists, with many years of experience in the insurance industry. Each year, in association with our brokers Bluefin, we source comprehensive insurance policies, with a bespoke wording, to offer extended cover that offers real value for money.

We specialise in building insurance for blocks of flats, often referred to as block insurance. The lease will normally require the landlord to take out adequate insurance for the building and common parts, and will give them the right to recover the cost of the premium through the service charge.

Our Insurance Service covers the following:

• Comprehensive quotations and high level of service
• Bespoke policy wording for building insurance
• Comprehensive cover (commercial ‘all risk’ including accidental damage, theft, subsidence and terrorism – with the terrorism extension)
• Index linking to maintain an adequate ‘sum insured’ in between periodic revaluations
• Dedicated claims handling
• Hazelvine is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority

Our building insurance policies cover the following risks to the building (known as insurable perils)

• Escape of water
• Fire / Flood / Storm
• Subsidence or heave
• Vandalism
• Theft
• Accidental damage
• Impact damage
• Public liability
• Loss of rent
• Terrorism

We also advise on the following:

• Director’s and Officer’s Insurance (D&O)
• Engineering insurance
• Contents insurance
• Extended buildings insurance cover for properties that are sublet
• Buildings insurance revaluations

For more information, please contact insurance@hazelvine.com

A landlord or Residents’ Management Company (RMC) can only meet their obligations to provide the services specified in the lease if they have an adequate cash flow. This depends on leaseholders meeting their service charge liabilities in a timely fashion.

If your block experiences stubbornly high levels of arrears, our sister company Allsquare Legal Limited (Allsquare) can help you. They have years of experience in debt recovery generally, and specific detailed knowledge of property debt/arrears, whether of service charges or Ground Rents. The reason the Qdime Group established a firm of solicitors to service the legal needs of the group’s three property management businesses, is because slow payers take more notice when they receive a letter from a firm of solicitors.

Regulated by the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority, Allsquare know how to deal with leaseholders. They take a firm and proactive approach, but are mindful to be courteous at all times. Neighbours still have to live together, so while the arrears need to be collected, they hope to maintain good neighbourly relations.

By using a firm of solicitors early on in the credit control process, where there is a need to escalate a case to the courts, this can be done seamlessly and quickly.

Allsquare Legal Limited can be contacted on 01628 200 215, or at mail@allsquarelaw.com.

Allsquare is part of the Qdime Group.

Legal services for Hazelvine are provided by Allsquare Legal Limited (Allsquare) solicitors. This includes dealing with property transfers and debts.

Allsquare provide the following services to the Qdime Group and other clients.

• Property Transfers:  Collating and providing a pack of sales information from your property management company (also known as replies to leasehold property enquiries).
• Debt:  Pursuing payment of outstanding service charge or ground rent.
• Consent and Permission:  Obtaining the landowner’s agreement to changes you may wish to make.
• Notice Due under your Deeds:  Administering any notices due to ensure you remain compliant with the requirements of your Lease.

You do not need to be a client of Hazelvine to use the services of Allsquare.

Allsquare’s website can be found HERE. They can be contacted on 01628 200 215, or at mail@allsquarelaw.com.

Allsquare are part of the Qdime Group and are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Although a private limited company no longer needs to appoint a Company Secretary, the duties a company secretary would normally perform, still need to be performed. As a consequence, most RMC’s still appoint a Company Secretary.

Our sister company, Q1 Professional Services Limited, act as company secretary and Registered Office for many resident management companies. They ensure the company remains compliant with the requirements of the Companies Acts, and deal with the following:-

• Maintaining shareholder registers, directors, members and other statutory records.
• Advice on dispensing with selected administrative formalities under the Companies Act 2006
• Arranging an Annual General Meeting, unless dispensed with
• Submitting the accounts to Companies House
• Completion of the annual Confirmation Statement (formerly Annual Return)

The company secretarial team at Q1 Professional Services is headed by a qualified solicitor, and all the team have many years’ experience in company secretarial duties.

Q1 is part of the Qdime Group.

Health & Safeth services for Hazelvine are provided by Q1 Professional Services Limited (Q1).

Their team of qualified professionals carry out both Health & Safety & Fire Risk Assessments, which is a legal requirement where there are communal/common areas of flats/buildings of multiple occupancy.

The assessment charges are based upon the number of dwellings and comprises of detailed and fully documented reports in full compliance with the regulatory reform (Fire Safety) order 2005 and the RICS Code of practice – 3^rd Edition.

The duty to comply with health & safety regulations falls on the landlord or person responsible for managing the building. That could be a managing agent, a Residents’ Management Company (RMC) or a Right to Manage Company (RTM).

Health & safety should never be ignored or dismissed simply because it costs money. The cost of failing to comply if there’s an accident or injury could be far greater.

Regular Risk assessments and Health & Safety checks are a must. Our team of specialists are available to provide this service so you can rest easy.

Take the risk out of safety and call our team today. Health and safety is not just relevant to the home owner, it also applies to those that work in and around your home. Make it safe and de-risk your environment.

If you would like to know more about our services, and how we work, please contact us.

Q1 is part of the Qdime Group.

Surveying services for Hazelvine are offered by Q1 Professional Services Limited (Q1).

We are based at offices at Bourne End and operate mainly across the South of England, London, Bristol & Wales.

We offer a traditional approach to Surveying, coupled with experienced staff who are able to negotiate any agreement that will achieve best value for the client and provide a high level & quality of service once appointed.

Examples of our services include:

Specifications for all building works

Contract Administration

Site Supervision

Providing CapEX Information for budgetary purposes.

If you would like to know more about our Surveying services, and how we work, please contact us.

Q1 is part of the Qdime Group.

Hazelvine can offer the complete Residential Property Manager solution, delivered by our team of expert professionals OR, if you don’t need the full service, we can offer whichever part of the service you may require.

The Admin Only Service is aimed at groups of residents and blocks that want to be responsible for the day-to-day management of their block themselves, yet need someone to (a) manage the accounting paperwork and (b) act as an independent third party to hold and administer the block’s funds. The service works as follows:-

• The prerequisite after you sign up for the service is we need to set up the details of your property/Estate on our property management software. The information required is:-

1.  Legal structure of the site with an address for each unit.
2.  Current resident, and their address if not at the property.
3.  Details of the lease for each unit, as to what charges are due; the percentage  apportionment; is interest payable?
4.  A current/previous budget showing the heads of expenditure and whether there are  various apportionment headings.
5.  We would open a separate bank account in the name of the site, so all monies would  be held in Trust in compliance with Landlord & Tenant legislation, ensuring your  money is always kept separate from other sites.

• You provide us with the agreed Service Charge budget for the year. This would be loaded onto our system, and service charge demands would be raised appropriately.
• Money would be paid out to contractors only when authorised by you.
• Regular reporting, usually monthly, but could be more frequently if required, covering Income and Debtors; Expenditure and Bank Balances, are delivered to your personal account under our MY ACCOUNT portal. [Full access would be given to MY ACCOUNT enabling residents the opportunity to make payments online, at any time].
• At the end of the year, fully detailed Service Charge accounts would be prepared and independently certified.

The service does not envisage us having any involvement in managing the property, but if the need arose, access to any of our services would be available to you on an ad hoc basis.

If you would like to know more about our Property Management – Admin Only Service, and how it could work for you, please contact us.

Accounting for service charges and service charge accounts in the property industry is a specialist area that requires expertise and an understanding of the sector. Through Q1 Professional Services Limited  (Q1) we are able to offer this service in line with the Landlord & Tenant Acts and RICS code of conduct.

We have the best accountants who are experts in this industry together with a property management system to provide accurate reporting.

To ensure best practice the following guidelines are followed:

• Ensure that the Service Charge Accounts can be produced and circulated within 6 months of the end of the accounting period.
• Review the clauses in the lease regarding the obligations to prepare and circulate the Service Charge Accounts and the requirement to have an ‘audit’ carried out.
• Ensure the tenants, Residents Association, landlord and managing agents fully consider and discuss, the wishes and needs of the tenants regarding the need for a statutory audit or merely an independent accountant’s review of the Service Charge Accounts, with regard to any additional cost.
• Ensure that RMCs and RTMCo’s statutory accounts exclude the Service Charge Accounts and trust bank account

Q1 is part of the Qdime Group.