We run this autumn block maintenance checklist through every development we manage each year. September and October are among the most important months in block and estate management. That’s not because of the dramatic storms winter brings. It’s because of the groundwork that determines how well a development copes with them.
Here’s what we’re focusing on this autumn, and what directors and residents should be thinking about too.
Drainage and external fabric
Leaf fall is the single biggest cause of blocked gutters, downpipes and gulleys heading into winter. Blocked drainage is one of the quickest routes to a much more expensive repair once heavy rain arrives. Autumn is the right time to arrange gutter and downpipe clearance before leaves build up in earnest. It’s also worth checking gulleys and drainage channels around communal areas for early signs of blockage, and inspecting roofs and flat roof coverings for loose material before the first real storms.
Fire safety and communal systems
Many statutory and insurance driven checks fall due for renewal around now if we last carried them out in spring. It’s worth checking that fire risk assessment reviews are up to date and that no previously identified actions remain outstanding. We’d recommend completing communal heating, boiler and emergency lighting servicing before demand increases with colder weather. Fire door and communal escape route checks are also worth revisiting, particularly where external contractors have been on site over summer. For more on where responsibility for this sits, see our earlier piece on Directors of Residential Management Companies: Duties, Risks and Best Practice. Our guide to fire safety in blocks of flats explains who the Responsible Person is and what directors need to do.
Budget setting and AGM season
Many RMCs and RTM companies run to a calendar or April year end. For them, autumn is when next year’s budget starts taking shape. If you’re considering planned works for the coming year, particularly anything likely to trigger Section 20 consultation, it’s worth starting that conversation now. It avoids a rushed process in the new year.
If your AGM falls in the autumn, it’s also a good moment to get organised. Make sure accounts, contractor performance and any major works updates are ready well ahead of the meeting, rather than pulled together at the last minute.
Lighting and security
With the clocks changing in late October, communal external lighting gets far more use, far earlier in the evening. It’s worth checking now, while access and daylight both make it easier, that all communal external lighting works properly and that photocell or timer settings are correct. It’s also worth walking the site to spot any dark areas around entrances, car parks or bin stores that weren’t obvious in summer. Check too that access control and door entry systems work properly, particularly if they’ve had reduced footfall over the summer months.
Autumn block maintenance checklist: the takeaway
This isn’t complicated, but it’s easy to overlook until the first storm or cold snap exposes the gap. A modest amount of attention now, on drainage, servicing and forward planning, tends to save considerably more time and stress. It’s far easier than dealing with the same issues reactively in December.
If you’d like us to review where your development stands, get in touch with your Larchfield contact.
