“Who Do You Use?” – Why Property Managers Across Surrey & SW London Stick With the Same Exterior Maintenance Partner

It’s 3:17pm in Richmond, and the rain has just started again.

On a Teams call, three property managers are comparing notes:

• Sarah – early 30s, looking after 8 blocks / 230 units in Kingston and Surbiton
  
  
• Mark – late 40s, managing mixed-use sites in Twickenham and Teddington
  
  
• Anita – mid-50s, overseeing sheltered schemes and charity-owned housing in Elmbridge and Woking
  
  

They’re talking about a familiar headache: contractors.

“Who do you use for your gutters and roofs?”

“Anyone actually call you back the same week?”

“We’ve had another complaint about slippery paths – if this keeps up, it’ll end up in the board papers.”

Sarah scrolls through her notes and shrugs.

“Honestly? We’ve tried three different firms in five years. One was cheap and vanished, one wouldn’t send photos, one was downright rude to residents.”

Anita just smiles and leans in.

“We’ve used the same exterior team for nearly four years across all our Surrey schemes. Set pricing, under-24-hour replies, full photo reports every time. My trustees now ask me who they should use on their own blocks.”

Same jobs. Same weather. Same ageing buildings.

But one manager is constantly churning contractors, while another has a partner she can recommend to everyone – from a 75-year-old trustee to a 32-year-old block manager.

That’s what being trusted by property managers really looks like.

Why Trust is Now a Hard Number, Not a Soft Feeling

Surrey and Southwest London are changing:

• Surrey has just over 1.2 million residents, and around 1 in 5 are already 65+ – a figure expected to climb to around 1 in 4 in the coming decades.
  
  
• Across England there are around 4.8–5 million leasehold dwellings, roughly 1 in 5 homes – many of them flats in blocks that need regular external care.
  
  

At the same time:

• Leasehold property management is under the spotlight, with ministers calling parts of the sector a “wild west” after complaints about poor maintenance, high service charges and slow responses.
  
  
• Tenant and leaseholder research consistently says the same three things build satisfaction:
  
  
  1. Responsiveness to repair issues
     
     
  2. Good communication
     
     
  3. Fair, understanding approach
     
     

Against that backdrop, who you choose as an exterior maintenance partner isn’t a small operational detail. It directly affects:

• Complaints data
  
  
• Board and trustee confidence
  
  
• Tenant and leaseholder satisfaction scores
  
  
• Your own stress levels
  
  

Property managers talk. When something works – or doesn’t – word spreads quickly over coffee, Teams calls and WhatsApp groups.

You want to be the one saying:

“We’ve found a team we trust, and they’re making my life easier.”

Not:

“We’re on our third contractor again this year, and I’m still chasing photos.”

What “Trusted by Property Managers” Looks Like in Real Life

Let’s break it down into what, how, why and who.

1. Trusted on Speed – Because Time is Your Scarcest Resource

What:
Fast, consistent responses – not just when you’re signing up, but every month, every year.

At Surrey Maintenance, that means:

• Acknowledging enquiries within 24 hours
  
  
• Giving you a clear next step (visit, quote, or information request)
  
  
• Prioritising genuine safety risks – flooded paths, overflowing gutters, blocked downpipes
  
  

How it shows up for you:

• Sarah, managing 230 units, sends a batch of three new issues at 4:30pm. By 10am next day she has a reply, proposed dates and clarity on what’s urgent.
  
  
• Instead of 10–15 hours a month spent chasing contractors across multiple sites, she’s dealing with one organised partner.
  
  

Why it builds trust:

• Over a year, she sees the pattern: same quick response, same reliability – through autumn leaf-fall, winter storms and spring clean-up.
  
  
• Residents across ages – 28-year-old renters and 78-year-old leaseholders – notice things getting done faster, and complaints ease off.
  
  

Trust becomes a measurable number:

• Fewer open tickets
  
  
• Shorter average response times
  
  
• Fewer “have you done anything yet?” emails
  
  

2. Trusted on Money – Because Service Charges are Under the Microscope

What:
Clear, set pricing with no surprises – across gutters, roofs, paths, fascias and windows.

How it shows up:

• You know what a standard gutter clean costs on a 12-unit block versus a 30-unit block, in advance.
  
  
• You can plan for a 3-year cycle of soft-wash roof cleaning and biocide, rather than waiting for a leak to force the issue.
  
  

With leasehold service charges under increasing political and media scrutiny, transparency and predictability are vital. 

Why it builds trust:

• A 72-year-old leaseholder on a fixed pension can see what they’re paying for and when the work happens.
  
  
• A 35-year-old first-time buyer juggling childcare and mortgage sees that maintenance isn’t random – it’s planned.
  
  
• Trustees feel comfortable signing off budgets, because the numbers are consistent, documented and fair.
  
  

Over time, a property manager can say:

“We’ve had no surprise exterior invoices in three years with this contractor.”

That’s trust.

3. Trusted on Behaviour – Because Residents Remember People, Not Spreadsheets

What:
Clean, courteous crews who understand they’re working where people live.

Our teams:

• Turn up in branded vans and uniforms, on time
  
  
• Use PPE and safety signage – especially important in schemes with older residents
  
  
• Speak to residents in plain, respectful English – whether they’re 25 or 85
  
  
• Keep noise down, clean up, and move vehicles if someone needs to get out
  
  

How it shows up:

• In a sheltered scheme where 1 in 5 residents are 75+, older people feel safe opening the door to a polite, clearly identified crew.
  
  
• In a mixed-age block, a young family with a buggy and a retired couple both see cones and “Caution: Wet Surface” signs around freshly cleaned paths.
  
  

Why it builds trust:

• Fewer “the contractors were rude” emails.
  
  
• More “they were very polite, by the way” comments after jobs.
  
  
• Front-line housing staff and scheme managers feel comfortable having crews back – that matters when you’re on site every day.
  
  

For a property manager, that translates into hours saved:

• Less time smoothing over small conflicts
  
  
• Less emotional labour explaining contractor behaviour to anxious residents
  
  

4. Trusted on Evidence – Because “Prove It” is Now Normal

What:
Full photo/video reports after every job – not just vague one-liners on an invoice.

We provide:

• Clear before and after photos
  
  
• Notes in plain English (“Downpipe at rear left previously blocked; now cleared”)
  
  
• Dates, times, and any recommendations
  
  

This aligns with what RICS, CIBSE and others expect from well-managed buildings: good records, clear logs, and evidence of planned maintenance. 

How it shows up:

• Mark drops three PDFs into his quarterly board pack instead of spending two evenings trying to reconstruct what happened.
  
  
• Anita uses last year’s photos of algae on ramps vs this year’s clean shots to justify continuing the maintenance plan.
  
  

Why it builds trust:

• Boards and trustees can see exactly what they’re paying for.
  
  
• Tenants and leaseholders can see that managers are acting on risks, not ignoring them.
  
  
• If a complaint or claim arises, you have time-stamped proof of action.
  
  

Over three or four years, you build a visual history of each block – the kind of record that helps with valuations, surveys and internal audits.

5. Trusted on Safety – Because You’re Responsible for the People Under That Roof

What:
Biocide-trained technicians, City & Guilds-assured methods, a Health & Safety Officer on staff, and £5M public liability insurance.

With an ageing population and known high risk of falls, especially on wet and poorly maintained surfaces, safety isn’t optional. 

How it shows up:

• Moss removal is done by soft-wash and controlled biocide, not reckless jet-washing that cracks tiles.
  
  
• Roof work planned with safe access and risk assessments – not “someone up a ladder for a quick look”.
  
  
• Slippery paths not only cleaned, but signed off with cones and warning signs until dry.
  
  

Why it builds trust:

• You can look a 79-year-old resident (or their family) in the eye and say, “We use a safety-led, insured contractor.”
  
  
• You can tell your board, “Roof and gutter work is done to a professional standard, with training and insurance to match.”
  
  
• If something ever goes wrong, you have credible partners, not unknown odd-jobbers.
  
  

That’s the kind of trust that protects people and reputations, as well as buildings.

Who Is Already Leaning on This Kind of Trust?

Across Surrey & SW London, the property managers gaining the most from a trusted exterior partner tend to be:

• Block managers in their 30s and 40s
  
  
  • Handling 100–500 units each
    
    
  • Wanting fewer emergencies, more structure, and better evenings with their families
    
    
• Housing association and charity estate teams
  
  
  • Running older-person schemes where 1 in 5 residents or more are 65+
    
    
  • Answerable to trustees, regulators and families
    
    
• Portfolio landlords and small freeholders
  
  
  • Owning 5–20 units each, often flats in leasehold blocks
    
    
  • Needing to protect asset value and avoid service charge disputes
    
    
• Agents and surveyors
  
  
  • Recommending contractors to clients across different ages and price bands
    
    
  • Wanting partners who won’t embarrass them on site
    
    

The common thread?

They all want contractors who make them look competent, organised and caring – to residents, to boards, and to regulators.

What It Feels Like When You Have a Trusted Partner

After a year or two with the right exterior maintenance team, your day-to-day experience changes:

• Your inbox – fewer angry emails, more simple “thanks, looks much better” messages.
  
  
• Your calendar – fewer emergency site visits, more planned maintenance slots.
  
  
• Your meetings – less defensive explaining, more confident “here’s our plan and our evidence.”
  
  
• Your stress – knowing that when the weather turns or the calls start coming in, you have a team that will pick up quickly and deliver.
  
  

It’s not magic. It’s just:

• Speed
  
  
• Clarity
  
  
• Professional behaviour
  
  
• Good records
  
  
• Serious safety
  
  

Stacked together, those things create exactly what property managers talk about when they say:

“We’ve found a contractor we trust.”

How Surrey Maintenance Aims to Be That Partner

We focus on being the kind of exterior maintenance company you can recommend in good conscience:

• Local to Surrey and Southwest London – from Richmond and Kingston to Epsom, Woking and beyond
  
  
• Under-24-hour response as standard
  
  
• Set pricing and clear scopes – no mystery invoices
  
  
• Full photo/video reports after each job
  
  
• Clean, courteous, insured crews with £5M public liability
  
  
• City & Guilds-assured soft-wash and biocide methods, backed by a Health & Safety Officer
  
  

You get one partner who can handle:

• Roof moss removal (soft-wash + biocide)
  
  
• Gutter clearing and health checks
  
  
• Pressure washing for paths, ramps, drives and courtyards
  
  
• Fascia and soffit cleaning
  
  
• Window cleaning
  
  

…all documented, all done in a way you’d be happy to show to trustees, landlords and residents across all age groups.

If you’d like an exterior maintenance partner you can trust across your Surrey and Southwest London portfolio – the sort of contractor you’re happy to name when another manager asks, “Who do you use?” – we’d be glad to talk.

We can start with a single block or scheme, provide a full visual report and clear pricing, and only then talk about rolling out wider.

If you’re interested in hassle-free, professional exterior cleaning and maintenance from a team trusted by property managers across Surrey & SW London, get in touch and we’ll happily provide a free, no-obligation quote within 24 hours.