You send your managing agent what should be a straightforward question, but a few days later you are still waiting for an answer, or you have had a response without really knowing what is happening next.
For resident management company (RMC) directors, that can quickly become another job to manage. You end up chasing updates, answering resident questions and trying to work out who is responsible for moving an issue forward.
Good communication is therefore about more than having email, a portal or an out-of-hours number. What matters is whether those channels make it easier to get the information you need, follow the progress of a request and understand what happens next. These five questions are a practical place to start.
Why this matters
There is a reason communication keeps appearing in conversations about managing-agent performance. A 2020 Government-commissioned study found that 49% of leaseholders surveyed said communication was the reason they were dissatisfied with their managing agent. The latest RICS service charge guidance, which came into effect in April 2026, also puts effective communication at the heart of property management, while The Property Institute’s code says communication should be “fair, clear and timely”.
But statistics and standards only tell part of the story. The real test is what happens when you need information, raise a request or need somebody to take ownership.
1. Can I get the information I need without chasing someone for it?
Routine information should not depend on whether a particular property manager is available or has time to reply to an email. RMC directors should be able to access key information directly where possible, particularly when it relates to the financial position of the development.
At HML, this means HML Connect gives directors access to real-time financial reporting covering areas such as the current budget, expenditure, arrears and bank-account activity.
2. Can I see what is happening with a request?
A response saying that a query has been received is only useful for so long. What matters next is visibility. Has the request moved to another team? Is more information needed? Is somebody actively dealing with it? A good communication process should make progress easier to follow, rather than forcing the client or resident to start another email chain.
In practice, HML Connect allows portal users to raise a request with their property manager and follow its progress through timestamped updates, including whether it has moved to another team or is waiting for further information.
3. What happens when more than one person or team is involved?
Property management rarely sits neatly with one person. A single issue may involve the property manager, finance, a contractor or another specialist team. If the history of the issue exists only in individual inboxes, every handover creates the risk of lost context and repeated explanations.
HML supports this through shared systems, service-level monitoring and an accredited contractor network, helping improve visibility across the people involved in delivering the service.
4. What happens if something goes wrong outside office hours?
Out-of-hours support should do more than provide a number to call. The important question is what happens to the issue afterwards. There should be a clear route for triage, action where appropriate and handover back into the normal property-management service.
For out-of-hours issues, HML works with a separate specialist customer service provider, which triages calls to determine whether they fall within the out-of-hours remit and handles those that do. When HML reopens, the case is passed to the property manager so they can continue the follow-up or see what has already happened.
5. Does the update tell me what happens next?
Not every issue can be resolved immediately, and clients generally understand that. The frustration comes when an update does not explain what is happening next. A useful update should make four things clear: what has happened, who owns the next action, what the issue is waiting on and when another update can reasonably be expected.
A simple test for your current managing agent
If you are reviewing your current arrangements, try answering the five questions above without referring to a brochure or service description. Can you actually find the information? Can you see the status of a live request? Do you know what happens when an issue moves between teams or arrives outside office hours?
No system removes every delay or service issue. What matters is whether clients and residents can find the information they need, understand what is happening and know what comes next.
HML Connect, shared service processes, customer experience support and the out-of-hours service are all designed around those principles.
If you are reviewing your managing agent, the five questions above are a useful way to test whether the communication model works in practice, not just on paper. To find out more about HML’s approach, speak to our team.