Why Block Management Is the Property Industry’s Least Understood Profession

The Misconception: “You Just Collect Money and Pay Contractors”

To outsiders, block management seems simple. You collect service charges, pay the cleaners, arrange insurance, and maybe deal with the odd maintenance issue. Easy, right?  Wrong! 

Those who’ve worked in the field know that’s about 10% of the job. The rest is a complex balancing act between legal compliance, human behaviour, and financial management, all under intense scrutiny from residents, directors, and regulators, and the ever evolving legislative minefield. 

A block manager is expected to be an accountant, solicitor, mediator, surveyor, health & safety officer, and customer service rep, often all in the same day.

The Reality: You’re Accountable, But Rarely in Control

Here’s the irony – block managers carry enormous responsibility but have very little actual power.  To name but a few of the daily struggles:

• You’re responsible for maintaining the building, but you can’t authorise works without board approval. 

• You’re blamed for service charge increases, even though inflation, legislation, and energy costs are beyond our control. 

• You’re expected to deliver perfection, but with budgets set year on year based on unrealistic costs

• You’re legally obliged to ensure that compliance is achieved within a building, often with an astronomical cost attached to it

It’s a job built on expectation without authority, which means you often end up being everyone’s scapegoat.

The Hidden Skillset: Conflict Management

Perhaps the least appreciated part of block management is the people management element. We’re not just managing bricks and mortar, we’re managing neighbours, owners, tenants, freeholders and developers. And that means dealing with noise complaints, car parking disputes, subletting drama, and sometimes full-blown hostility between residents. 

The ability to calm a furious leaseholder while staying professional is a skill most HR teams would envy, yet it rarely earns recognition in the property world.

The Transparency Trap

Modern leaseholders rightly demand transparency. They want to know where every penny of their service charge goes, and managing agents have responded with detailed reports, portals, and breakdowns.  However, transparency doesn’t always equal understanding.

You can show someone a 10-page service charge budget, and they’ll still ask why the gardening costs went up £200 – ignoring inflation, labour shortages, and compliance rules.

It’s a constant education process, and block managers are the teachers no one realises they need.

The Structural Problem: Everyone Thinks They Could Do It Better

Block management suffers from what I call the “armchair expert effect”, because everyone lives somewhere, everyone thinks they know how property management should work.

But the truth is, the industry is tangled in leasehold law, fire safety legislation, health & safety compliance, insurance, and accounting,  all of which vary from building to building. There’s no universal manual.

And yet, the perception persists that managing agents are just “middlemen.”

In reality, they’re the glue holding an increasingly fragile system together.

Why It Matters

Understanding block management isn’t just about appreciating a tough job, it’s about recognising the importance of professionalism and accountability in keeping homes safe, compliant, and well-maintained.

Without good managing agents:

• Maintenance collapses

• Safety checks lapse

• Buildings fall into disrepair

• Communities fracture

Block management might not be glamorous, but it’s essential, and it’s time it was treated that way.

Final Thought

Next time you meet a block manager, skip the jokes about service charges.  Instead, ask them how they balance legal obligations, resident expectations, and financial constraints,  because chances are, they’re doing more to keep developments running smoothly than you’ll ever see.

Here at Levels Property Management, we’ve seen first-hand how misunderstood our industry can be. That’s why our entire approach is built around our core principles; Integrity, Innovation & Information.

Joy Davies, Director, Levels Property Management