Joe Mellery-Pratt, the property manager of Richmond Gate in Bournemouth was interviewed by BBC South Today 3 August, following the theft of brass dry riser valves on each floor. These valves, which are an integral part of the fire fighting system in high rise blocks, are being targeted by metal thieves and then sold for scrap. Joe explained to the BBC reporter that we picked up the theft on one of our routine inspections at the block and were now checking the CCTV footage to try and identify the culprit.

Matthew Strong the Managing Director of Rebbeck Brothers attended the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Annual Residential Conference on 2nd July. The Conference covered a wide range of issues including housing policy, economic trends based on the RICS Housing Survey and the development of international standards on ethics in the property industry. All Rebbeck Brothers staff are encouraged to attend work based courses as part of the Company’s commitment to ongoing training.

Tom and Marie attended the Regional ARMA briefing in Southampton on 3^rd June 2015. This was an opportunity to receive an update on any legislative changes and interact with professionals from similar backgrounds. The focus of the meeting was ARMA-Q where the Q stands for Quality.  This is in recognition of the type of firm that has been awarded membership meeting new Standards and operating procedures – it was highlighted that a number of previous ARMA members (including a few local ones) are no longer members following the new requirements.  There are currently only 211 members in the UK, one of which is Rebbeck Brothers Ltd. For more information please visit the ARMA website: www.arma.org.uk

After over 8 years of service to Rebbeck Brothers we congratulate Rita on her retirement.

We wish Rita good luck on her exciting next chapter in life.

We are delighted to welcome a new member to the team at Rebbeck Brothers. Marie Coles holds a degree in Business Management from the University of Surrey and is also an Associate of the Institute of Residential Property Management. Having worked in the local property industry for the last 8 years, Marie has joined us to help manage our growing portfolio of blocks.

Rebbecks Awarded ARMA-Q Accreditation – We are pleased to announce that Rebbeck Brothers Ltd. has become one of the first residential managing agents in England to achieve the highly prestigious accreditation by the industry’s trade body the Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA).  ARMA’s Chief Executive Michelle Banks has said: “Choosing the right managing agent can be a bit of a minefield. the industry’s not regulated so they don’t have to belong to a professional body or comply with specific standards. We have introduced ARMA-Q so leaseholders can be confident they are choosing a quality agent. Anyone appointing an ARMA-Q agent to manage their property can have peace of mind that they conform to high standards, are bound by a consumer charter and are regulated independently.” Find out more about ARMA-Q at:  www.arma.org.uk

Rebbecks Introduce On-Line Replies to Solicitor Enquiries –  As part of our commitment to streamline the way we manage our portfolio of properties, we have recently introduced on line replies to solicitor enquires on the sale of a flat. This means that solicitors can log onto the secure  Block Login section of our web site and down load the replies we have uploaded for them. This not only helps speed up the process but also reduces our impact on the environment by eliminating the need to print and post a large bundle of documents.

We would like to congratulate Joe Mellery-Pratt on successfully passing the IRPM exam. He now becomes an Associate of the Institute of Residential Property Management. Membership of the IRPM ensures that our staff continue to maintain high standards and allows us to keep up to date with changes in the property management industry.

As part of our ongoing commitment to embrace modern technology, we have just upgraded our telephone system. As part of this, we have introduced an encrypted call recording system. This means that all incoming and outgoing calls will now be recorded for monitoring and training purposes.

Rebbeck Brothers were delighted to have been able to support a local charity at Christmas. The staff donated boxes of chocolates and biscuits and sparkling wine to serve at a local Christmas day lunch for elderly people who would otherwise have been on their own at Christmas.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) have recently published a report after carrying out a comprehensive study into the residential property management sector in England and Wales. Overall its findings show that the market is working well, but concerns have been raised particularly with regards the transparency and communication of some property managers (if you would like to read the full report please click here

Here at Rebbeck Brothers we comply with the RICS and  ARMA Code of Practice to ensure that we communicate efficiently with our clients and are as transparent as possible…property managers accredited under the new ARMA-Q regulation regime will also ‘have the edge’ over other non-regulated firms…watch this space for news on ARMA-Q.