A growing problem of drugs, alcohol and break-ins has been quickly solved by Principle Estate Management at a residential development it won the contract to manage in Leeds.
The anti-social behaviour and criminal acts were taking place in and around the car ports at the rear North Street Lofts, a development of 11 flats in the vibrant northern quarter of Leeds city centre.
Stephen Downing, a property manager at Principle, explained that the development had been handed to Principle with a brief to tackle the longstanding issues which previous estate managers had been unable to resolve.
Mr Downing said: “People were gathering in the car ports at the rear of North Street Lofts and taking drugs and drinking alcohol.
“The rear door and car park was unprotected, resulting in regular break ins and damage being caused to the building, which was obviously making residents feel intimidated and vulnerable.
“However, we were not receiving much support from the police or local authority, and so had to take action ourselves.
“We quickly identified that the cause of the issue was that the car ports area was protected from the elements, making it a hotspot for people to gather, resulting in the anti-social behaviour.
“I knew it was vital that we quickly dealt with the situation, but that we also did so in line with the necessary legislation.
“We therefore obtained professional advice from security experts, at no cost to the development, and then immediately tendered for the installation of automated roller shutters.
“This meant sending out notices to intention to carry out works under Section 20 of the Landlord & Tenant Act 1985, and we consulted with all owners and residents, quickly addressing and answering their questions and concerns.
“This consultation was completed in a timely manner, and the clear communications was key to getting owners excited about the work being completed.
“We sent out supplementary charges as soon as we could and received most payments without delay, thanks to that previous communication.
“We then installed the shutters and issued the remote-control fobs upon receipt so they were operational straight away, just three days after they were manufactured.”
Mr Downing added: “We have had no reports of anti-social behaviour since. Problem solved!”
North Street Lofts was converted around ten years ago by a small Leeds-based developer, and the management contract was awarded to Principle by Freehold Managers.
Georgia O’Connor, associate director at Freehold Managers, said: “We’ve worked with Principle on other developments and felt sure that they would take this problem seriously and sort it out.
“We were impressed with how quickly they managed this, and feel assured that our residents and owners are now feeling much more secure in their homes.”
Joe Jobson, a director at Principle, said: “As a business we are continuing to expand and a huge reason for this is that we are able to hit the ground running and deal with issues like this in a timely fashion for our clients and residents.”
Launched in 2018, Principle has since grown from what was virtually a one-man band into what is now 31 staff looking after a portfolio of more than 7,000 units in 250-plus developments across the UK.
