The client purchased six retail units within Bridgegate Shopping Centre as part of a portfolio which had a service charge of 8.44 per sq ft and considerable facilities management issues.
We appointed a single contractor to remove the refuse from site, keep the common areas clean and report any maintenance issues to the managing agents. It was quickly established that what was in actual fact required was:
- Get the lift operational which would allow the tenants to bring their refuse down to the loading bay
- Have a one off clean of the entire common areas
- Reinstate the emergency fire routes which had been vandalised
- Implement an emergency light testing contractor
- Develop relations with the tenants and make them responsible for the common areas
- Negotiate a refuse removal contract
The project took around 12 weeks to implement, resulting in:
- The service charge dropping from 8.44 to 3.64 per sq ft
- Increased tenant satisfaction as they saw the direct benefits
- The letting agent being able to let a vacant unit with ease
- The level of rental income increasing from 31 to 40 per sq ft