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This website is maintained for the benefit of Smartbourne Property Management stakeholders to keep them properly informed, and not those who would rather that the stakeholders had little if any say, and otherwise kept in ignorance, etc.
For full access to underlying detail please email admin@smartbourne.org from any gmail account, please also include your your flat number, such access will only be granted to Smartbourne shareholders.
As you can see the building remains unchanged from when built at the start of the 1960's, it has the same roof, and the same windows, etc. It is tired. The life expectancy of roof and windows have now long past and will soon require expensive repairs for which their is currently no available funding.
At some point the original doors were changed. The front door and frame of block 13-18 was allegedly replaced again in 2020.
All the resident shareholders still have original electric panel heating.
Encore Estates (EE) is the company that manages the building, the directors have never tested the market for best value.
EE claims it is Making Places Better, and who, as property owners themselves have first-hand experience of poor estate management - and the impact it has on leaseholders.
EE is a member of ARMA and should have successfully achieved ARMA Accreditation and is required to comply with the ARMA Bye-Laws, RICS Code, relevant legislation and ARMA Consumer Charter & Standards.
Remember the proverb that a stitch in time saves nine? According to ARMA (here):
A well-managed reserve fund benefits everybody. The landlord can plan for expected works knowing the funds will be available. Leaseholders make small additional contributions throughout the life of the development and are therefore, not required to make large additional payments at the time the works are required. As properties change hands, the identity of leaseholders changes. A reserve fund spreads the cost of major items throughout the life of the development, with every individual leaseholder making contributions throughout the time they own the property. The cost is spread amongst all leaseholders who have benefited from using the building and is not met solely by the one person who happens to own the lease at the time the works are being undertaken. Funds are not refundable to the outgoing leaseholder on sale but the fact that funds have been saved is attractive to potential purchasers.
and
The reserve fund should relate to the future requirements of the building and not be kept artificially low to the benefit of current leaseholders (which is a detriment to future leaseholders).
Smartbourne leases are 999 years. Our elderly (one being over 73) retired directors (now rely solely upon pensions?) have never properly planned for unexpected works, let alone expected ones: new windows, roof etc.
One ex director claiming that the roof will last forever, more nonsense. Which leads me to another proverb that nothing is certain except for death and taxes. There's also the 2nd physical Law of Thermodynamics that absolutely nothing improves with age.
Currently: roof £250,000, windows £150,000. Total £20-£25k ea flat due in the foreseeable future.
Please feel free to follow the public links here, and / or add your own review to same.
It is common for companies to leave their own fake positive reviews, AKA e.g. astroturfing. Some TrustPilot reviews allege Encore Estates participates in this fake positive review generating activity. For allAgents most reviews are probably currently more accurate.
For TrustPilot there's an inordinate number of single positive reviews, many mentioning members of staff. Unusual! You will note that there are no 2 or 3 star reviews.
13/2/2022 (near bottom). Encore Estates was once at the very bottom?)
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Encore Estate Management is 25 out of 28 best companies in the category Property Maintenance on Trustpilot
Encore Estate Management is 55 out of 64 best companies in the category Property management company on Trustpilot
These terms are often now use mostly used interchangeably. Smartbourne leases contain no reference to either term though the FtT has determined a fund is allowed.
Before 1935 Bewdley Street was known as Upper Park Street.
Barnsbury was once affluent, but economically declined and 4 tenement (mansion) blocks (Thanet, Halliford (38 Bewdley), Ashley and Oakley (39 Bewdley)) were erected on Bewdley street for artisans, though some mansion blocks in other parts of Islington were for better middle class people.
During the WWII 3 high explosive bombs are recorded as having landed on the Bewdley Street / Barnsbury Park land parcel causing considerable damage.
The cottage at 37 Bewdley street and Thanet and Halliford mansions were destroyed.
By early 1962 Dovey Lodge had been built ay 37, 38 and 39 Bewdley street.
Because of the bomb damage, low population density, and poverty, in 1963 the LCC/GLC decided to redevelop the area and compulsorily purchased the 3.3 acre land parcel.
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