Ah, love is in the air! This week, Valentine’s Day has past us by and left the feeling of romance and passion in the atmosphere. And there is no lack of it in Boydens’ LEM Team – passion, that is (and maybe a little romance here and there). You see, we are all very passionate about Leasehold and Estate Management! So this month, in the spirit of Valentines’ Day, I asked each of the Department what they loved most about their role, and here are the results…

John: Making a difference.

John is our Coastal Property Manager and his portfolio is made up exclusively of blocks on the Tendring coastline. John used to renovate properties before he moved to property management and this has given him a real eye for what work is required to give a block that extra lift. John’s favourite thing about his role is seeing the difference he makes at his blocks as he puts in place works such as door, fascia, and soffit replacement programmes. He knows that his efforts have improved the surroundings of his Clients’ homes, and what could be more satisfying than that?

Tom: Our non-prescriptive service.

Tom is currently enjoying being News on the Block’s Young Property Manager of the Year 2017/18! Tom manages the Team’s most eclectic portfolio, comprised of some large developments; a number of mixed tenure developments, and some of our smallest blocks. In order to do this job effectively, Tom has to understand that one size does not fit all, and must adapt his services to suit his Clients. Tom states that one of the things he loves about working in our Department is that we understand this ethos and he has the freedom to tailor his services, thereby providing excellent care for his Clients. This probably helped him win his Award after all!

Alex: Overseeing major works.

Our Senior Property Manager, Alex, holds a BSc in Building Surveying and manages many of our more prestigious sites, including a wide range of converted buildings such as breweries and mills. Alex’s passion lies in utilising his skills by overseeing major projects at his buildings which is lucky, as he has had a hand in some huge works in his time! Whether it is refurbing lifts, scaffolding set up in rivers, or repairing wooden cladding on Grade II Listed buildings, Alex loves to be onsite making sure everything is going to plan and taking care of his developments.

Angela: Bossing people about.

Ange is our Administration Manager and the backbone of our team. Among her many achievements Ange arranges all the Annual General Meetings for the Property Managers, as well as ensuring their quarterly inspections are completed, written up and sent out to our Clients on time. Ange’s predilection for, shall we say, organising people, is put to good use and she can be a hard task master at times. Of course, it all helps to ensure that our Department and the service we offer runs like a well-oiled machine. So we love it as much as she does.

Rebecca: A zero balance.

As our Head of Client Accounts, Rebecca spends nearly all day every day dealing with numbers, so it’s lucky that this is something that gives her enjoyment. What she really loves, though, is when it all adds up and she can balance the figures perfectly. This is pretty much every time for someone as organised and talented as Becki, although for some reason she took exception when I recently suggested that her systems were so tight, she just needed to press a button to produce a perfect set of accounts.

Rob: Clearing the debts.

Rob works closely with Rebecca in our Accounts office. An important part of his role is ensuring payment of service charge. There are many reasons why people may not have paid their service charge, and Rob always approaches his role with compassion. That said, he understands the importance of getting the funds in on time to ensure that all the developments run smoothly. He says he finds nothing more satisfying than bringing down those debts – and us Property Managers are very grateful for his dedication to doing so.

And me? Well, I love working with such an effective, eclectic bunch providing a service to our Clients that we are deservedly really proud of. What more could I possibly want?