Lincoln residential management contract win is ‘streets ahead’

The property management department of Eddisons has been awarded the contract to manage 90 private, domestic properties in the Lincoln residential neighbourhood of Bunker’s Hill, north east of the city centre.

The contract to manage the Hawthorn Chase estate – a mix of houses, flats & bungalows with shared outdoor spaces and common parts – was awarded by the Hawthorn Chase Residents Management Company following competitive tender.

The estate was built in the 1970s and originally owned and managed by a housing association, In 1984 the Hawthorn Chase residents established their own management company and obtained the common freehold following the housing association’s divestment of its interests in the estate.

Having had contracts with a number of property management agents, the decision to put the contract out to competitive tender again this year coincided with the decision by the residents management company not to continue to retain the function of a caretaker/groundsman as a direct employee of the company.

According to John Kitchen, Chairman of the Hawthorn Chase Residents Management Company, who has been a management committee director & member for 16 years, the decision to award Eddisons the management contract was made on the strength of all aspects of the firm’s bid – which was led by Ashley Humphrey who works in the firm’s commercial & block management services from the Eddisons office on Lincoln’s Westgate.

John Kitchen explained further, “Based on past experience of management agents, we really wanted to appoint a Lincoln-based firm who had a level of familiarity with, and accessibility to, the estate.

“That’s not to say we were sentimental in making the decision. Eddisons’ tender was, commercially, streets ahead of the other bidders. Plus, on being awarded the contract, the firm’s legal documentation was easy to understand – something on which a number of the residents on the board have commented.”

Speaking about the contract win, Eddisons’ Ashley Humphrey added, “In managing commercial and residential properties, we are always mindful of the direct relationship clients have with the estate when they are a resident-owned management company.

“While any tender in this scenario is, of course, commercially robust, we understand the default personal pride this type of management company has in its assets. It’s something we are sensitive to when it comes to the execution of the contract and the relationship we look to foster with such resident-led clients.”