Why RTM is Essential at Putney Square

Persistent Failures in Core Services

  • Solar Panels: Not maintained, resulting in hundreds of thousands of pounds in unnecessary “maintenance” charges and the complete loss of energy savings.

  • Boilers & Hot Water: There have been repeated failures over many years which have only been addressed with costly short-term fixes leaving residents to frequently go without hot water.  This has finally been addressed with £25,000 system flush, but we have no evidence of long-term improvement.

  • Fire Safety: No records or material samples were provided, leaving leaseholders unknowingly purchasing properties that do not comply with fire safety standards. This has left many owners struggling to sell their flats.

  • Lifts: Poorly maintained and frequently breaking down, resulting in both inconvenience and additional costs.

Excessive and Unjustified Expenditure

  • £14,000 quoted for garden path replacement → The RA intervened and managed to get it resolved with a £1,000 repair.

  • £11,500 quoted for tree pruning → reduced to under £4,000 following RA intervention.

  • £14,000 per year spent on fountain cleaning → a service that should cost only a fraction of this.

  • £30,000+ quoted for bin room door replacements → unnecessary, as simple repairs would have sufficed.

  • Over £8,000 per week was charged for 24/7 Waking Watch → only overnight cover was required, and costs were wrongly passed to leaseholders before being reclaimed. If it hadn’t been for the intervention of leaseholders, the current agent would have added this to the service charge.

Lack of Accountability and Transparency

  • Unresolved Issues: For example, a spider infestation at Devonshire House was inappropriately assigned to window cleaners instead of pest control, leaving the issue unresolved.

  • Communication Failures: Encore has been consistently slow—or failed entirely—to respond to leaseholder queries, leaving residents reliant on the RA for basic updates.

  • Financial Opacity: £27,000 owed by First Port was absorbed into “budget shortfalls” by Encore, with no explanation of where the overspend occurred.

The Benefits of RTM

Control and Autonomy
Leaseholders will have direct control over how our development is managed, including the power to appoint a managing agent who acts in our best interests.  The Managing Agent will have KPI’s set by the leaseholders and will be held accountable if they are not met.

Financial Efficiency
We will be able to cut unnecessary costs, negotiate fair contracts, and ensure funds are allocated where they deliver genuine value.

Improved Standards of Service
A directly accountable managing agent will be required to deliver higher levels of service, with faster response times and more effective solutions.

Transparency and Accountability
RTM ensures that all financial and operational decisions are transparent. Leaseholders will have clear visibility of how service charges are spent.