Apartment & Tenement Property Factors
Tenements are a special feature of Scottish architecture, and you’ll mostly find them in cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh. Typically constructed with granite or sandstone, these multi-story buildings include multiple flats attached by a common stairwell.Â
Historically, tenements were built to accommodate rapidly growing urban populations during the 19th and early 20th centuries, serving as housing for various social classes.Â
They consist of several units and remain an important part of Scotland’s housing landscape today. Their unique architectural characteristics include high ceilings, large windows and period details like ceiling cornicing.
Discover reliable and professional tenement property factors services tailored to your needs.
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What you can expect
Types of Services
Provided for Tenements/
Apartments
For homeowners, maintaining the shared areas of a tenement is essential. Regular maintenance preserves the building’s historic character but also ensures safety, security, and long-term upkeep. Here are some key features of a tenement’s communal areas:
The Shared
Tenement Stairwell
The stairwell, often called the “Close” in Glasgow, is one of a tenement’s most defining and well-used communal areas.
Stone or Tiled Staircases
Traditionally made from stone or terrazzo, these staircases receive heavy foot traffic and require regular cleaning and maintenance.
Decorative Entrance Tiling
Many tenements have ornate Victorian or Edwardian tiled flooring at the entrance, which needs careful restoration to maintain its charm.
Natural Light from Stairwell Windows
Tenements often feature large sash windows. While these help illuminate the space beautifully, they can suffer from condensation, draughts and deterioration over time.
Communal Stair Lighting
The lighting in stairwells, originally gas-lit but now electric, is essential for security and safety and should be maintained regularly.
Taylor & Martin manages regular stair cleaning, lighting maintenance, and restoration projects to keep communal stairwells in top condition.
The Tenement Entrance
& Main Door
The main entrance to a tenement is shared by all residents, making security and upkeep a priority.
Ornate Doorways and Fanlights
Many tenements often have beautifully carved stone entrances and decorative glass fanlights above them. This requires gentle and thorough cleaning, especially in carved crevices where dust may gather.
Secure Communal Entry Systems
It used to be common for tenement doors to be made of heavy timber or cast iron, but modern upgrades include secure intercom systems and keypads or fob systems.
Brass Nameplates and Doorbells
Some tenements have retained their original bell-pull systems, but most have upgraded to modern electric buzzers.
Taylor & Martin helps tenement owners maintain and upgrade entrance security.
Shared Gardens &
Drying Greens
The rear of many traditional tenements is usually enclosed with communal gardens, originally intended as shared outdoor spaces and for drying laundry.
Maintained Green Spaces
These areas often require grass-cutting, hedge trimming, and general upkeep to remain usable and beautiful for residents.
Bin Storage Areas
Proper waste management is essential. Many tenements have allocated areas for communal bins and recycling areas.
Taylor & Martin provides routine maintenance and management of common gardens and bin areas, ensuring these common areas remain tidy and accessible.
The Tenement Roof & Guttering System
A tenement’s roof is a shared responsibility among all owners, making proactive maintenance crucial to uphold their integrity and prevent costly repairs.
Slate Roofing
Traditional Scottish slate roofs require routine repairs and maintenance to prevent leaks and water damage.
Cast-Iron Gutters and Downpipes
Original cast-iron rainwater goods need regular clearing and maintenance to avoid costly drainage problems.
Chimney Stacks and Flues
Many tenements still feature decorative chimney stacks that require regular inspections for structural integrity.
Taylor & Martin arranges annual roof inspections, gutter cleaning, and emergency repairs to protect tenement buildings from weather-related damage.
Shared Cellars, Storage,
& Utility Spaces
Some tenements include shared basement storage, loft spaces or utility areas that require management.
Communal Cellars
Communal cellars are often used for bike storage or utility meters. These spaces can often suffer from dampness and require proper ventilation.
Loft Spaces or Attics
Maintenance and insulation upgrades may be necessary in some tenements with shared roof spaces.
Taylor & Martin assists with security improvements, damp management, and organising maintenance access for communal storage areas.
Neighborly Disputes
and Concerns
Due to the communal nature of tenements, conflicts may occasionally arise. Proper mediation can ensure an agreeable living environment for all residents
Owners Meeting
We help organise and facilitate owner’s, where collective decisions are made, ensuring transparency is preserved. We organise meetings, use a simple majority voting system, keep minutes and send out post-meeting minutes.
Complaints Procedure
As property factors, we implement a clear complaints procedure to address any grievances. Our team handles building condition-related complaints promptly, investigating the issue and resolving it in a way that conserves harmony in the building.
Services for
Tenement and Apartment Owners
Our team of experienced property factors (sometimes called property managers) is committed to retaining the integrity of buildings. This includes managing property factors for tenements.
We offer a broad range of services to facilitate the smooth management of tenements.
Comprehensive
Insurance Solutions
Our services include partnering with trusted brokers to find tailored insurance that best suits your property needs. Our team is responsible for every aspect of the insurance process, from policy setup to claims management and renewals, so landlords and homeowners can rest easy.
We receive no commission, so you can rest assured that our advice will be objective and unbiased.
Transparent Payments
and Account Management
As property factors, we issue quarterly invoices that reflect the actual costs of maintenance, repairs, insurance and management fees to provide complete transparency for homeowners.Â
A floating fund is kept to expedite contractor payments and is refunded to the owners upon the sale of the property, with no hidden management fees in the mix.
Flexible Payment Options
Taylor & Martin offers a secure payment portal, MY T&M, where homeowners can make payments, view invoices and track transactions.
Our preferred payment method is direct debit. However, we accept online bank transfers, cheques, cash and monthly standing orders. You may also phone our office or visit the online portal when making credit card or debit card payments.
Experience exceptional client service with Taylor & Martin.
Contact us or send an email to info@taylorandmartin.co.uk to get started today.
FAQs
Here is some more insight into certain elements of our property management.
What is tenement/apartment property factoring?
Tenement or flat property factoring involves the management and maintenance of common property areas within a building, which are owned collectively by multiple owners.Â
In Scotland, you can appoint a private business called a Property Factor or Property Manager. Their duties encompass organising and overseeing work carried out by contractors in these shared spaces. The work includes major and minor repairs and routine maintenance to keep the tenement property well-maintained and fully operational.
How do I switch to a new property factor?
Switching property factors requires cooperation with other property owners in the building. Ideally, you should start by reviewing the title deeds to understand the obligations and consult with an apartment management company for guidance.Â
The title deeds act as an outline for who is accountable for communal land, amenity areas and shared spaces. Checking the title deeds will also confirm any specifics about ending a current agreement or finding a replacement property factor.
A majority vote is usually required to appoint a new property factor. Once an agreement is reached, notify the current property factor and make sure all related accounts are settled.
Proper planning ensures a smooth transition and a good relationship between the owner’s association and the registered property factors.
Why is a written statement of services important?
A written statement of services is important because it provides transparency between property factors and owners of flats, apartments or tenements. It acts as an outline for tasks such as repairs, maintenance of common parts and allocation of costs.Â
This written statement helps owners understand their obligations, helping to avoid conflict and set clear expectations. In addition, it also regulates the procedures for issuing the final bill during property sales. For properties under the management of a registered social landlord, the statement outlines management practices and legal requirements.
Proper documentation, like the written statement of services, makes sure property managers, other owners and property factors are protected.Â
What is self-factoring & how does it work for new owners?
Self-factoring is when owners manage the common parts of their property without a property factor to potentially reduce costs. This is potentially a bit risky as it requires new owners to comply with the code of conduct without any guidance from a property manager.
The Scottish government’s policy encourages owners to establish clear agreements for shared duties so that the building’s common parts can be effectively managed.Â
Depend on Taylor & Martin to deliver bespoke property management services. Enquire online today.
Taylor & Martin: Property Factors Trusted by Industry Professionals
At Taylor & Martin, our professional tenement property management team specialises in managing shared residential properties with a focus on transparent pricing and delivering exceptional customer service.
We also provide custom support for different property types, such as traditional tenements, new building developments, listed buildings, converted properties, high-end properties and retirement homes.
For expert property management backed by client trust, try Taylor & Martin as your tenement property factors. Enquire online today.
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Scotland’s Top Developers
Get in touch
If you’d like to get in touch with a member of our Dundee property factoring team, please complete the form below and a member of our team will be in touch, or alternatively call us on 01382 604 366.