The last couple of weeks have been quite busy on the Property front. Winter is always a tricky time as the cold weather plays havoc in all sorts of unexpected ways such as at our Wimbledon site where a couple of residents called into report unusually low water pressure in their flats one weekend, a call to Thames Water revealed a burst water main close by to the flats affecting hundreds of properties in the area. Luckily the main was repaired quickly & normal service was resumed.

Also at Wimbledon our lift received its annual service & passed with flying colours as did our smoke alarm & fire equipment that have received the all clear for the next 12 months. EDF also outdid themselves in terms of customer care informing me that our communal electric meter needed replacing as it had reached the end of its cycle, they called the next day to replace it & have advised me the new model will last 20 years before needing renewal, best of all this service was totally free of charge!!

On a sadder note we will shortly be saying farewell to one of our north London residents who has decided to enter a residential home because of declining health and he will be sadly missed by staff and neighbours .

I manage ScotsCare’s residential portfolio of about 90 properties over 3 sites across London, two of which are sheltered housing for the over 55’s with on-site Wardens and a small development at Wimbledon now housing younger people in full-time employment on modest wages unable to afford to buy or rent in the private sector.

My job involves dealing with responsive repair issues as they arise in individual flats, planning ahead for long-term major works on our blocks and just about anything else that rears its head in relation to the bricks and mortar of our properties. This can be surprisingly varied as I discovered today when what started out as a minor leak on a radiator in a flat at our Arnos Grove site turned into a major expedition with the plumber into the loft space to examine the water tanks, heating and plumbing pipes to trace the source of the problem. Once the problem was located he fixed it, but not before we both got covered in dust, dirt & goodness knows what else from the loft. On the plus side it was interesting to note that the loft already has significant insulation installed (to keep the heat in & the cold out) which I hadn’t found documented in the files & which our resident’s benefit from in terms of lower heating bills.

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