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25/03/2020  Last night was the night we were meant to say goodbye to our friends but after Boris’s announcement on Monday we had to cancel. I hate not being able to go out and help but we are in contact with a few guys so they are keeping us updated. We will resume once the lockdown had been lifted, we are monitoring the announcements each week. As much as I don't want the guys out on the streets, if they do find themselves back out and in need, we will be there. 

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23/03/2020 It has been announced today that due to COVID-19 the country will be going into lockdown. What will this mean for England? Will we cope? Will they find a vaccine? So much unknown. Today was my first day back to work after my accident but I got sent home the same day to work from home. This is going to be a new experience for everyone. 

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March 2020 - So I am currently on bed rest following my accident at the trampoline park. Work have been great but I have been bored so I have been doing more of my training courses from  HML Academy. Might as well get some learning in. Also the attached, are not my dogs but how cute are they!  

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29/02/2020 So today was a good day (very sarcastic tone). I attended a trampoline party for my nieces birthday, there were a few of us there, and we were all excited. I was on the trampoline for 2 minutes, then I heard a loud pop and suddenly I was in so much pain I passed out, in the middle of hundreds of people in the trampoline park. Turns out I torn a ligament in my knee, not fun. Roll on months of healing now. Never going on a trampoline again that's for sure!! 

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25/02/2020 We had a quiz night. Tandoori Lounge in Hornchurch allowed us to have a quiz night to support Friends of the Homeless (Formally help the homeless this winter) It was a great night, the food was good, the quiz was brilliant and alongside the raffle, we raised a lovely amount of money towards our cause. 

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24/02/2020 Riser Cupboard Inspection. A lot of residents feel that a riser cupboard is just extra storage space. They don't realise the cupboard belongs to the Freeholder and must be clear at all times. During our quarterly inspections, we come across personal items all the time in riser cupboards. We follow up our visits with TORTS notices to have the items removed. Then we attend site once the notice expires to see if the items have gone, if they haven't, we can remove them as the TORTS notice is part of the Interference of Goods Act 1977 which allows us to remove the items if we provide adequate time for the owner to remove first. 

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25/02/2020 Newsletters. They are a great way to keep leaseholders up to speed on projects that require regular updates without thousands of emails from different people asking the same questions. I manage a 10 story tower block in Brentwood (previously mentioned in my blog) and have an ongoing project with the asbestos panels. Very long story short, there are no fire breaks between the panels and so we need to have the panels removed to install the fire breaks but there are 200+ panels, so the job is very expensive. At our last AGM the leaseholders were not happy that they were not kept up to speed with the works and so it was agreed to send a monthly newsletter to keep everyone's minds at rest but also let them know where we are with the project. I try and keep them informative but a little fun. 

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21/02/20 One of the many reasons I love working for HML Group. They have a training program for all staff that goes over everything from H&S, customer service and even handling stress. You enroll on the courses you wish to attend and they give you webinars or coursework to review and complete. As its a new year, I signed up to everything. I may have a home to run, full time job to do and homeless charity, I still want to learn and doing this short courses are a great way at continue boosting my knowledge ;) 

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15/02/2020  Storm Dennis still wouldn’t stop us. We stocked up on tea, coffee and hot chocolate and had loads of tasty sandwiches. Didn’t put the table up as we didn’t fancy running through Romford chasing it. Another good evening.

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07/02/20 Tree Watering. So if you're like me, you wont even think that a tree needs watering. Well for all new samplings that are planted, they need watering three times a week for three months to ensure they survive. This is is due to the water levels in our soil, yes England can be wet but there isn't enough water in our soil at the moment and so we have to help a new tree by watering them.  Today I met with a contractor to walk a site in South Ockendon to show him all the new trees we have installed (70+) and go over how they can water the trees which are all over the two estates safety. At least I got my steps in today. 

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04/02/2020 Well this was a very big surprise. I am an apprentice with Catch 22 and didn't know I was even considered. I won the Social Impact Award for all the homeless charity work I have done since last year. I was deeply honored to have been suggested and to have won.  

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28/01/2020 Before and after for internal redecoration works for the internals of a block I manage in Croydon. This project was a challenge in two parts, the first was the client, they wanted to do this themselves which took nearly 9 months just to get booked in (I would have had the works done within 3 months from start to finish) The second was the distance, this site is 60 miles from my office and so just popping round to check on the progress and snag the works where a struggle. In the end I attended just the once and asked for regular updates from the contractor. This was a section 20 project so before any invoices were settled, I got the approval from the client (who lives on site). Its always great to see the end result. 

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07/01/2020 AGM Minutes. The blight of every property manager is typing the minutes from a previous AGM (Annual General Meeting). Its often very hard because the meetings never go along with the agenda and attendees tend to go off subject and its very difficult to minute the issues. They also take up a long period of time, all while still having to deal with the day to day running's of blocks, emails and phone calls. And once typed, we then have to get them approved, this all depends of client availability and if they read the minutes how they perceive the meeting went. If I can help it, I give minute typing to my assistant but if she is busy, then I do it. I spent all day today typing minutes from a 2 &1/2 hour meeting. Oh the Joys. 

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06/01/2020 First few days back to the office and I get a call from a resident stating that there was a window open in the communal area. Most leaseholders don't know what AOV (Automatic Opening Vents) are and what there purpose is. I even had one leaseholder try and shut a vent using broom which damaged the motor and the whole thing had to be changed. An AOV is a fire safety device that is triggers if the detects sense heat, they then open automatically to vent the area allowing residents to leave the building or giving the fire fighters visibility. They are controlled via a orange box that allows them to be trigger if the sensors don't pick up the heat. The boxes are also used by property managers to run a test to ensure the vent is operational. If while inspecting the block, the vent is found not to work, an order to sent to the maintenance company who will inspect the AOV and the box and get the vent working again. This is all part of both Health and Fire safety. 

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31/12/2019-01/01/2020 HAPPY NEW YEAR! Whether your spending it with family or in town, enjoy the celebrations. 

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28/12/2019 Update Help the Homeless this Winter. It has been a very busy last few months since we started. Full update can be found on our Facebook group (same as our name)  We met with the Salvation Army who hold a food kitchen on a Wednesday, we also had a great response with the homeless men and women, we have earned their trust a lot. At Christmas we got loads of donations of toiletries and food. We dressed up in Christmas Jumpers and handed out presents tilted “from Santa”. We also had mince pies and hot chocolate. It has been a great few months, roll on the new year. 

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27/12/2019 During Christmas and New Year, we usually take annual leave but one is in the office on each working day. Today was my day and as it was quiet (no one rings as they are to busy visiting family) so I decided to finish off my final modules for the Level 3 Housing and Property Management course with IRPM. I did and passed them all. Very Happy to have passed them but also completed them.