Saving leaseholders £5,800 on buildings insurance

Don Houston, right, with Gables Court directors at RLHA's "welcome party"

Some leaseholders are unaware that they are being overcharged for items such as buildings insurance, while others are aware that they are being exploited but don't know what to do.

When RLHA took over the management of Gables Court in Eastbourne on 19 May 2008, RLHA staff set to work to see where they could save leaseholders money. The savings we achieved surprised even our staff, who are well used to the dubious practices of many managing agents. Gables Court was previously managed by the largest management company in the land so one might reasonably imagine they could achieve better economies than RLHA, but in fact the opposite proved to be the case. RLHA has achieved the following savings on a like for like basis comparing the budget with the previous managing agent.

Alarm monitoring: £1,600 (previously £5,476)
Alarm maintenance: £1,970 (previously £4,010)
Lift maintenance: £1,000 (previously £1,500)
Insurance: £3,500 (previously £9,380)

Total savings so far: £12,296

Gables Court Director Don Houston said "RLHA's support throughout these past months has made all the difference between success and failure of our Right to Manage".