A LACK of oversight regarding companies that manage apartment complexes in Jersey has been called out in a recently-lodged petition seeking “strong statutory regulation” to ensure “protection and accountability” for residents.
Gaudin & Co head of property management Andy Truscott told the JEP that the sector was “not regulated at all”.
In his petition, which had reached 240 signatures by yesterday afternoon, he stated that block property managers hold “key duties” but “often lack proper oversight”.
He added that this could leave residents exposed to “unfair charges, poor maintenance, low transparency, conflicts of interest, weak dispute options, and little accountability”, contributing to “financial strain and declining housing quality”.
Mr Truscott contended that the current lack of oversight could also make it easier for potential safety issues to go unaddressed, as well as limiting redress options for owners.
“It’s an area which is overlooked by a lot of people, because they just assume that the property managers are doing their jobs,” he said.
And he raised concerns about the ease with which firms can currently enter the sector, arguing that companies “should be qualified”.
“You can get a 16-year-old, fresh out of school, no qualification, no life experience – and they can set up a property management company,” explained Mr Truscott.
His petition urges the government to introduce “strong statutory regulation of block property management” alongside “licensing, transparency, fair fees, strong oversight and better resident rights to ensure protection and accountability”.
It calls for several changes, including the introduction of mandatory professional standards, as well as pricing controls and “accessible, independent dispute resolution”.
Last year, Gaudin & Co took over stewardship of Woodville Apartments and put forward recommendations for a raft of works, which were approved by the owners amid concerns that “historic issues” with the building had not been tackled over the years.
Mr Truscott said that the project had since been delivered to the targeted costings and timings and that the development “looks completely different” compared to six months ago.
