Scaffolding is up and the phone will not stop
The external works at one of your larger blocks started last month. Since then the property manager has answered questions about when the scaffold will come down, why workers were on a balcony without warning, whether the windows can be opened, what happens to satellite dishes and when the final bill will arrive. Every week there are more, and many are the same question from different people.
The contractor sends a progress report to the property manager, but it is a technical document that does not answer what residents want to know.
Why major works overwhelm the office
Major works affect people's homes directly, sometimes for months, and residents feel they have little control. When information is scarce, they ask. When answers go to one person at a time, the next person asks again.
Access to individual flats for window or balcony work adds another layer: appointments are arranged by phone and email between residents, the property manager and the contractor, and missed appointments hold up the programme.
What the question flood costs
The property manager's other blocks suffer for as long as the works run. Complaints increase, and directors come under pressure from neighbours. Missed access appointments delay the contractor, which can have cost consequences under the contract. And leaseholders who feel uninformed are more likely to challenge the final costs.
The works update system we build
We build a simple communication hub for each major project. It does not replace the contract administrator or the consultation process; it handles the everyday communication around the works.
- Works page: a page per project with the programme in plain language, current phase, what to expect this week, and answers to common questions. Only residents of the block can see it.
- Contractor feed: the contractor or contract administrator posts short updates through a form, which the property manager approves before they appear.
- Targeted notices: notices go to the residents affected, for example one elevation or one floor, by email or text through Twilio.
- Access booking: where works need access to flats, residents choose from available slots, get reminders and can rearrange. The contractor sees the confirmed list.
- Question log: residents submit questions through the page. The property manager answers once and, if the answer is useful to everyone, publishes it to the page.
- Cost information: links to consultation documents and, when ready, the relevant figures, published in the way your process allows.
| Resident question | Where it is answered |
|---|---|
| When does the scaffold come down? | Programme and this week's update |
| Will someone need to enter my flat? | Access booking with a chosen slot |
| Why were workers on my balcony? | Targeted notice for that elevation |
| What will this cost me? | Consultation documents and published figures |
| I have a specific concern | Question log, answered by the property manager |
How the project runs with it
Residents check the page instead of calling, and the questions that do arrive are genuinely individual. Access appointments are booked and kept. Directors can see the same information and stop acting as intermediaries.
At the end of the project, the page and the question log form a record of what residents were told and when, which helps if costs are later questioned.
Signs your major works need this
- Property managers answer the same works question many times a week.
- Access appointments for works inside flats are missed.
- Contractor reports are too technical to pass on to residents.
- Residents say they found out about works when the workers arrived.
- Other blocks suffer while a major project is running.