The Missing Ingredient: Information

There is another problem which cannot be found simply by reading a column of figures.

Communication.

Members should not have to wait for the annual accounts, examine them themselves and then try to work backwards to discover what happened during the year.

If general repairs rise substantially, tell us what was repaired.

If electricity costs double, explain why.

If major work is being considered, tell members what is proposed.

If an estate inspection identifies problems, tell us what has been identified and what is going to be done about it.

If work is postponed, tell us why.

The 2025 accounts provide a good example. General repairs increased from £3,471.60 to £8,775.89, electricity increased from £1,422.34 to £2,916.94, and window cleaning increased from £1,860 to £2,760.

There may be perfectly reasonable explanations for every one of those figures.

But members should not have to guess what those explanations are.

Directors should communicate

One of the changes I would like to see at Noble Court is a much more open flow of information between the directors, the managing agent and the members.

At present, there is very little routine communication from the directors about the financial and operational management of the estate. That makes it unnecessarily difficult for members to understand what is happening, what is planned and why money is being spent.

This isn’t about producing glossy newsletters every fortnight or bombarding everybody with emails.

It could be remarkably simple.

A short update every few months could tell members:

what has been completed; what remains outstanding; what significant expenditure has occurred; what work is coming next; and whether anything important requires members’ attention.

The existing notice boards could also be used properly, alongside email communication for those who want it.

Transparency shouldn’t require detective work

There is an important distinction between information being technically available somewhere and members actually being kept informed.

Good management should make important information easy to find and easy to understand.

A leaseholder shouldn’t need to scrutinise annual accounts to discover that expenditure in a particular category has doubled.

They shouldn’t need to repeatedly ask whether a reported maintenance problem has been dealt with.

And they shouldn’t have to rely upon rumours between neighbours to discover what the RMC is considering.

My approach would be different:

If there is something significant that members ought reasonably to know about, tell them.

That doesn’t require expensive technology, consultants or another management contract.

It requires a willingness to communicate.

My policy: Budget first. Service charge second.

If elected as a director, I will push for the annual service charge to be calculated from a proper annual budget, rather than simply inherited from the previous year.

And importantly, I want that budget explained to members.

Members should be able to see:

What we expect to spend. What we spent last year. Why significant costs have changed. What maintenance is planned. What provision is being made for routine repairs. What contingency is being allowed. And what, if anything, is being placed into permitted reserves.

Then, during the year, we should report back.

Not endlessly. Not bureaucratically.

Just enough that the people paying the bills have a reasonable idea of what their company is doing with their money.

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I don’t want the cheapest possible service charge.

I don’t want the highest possible service charge either.

I want the right service charge — properly calculated, properly explained and sufficient to look after Noble Court.

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Because transparency isn’t simply publishing the accounts once a year. It is keeping members informed while the decisions that create those accounts are actually being made.

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