Reeve Oversight · Overview
Hartley House — watching your agent
18 flats · Leeds. Crowngate Property Management manages day-to-day; Reeve is your independent record and accountability layer. FY2025/26.
Spend vs budget
-£480 vs budget
Reserve
63% of £45,000 target
Arrears
4 flats
Charge / flat
+25% over 2 years
Red flags
2 high priority
Compliance gaps
1 bank variance
What Reeve has flagged
Independent checks on what Crowngate Property Management reported. Draft a query to the agent in one click — you approve before it sends.
Buildings insurance up 22% — commission undisclosed
Premium rose from £16,800 to £20,500 with no breakdown. The year-end accounts show a commission paid to the agent's brokerage that wasn't disclosed. Query under the lease and LFRA transparency duties.
Fire Risk Assessment not evidenced
No current FRA has been provided despite two requests. The directors remain legally responsible — this is a statutory gap to close urgently.
Reserve drawn down £12,000 without a recorded resolution
Reserve fell from £40,500 to £28,500. No board or AGM resolution authorising the drawdown is on file. Ask the agent for the authority and the spend detail.
Repairs SLA slipping
Average first response is 4.5 working days against a 2-day target; repairs spend is 25% over budget. Pattern of slow response logged across 9 jobs this year.
Management fee 9% above benchmark
£240/flat/yr vs a £220 benchmark for comparable Yorkshire blocks. Worth raising at renewal.
Budget vs actual — what the agent reported
Check against the bank →| Category | Budget | Actual | Variance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buildings insurance | £16,800 | £20,500 | +£3,700 |
| Cleaning & grounds | £9,600 | £9,450 | -£150 |
| Lift maintenance | £6,200 | £6,200 | £0 |
| Communal electricity | £5,400 | £6,100 | +£700 |
| Repairs & maintenance | £11,000 | £13,800 | +£2,800 |
| Management fee | £4,320 | £4,320 | £0 |
| Fire & safety | £4,800 | £3,100 | -£1,700 |
| Reserve contribution | £12,000 | £6,000 | -£6,000 |
| Accountancy & sundries | £1,880 | £2,050 | +£170 |
| Total | £72,000 | £71,520 | -£480 |