Communal Maintenance
As your Property Manager we like to help you look after your building, your property, your home, your investment. Many of the tenements in Edinburgh are over 100 years old and do require some tlc to keep them well maintained and fit for a further 100 years.
Our main core services cover the roof, stair cleaning and stair lighting. Roof condition reports are carried out on an annual basis. Highlighting areas for repair and maintenance. Gutters and downpipes are cleaned with missing slates and tiles replaced if necessary. Any additional communal repairs which are required for the roof will be voted and agreed on before work is carried out.
Stairs
Stairs are cleaned on a regular basis ensuring the hallways and close are safe, clean and hygienic for all who live and visit the property. And finally, the stair lighting is still the responsibility of owners to ensure that there is good light in all areas of the stair. Edinburgh Block Management replace failed or faulty lights, tubes and bulbs where necessary to ensure everyone can enter the stairs in the knowledge that there will be light all areas of the building.
Drainage
However, we all know there are more parts to a tenement building than roofs and stairs. In buildings of this age, the drains often require attention. They weren’t all made with the intention of coping with 21st century life. Sometimes the drainage issue can be as simple as the wrong items being flushed down the toilet or excess foodstuffs going down the kitchen sink. When this happens a whole building can be affected with backfill into their toilets and sinks and we all know how much of an unpleasant experience this can be for everyone involved. When this has happened previously, we inform owners of the drainage company’s findings and issue information leaflets from Scottish Water advising what items are not suitable for flushing down toilets and washing away in sinks! We would prefer the approach to be preventative rather than curative, because nobody really wants that type of backfill or the invoice for the cost of the clear up!
Door Entry
Door entry systems are a great way to ensure that the building remains secure. However, on occasion when this fails due to an individual section of the system failing, EBM give our contractors a call to remedy the issue as quickly as possible. However, sometimes we require to investigate the issue to pinpoint the cause. There are various parts which can cause issues, communal speech unit, handsets, internal cabling, service buttons etc. Door closers are also a great way to ensure safety in your buildings. Automatically closing the door on entry and exit. If the hydraulics inside the unit fail, seep oil and the door wont close properly or will bang shut. Adjustment of the hydraulics will resolve this issue in a timely manner. However, if the unit comes to the end of its life, it will be replaced. Main door keys can also cause issues with the lock itself failing. This is prone to happen when extra keys are cut and the correct standard/style of key has not been bought. The slight change in cut of key can affect the lock by misaligning the pins in the lock cylinder, thus rendering the lock difficult to open. The tell tale signs we hear from owners and tenants are something along the lines of “there’s a knack to getting this open” or “ you just need to shoogle the key a little bit before it will open”. We know all about this and the tell- tale signs of when a lock is failing. CISA lock which is an integral part of the door release system on occasion can fail to permit visitors access when the handset release button is pressed. This can be caused by rusty and worn wiring or the electric solenoid burning out due to issues with faulty handsets.
Your Property our Priority
All of the above has to add up to just a few of the main reasons why a tenement building requires a Factor to manage the communal areas for safety and security reasons. Edinburgh Block Management are here to support owners.
Your Property is our Priority.
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