Review Time
I'm genuinely concerned that this company could be intentionally mishandling property finances and invoices. We've continuously asked for proof of payments for all bills and insurance as well as any evidence to justify their own excessive invoices which they have refused to explain despite months of us attempting to get a direct response to very serious questions. Myself and the neighbours of this block each own a share of freehold via the management company and at no point have we agreed or have we been notified of any of these ludicrous charges that they are continuously failing to explain. We have asked numerous times for any basic explanations as to how our finances and property have been managed and our response is intentionally threatening with the aim to get the building to pay for excessive and completely non pre-approved finances before they allow us to receive information that we are, as owners, require and are entitled to.
I am one of the Directors who had the misfortune to appoint Advance Block Management as property management agents for our small apartment block. Little did we know at the time, but in so doing, we were saying goodbye to our peace of mind and the carefree ownership we had enjoyed up to that point. Those halcyon days were over. Right from the start, it was well-nigh impossible to contact them,and as I live in one of the apartments here, I started to be questioned by contractors who were not being paid. We then ran the gamut of every issue and complaint discussed here, from service charge payments not being recognised to lapses in our buildings insurance and registrations with Companies House. No reason or apology for these lapses was ever given. In fact,Tanya was annoyed with us for our messages and calls, which she clearly considered as hectoring. Even when I asked to make a formal complaint, I was resolutely ignored. As a result of all this, we gave 3 months’ notice on October 1st and appointed a new agent.We have now been waiting for 6 months for our new agents to receive any handover information and reserve funds which is extremely concerning.. The end is still not in sight.Unless you enjoy prolonged stress and worry, do yourself a favour and take your business elsewhere.
For clarity, this company is a trading name operated by Advance Residential Management Ltd (09312926). There is one named director who can be identified on the Companies House website.We contracted Advance Block Management in 2021 with an individual appointed as the site manager. At the end of 2022, we discovered by chance, that she had not renewed our buildings insurance leaving our block exposed to fire and other catastrophes for twelve months. Informing her manager that we did not want such an incompetent person in charge of our properties, he agreed to take over himself. We found out that at the end of 2024 on his watch, our block was unbelievably uninsured again!In June of 2024, we discovered that our management company had been struck off at Companies House. This was caused by the same manager not renewing our confirmation statement in January and ignoring the strike off letter in March. It is ILLEGAL to not renew the annual confirmation statement. It cost nearly £500 to re-register our company. Unsurprisingly, we decided to give Advance Block Management three months' notice on 1st October 2024. In the ARMA and RICS rules, “an outgoing agent must pass over any funds that aren’t needed to manage the block leading up to the handover, on or before the takeover date. The agent must also prepare reconciled accounts with itemised accruals and prepayments up to the final date of management”. Despite numerous requests from both the new agent and company directors, these two individuals have provided no funds and no accounts for six months. They also refuse to provide copies of bank statements to directors or to provide evidence that they have subscription to a government approved Client Money Protection Scheme. Not having one is ILLEGAL. There are many other examples of Advance Building Management not paying contractors, not replying to emails and telephone calls. We were virtually running the block ourselves while they just collected the service charges. They are not members of any trade body except the totally useless Property Ombudsman. If you are looking for a new managing agent, stay well away from Advance Block Management. If you are already using them, it’s highly recommended that you check your buildings are insured and that your Companies House compliance has been renewed.If you wish to raise a complaint with Trading Standards about their non certification with the CMP scheme, you have to go via the Citizens Advice Bureau. You can also email a complaint to the Financial Conduct Authority. Look for CASS compliance.We are now processing legal action against Advance Residential Management Ltd trading as Advance Block Management to recover our funds and accounts information.
Do not use this company. We have been chasing, as a building, evidence or a copy of Buildings Insurance and they will not provide. We have therefore had to change property management companies and take out a second policy. They will not reply to emails, will get invoices incorrect, and will refuse to talk to you once you raise issues with them.
I was asked to remove the last bad review as they had resolved my query, and I did as I thought things can only get better....However, the service still hasn't improved. My solicitor has been waiting over 6 weeks for a document and even after numerous attempts and emails still nothing. We were reassured (25/02) that it would be sent as soon as possible. Again, nothing. This company is a joke.Danielle has been helpful in trying to resolve the matter but unfortunately for her, she isn't able to and has just apologised profusely for the service I have received.A director has been cc'd on all the mails and despite being a "director" of the business and the one that asked me to remove the review last time, still hasn't got a rocket up his bum to sort it.It is an absolute shambles of a business, do not even engage with them as you and your buyers/sellers will have major issues when trying to purchase/sell the property.Just avoid. I will be glad when my property is sold and I never have to deal with them again.
Last year (2024) due to many unremedied breaches of contract, we replaced Advance Block Management (ABM), with a new managing agency taking over from April. ABM committed to completing a full handover – records and funds - to the new agency by September. To date, February 2025, they have not handed over any accounting information or the leaseholder funds which they still hold. Consequently, we are not able to produce service charge accounts for their final year of management or carry out any audit of their financial integrity in handling our affairs. Our new agents discovered that many budgeted bills ABM were responsible for paying had not been paid, leaving them to deal with several supplier and utility company creditors. ABM have given several false assurances that handover will occur but each time nothing happens. As far as we are concerned ABM have ‘gone rogue’ and we are forced to conclude that they have misappropriated our client funds. Two formal complaints to the company last year (regarding contract breaches and failure to handover) received no response from ABM and are currently being dealt with by The Property Ombudsman.
This is an appalling company, countless phone calls and emails. It takes ages for a reply then you end up going round in circles. They are trying to get me to pay for previous owners rent, even having said this will be corrected. Still have not got setup on their online system. Five months after moving into a new they still had the previous owner on the books. Strongly suggest avoding…
As the website won’t allow me to comment on the below message I will do so briefly here.Tanya your message is full of inaccuracies. Even via email we get no response for months. Email only became the preferred method after things began to escalate. Email ensures a written record, accountability, and clear communication while preventing misrepresentation and disputes.It is entirely inappropriate and dismissive to simply state, ‘I recommend you pay the balance,’ without addressing the legitimacy of a 175% increase.
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Advance Block Management is a professional property management company. We cover all areas and manage properties and estates
in England and Wales.
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