We care

Resident Information

If you live on a development which you think Brooks Estates could assist with, we would love to hear from you.

Maybe you already have an agent instructed but you aren’t getting the service you feel you should? Perhaps your residents committee, solicitor or accountants are handling the management company but don’t have time to be proactive? Are you concerned about adequate budgeting, ever-changing regulations or providing transparent accounting? It could simply be that you and your neighbours would like to see more environmentally-aware services and projects being introduced?

You ask, we answer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a service charge?

An estates management service charge is a fee that is paid to a management company to look after the public open spaces within a housing development which are not cared for by the local authority (council). These areas can include open spaces, play parks, planted areas, communal facilities, hedges, fencing, structures, car parks, roads, pathways, cycle paths, drains, streetlights and more! It’s an extensive list which requires reasonably specialist management experience and ability.

Each development is different and so will require a bespoke management package, however the main costs associated with the service charge are the landscaping and grounds maintenance, insurance of the common areas, ongoing maintenance and repairs to equipment and common areas within the development, upkeep and utility supplies to service media such as streetlighting and other powered facilities like EV charging points, accounting and bookkeeping including submission of annual accounts to Companies House, accounting for and payment of any fees or taxes due to HMRC, management costs associated with running the estate, health and safety reporting and any other costs that are outlined in the Title Transfer.

How do I know what I'm paying for?

Before the beginning of each year you will receive a service charge projection which is a spreadsheet of all costs associated with the management of the unadopted areas of your development. This will show an estimate of the costs that we reasonably think will be incurred for each item, such as groundworks, maintenance, insurance etc.

You can see from this projection how much your service charge will be for the coming year.
We will also provide a set of management company accounts that apply to your development only for the previous year, with balancing totals of what you have already paid. If we overcharged, we pay this difference back. If we have undercharged, we factor this into the next year’s bill. We have done this for a while now though and are pretty good at giving accurate figures to avoid any surprises!

Do I have to pay it and what happens if I don't pay?

The estates management service charge is outlined in the Title Transfer document for your property, which is a legally binding document that you signed when you bought your home. This stipulates what the management company must provide for the development, and that you agree to pay their fees for doing so.

If you do not pay your management fee the management company can take legal action to recover their charges, and you may have to pay legal and court fees on top. When you sell your property the management company will need to submit standard documents to your solicitor confirming that there are no service charge arrears, so this will also affect the sale of your property if you have not paid.

If you are struggling to pay your service charge please let us know as soon as possible so we can discuss your options.

What do I do if I have a problem with the estates management?

If you think there is a problem with the estates management, or you need to highlight an issue on your development, your first port of call is to email the development email address supplied on your invoices and correspondence. It’s helpful to include your account reference and / or address so that we can identify the area you are referring to.

We can then provide assistance over email, including providing details on our formal complaints procedure if required, or if neccessary we can arrange a site visit from our management team to meet with you on site and go through the issue.

Can I volunteer to help with community projects?

Absolutely! We manage various community projects such as litter picks, beach cleans, workshops, talks and presentations from local sustainability groups and consultants. If you would like to sign up to volunteer as a community representative for your development please email your development email address and we will send you more information.

How do I share ideas for my development?

We love hearing from residents with suggestions for activities, groups, workshops, projects and more. If you think you might have an idea or a suggestion which your neighbours might enjoy or find interesting please email it in! We can include this in our regular resident’s newsletter, or organise the framework to implement it. Whatever your suggestion might be – big or small – we love to hear from you!

The values we live by.

Committed to create a living space that benefits you and the environment.

Biodiversity & Environmental

Sustainability and biodiversity are becoming more and more prevalent in the development world, with ever-evolving planning requirements reflecting the importance of natural habitats and open spaces.

Open Space Management

Crucial for residents because it positively influences physical and mental health, community engagement, environmental sustainability, and overall community livability.

Community Engagement

A strong sense of community makes the developments attractive for current and future residents, knowing that they have a management company in place which truly cares about the environment that they live in.

Committed to improving your Living area

Whatever your needs, Brooks Estates can provide full, impartial advice on how to best approach the management of your development. We can offer step by step advice on how to address any issues you are currently facing, or moving to a new management agent.

Biodiversity

We are fully conversant with the implementation of Landscape Ecology Management Plan requirements and sympathetic site management along with providing full support with biodiversity net gain strategies, reporting and management.

Environmental

we collaborate with environmental consultants and conservation partners, and we enforce environmentally-aware maintenance contracts as standard.

Engaging communities

We encourage a strong sense of community which makes the developments attractive for current and future residents, knowing that they have a management company in place which truly cares about the environment that they live in. This results in a strong brand image for our developers, encouraging long-term customer loyalty and positive referrals to other homebuyers.

Open Spaces

We take care of the landscape management, environmental and travel plan implementation, service charge accounting, contractor management, annual filing and insurances to a high standard with total transparency. Sustainability and biodiversity are becoming more and more important to keep hold of natural habitats and open spaces as much as possible.