January has reached its conclusion and fledgling companies within the property sector are seeking to consolidate business in preparation for the remainder of the calendar year.

However, Scanlans, a property management company in Manchester, have their sights firmly set on maintaining exemplary services, with partner Ian Magenis keen to guarantee that standards at the well-established firm aren’t compromised.

For twenty-years, Ian, along with partner Ian Stanistreet, has played a pivotal role in establishing Scanlans’ reputation as one of the leading property management companies in the North West. Since beginning his role in March 2000 before becoming a Partner in 2009, he has successfully managed a diverse team of staff offering block management services for an array of residential buildings in the North West. Moreover, he also offers specialist advice for clients in Right to Manage.

Initial Exposure to Property Management

Ahead of beginning his venture with Scanlans, Ian Magenis had gained prior experience of block management services whilst working for a company in London; the experienced property specialist provided an insight into his initial exposure to the property management industry and how he came to meet his eventual business partner, Ian Stanistreet.

“I’d love to say that I’m working at a property management company in Manchester by design, but I began working in this area by default, to be honest!

“In 1990, I joined a private firm of surveyors and property managers. By chance, within a year, I was promoted to head of the department and the company grew rapidly. As a life change, I decided that I wanted to move from London and moved to Manchester, where I met Ian Stanistreet in 2000 – he was shrewd enough to see that property management was going places and offered me a job to join the company.”

The Evolution of Property Management

Since joining Scanlans in its infancy at the turn of the Millennium, Ian Magenis and Ian Stanistreet have both seen the business develop significantly during the subsequent twenty-year period.

Since the company was founded, the demand amongst owners for a reliable property management company has increased significantly, particularly given the heightened popularity of city centre living in Manchester.

“I would say the change in the market hasn’t necessarily been so much volume, but more a case of legislation, health and safety and audit provisions. The risk factor of not managing a property properly has increased significantly in the last eight to ten years.

“When I first started working at a property management company, there were no first-tier tribunal systems and there were no obvious rights of appeal for leaseholders who were disgruntled. Therefore, open appeal systems have changed things significantly, as well as health and safety measures such as fire risk assessment, electrical testing, audit provisions for high-tech equipment. Now, there’s direct responsibility for those who are in charge of the building.”

How Does Scanlans Differ from Competition?

Previously, self-management was a popular solution, with many adopting this approach, instead of seeking assistance from a property management company.

However, following the introduction of stringent measures to ensure that properties are being looked after in a safe, correct manner, this has led more people to favour an approach whereby support is outsourced to guarantee that they’re acting within the tight guidelines.

With many competitors vying for the attention of prospective clients, Ian Magenis outlined what continues to set apart Scanlans from any other property management company.

“From a client perspective, we’re chartered surveyors, as well as members of ARMA; we’re regulated in terms of how we operate on a day-to-day basis and how we operate financially. This provides comfort for our clients, as we need to satisfy compliance requirements, as well as client demands.

“The property management industry is still unregulated, so anyone can set up as a property manager without experience, correct procedures in place, or regulatory governance. However, here at Scanlans, we have that governance, so there’s protection from a regulatory point of view. We’re aware that it’s not just the director who is our client, but every single leaseholder in the building.”

The Future of Property Management

Ian Magenis has experienced first-hand how the market has developed and changed over time. While acquiring the services of a property management company may have previously been viewed as an unnecessary luxury, the benefits of how such services can add true value are now being recognised on a wider scale.

The market is continually evolving, with new trends emerging and developments on the horizon. So, how does Ian envisage the future for Scanlans and the overall world of property management in Manchester and beyond?

“Traditional property management is focusing more outside of the city centre. The growth of Manchester and Manchester city centre is predominantly driven by buy-to-rent schemes. The offering of these schemes requires a very different style of management because build-to-rent considers lifestyle, as well as bricks and mortar – it looks at additional offerings and how communities can be brought together. Many of the developments include community spaces, gyms, while project managers are in effect social managers, i.e. people who are trying to bring a more communal side to community living.

“What I suspect will be the case is that with build-to-rent properties driving the inner-city market, traditional builders looking for a traditional leasehold style of management will move outside of the city centre because land values will be slightly less.”

Scanlans: Your Ideal Property Management Company

A reliable property management company providing consistent services for their clients is hard to come by, yet Ian Magenis and Ian Stanistreet have worked meticulously to ensure that standards at Scanlans are regularly maintained.

“Communication is king and if you fail to communicate effectively, you’ll struggle from the outset. We always try to ensure that residents and leaseholders understand that for our relationship to work, then this requires collaboration from both parties.

“Having a management company sitting outside of the leaseholder group has the potential to create misunderstanding; the leaseholders need to know that they have a significant role to play in the management process. Managing realistic expectations is pivotal and we always strive to align client affordability with the desires that they have.”

Are you in need of a respected property management company? Call Scanlans on 0161 236 8888 to speak with a member of our specialist team.