What are RMG London’s opening times?

RMG London offices are open 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Residents are able to discuss any issues, make payments and report repairs. Contact can be made via our online chat facility located on our website, by email on london.ccc@rmg.london or by phone on 0207 598 1600.

How do I locate my Customer Reference Number?

Your customer reference appears on all your correspondence. The number is usually 12 digits long; however the format can vary and may include letters and punctuation.

What are RMG London timescales for dealing with queries?

RMG London strive to achieve first time resolution when dealing with queries. To view our response times for each of our communication methods, please contact our Customer Service team by emailing london.ccc@rmg.london and request a copy of our Customer Charter.

If you feel you would like to make a formal complaint you can refer to our formal complaints procedure. To view the complaints procedure please contact our Customer Service team by emailing london.ccc@rmg.london and request a copy of our Formal Complaints Procedure.

Are RMG London my Management Company?

No. We are the Managing Agents who have been appointed by your Management Company, Developer or Freeholder to administer the day to day running of the buildings and grounds maintenance. Other responsibilities include preparation of budgets for the day to day running of the building, collection of the service charge, appointing/organising payments to contractors.

As part of our agreement, our Property Managers will conduct site visits during the course of the year. Depending on the size of the development and the nature of the contract, these visits will vary in number from development to development, however for each site visit, a fully documented report is produced and uploaded to your RMG Living account.

Payment of your Service Charge covers the provision of these services as well as further costs which are detailed within your annual Service Charge Budget. These charges are in line with the terms within your lease. These costs can include window cleaning, gardening, communal electricity, minor repairs, buildings insurance, management and accountancy fees.

What is the difference between my service charge, estate charge and ground rent?

Your service charge is the fee we collect to maintain your block and includes services such as window cleaning, carpet cleaning, general repairs and maintenance and block insurance among other things.

Your estate charge is the fee we collect to maintain the grounds and includes services such as gardening, litter picking and general grounds maintenance.

Leaseholders may be obliged under the terms of their Lease to pay a rental charge to the Freehold owner of their property. The ground rent is for the land upon which the property sits and for the right of access across the communal gardens and surrounding areas. Ground rent is collected on behalf of the Freeholder by RMG London and is separate to any other charges which are used for the management of your development.

What is RMG Living and how do I log in?

RMG Living is your online customer portal. Every leaseholder has access and log in information is provided within your Welcome Pack. RMG Living provides you with the ability to view your current account balance and make payments; as well as having access to important development announcements, Site Visit reports and Newsletters. It will also provide you with the name of you Property Manager and contact details enabling you to report issues to our Customer Service Team.

To create your RMG Living account click on the link here. If this is your first visit, please enter your customer reference number, post code and email address. Once you have activated your account, you can use your email address and password to log in and access your account.

How do I change my contact details?

It is important you keep your contact details up to date. If you are changing your correspondence address, name, phone number, email address or any other contact details, please contact us so we can update our records. Should your name change for any reason, we will require copies of your legal documentation as confirmation for our records.

Alternatively you can log into your RMG Living account by clicking here and update your contact details in your profile.

Can I authorise additional people to access my account?

To authorise an additional person to access your account, you will need to confirm this in writing to us via email. Once we have this written consent, the named person will be able to act on your account, however, they will not be able to authorise any additional persons.

The authorisation will allow the authorised person full access to your account and all information relating to your account including making payments, setting up payment plans, cancelling or changing payment plans, querying the account status, buy keys, get gate codes etc. This is recommended if your property is managed by a letting agent or third person that may need to facilitate such actions.

Who is responsible for repairs?

As your Managing Agent RMG London oversees the maintenance and repair of the communal areas, the building structure, any shared services or equipment and any external grounds. As a leaseholder you are responsible for all repairs and maintenance within your apartment.

What is the difference between “Freehold” and “Leasehold?”

If you purchase a freehold property in England or Wales, you will own the home and the land it is built on. There may however be a Freehold company who owns the estate areas, such as communal car parking or garden areas.

Some developments of freehold houses have the benefits of shared facilities or areas which have to be managed, and the associated costs of this paid for by the house owners. There will generally be less maintenance required compared to a typical block of apartments, but maintenance costs might include electronic gates, shared grounds, areas of open space and private roads and drainage that are not adopted by the local authority or utility companies. Where there are shared areas Property Owners Liability (Public Liability) insurance will need to be arranged.

Where a development is mixed and comprises houses and apartments and in some cases commercial properties, the costs are apportioned fairly between the various elements and this is reflected in the service charge.

If you buy a leasehold property you are actually buying the rights to live in a property for a set period of time. You won’t actually own the structure, or the grounds it is situated on.

What if my development is still under construction?

In the case of a development still under construction, particularly a large or phased development, often the developer will retain control and carry out any early management services such as cleaning or landscape maintenance until they are ready to hand over responsibility to the agent. This will mean that some or all areas will not yet be the responsibility of RMG London.

This also means that some areas of your development may be incomplete or part of a working building site and so some ‘give and take’ may be required in respect of unfinished roads or landscaping and increased levels of noise and dust.

If you feel you would like to make a formal complaint you can refer to our 5 step escalation complaints procedure. If you would like further information, please see here for a detailed breakdown of our formal complaints process.

Who is responsible for flat to flat leaks?

Flat to flat leaks are classed as a demised fault and as such remain the responsibility of the leaseholder to resolve and rectify. However, should you require additional assistance in this respect, such as getting in touch with an adjoining resident, then please do not hesitate to contact us and we will endeavour to assist.

How do I report problems of noise/nuisance caused by other residents?

In the first instance we always ask residents to try and resolve any issues with their neighbours directly. Should the problem persist please contact your Local Authority’s Environmental Health Team.

What can I dispose of in the bin store?

Your bin store is a communal area managed and maintained by us. The bin stores are only for the disposal of household waste and recycling only. If you have any bulk items you would like to dispose of (e.g. old electrical items, furniture) you should contact your Local Authority to determine where your nearest waste disposal/recycling depot is located. You can find out more information on www.upmystreet.com

How do I report an abandoned vehicle?

If you feel a vehicle has been abandoned on your development, please contact the Customer Service Team at RMG with the make, model, colour, where possible a photograph, and location of the vehicle.

Access to your property

If you need a replacement or additional key for a shared / communal entrance door or gates please contact the Customer Service Team. Some keys and fobs often have to be ordered from the suppliers and so may take several days to arrive. In some cases, the charge from the supplier for an electric fob can be significant and we have to pass on this cost. Please note we do not have access to keys for your individual front door.

In the event there are door entry codes for access and you have forgotten the code then please contact our Customer Services Team who will be able to assist you. Door codes can only be provided to leaseholders or authorised contacts on the account.

If you require a meter reading or require access to your meter cupboard please contact our Customer Service Team who will be able to assist you in obtaining access to the meter cupboard or arranging a meter reading for you.

Can I change the windows in my leasehold property?

If you would like to make any cosmetic or structural changes to the demise of your property, you will need to provide us with full specifications of your intended changes along with the materials you propose to use. This will then be passed to your property manager to review with the site directors or Freeholders at which point permission will either be granted or denied. Please allow up to 4 weeks for this process to be completed.

Can I have a pet?

If you would like to keep a pet in your residence, we would firstly advise you to check the terms of your lease. However, if this is not clear, you will need to seek permission from your Property Manager. In your request you will need to include the type of animal you wish to house along with any possible disruptions you think having the pet will pose to your neighbours. The Property Manager will refer to the terms of the lease to determine any stipulations on this. You should expect a decision within two weeks of your request.

I am buying/selling a property at an RMG London managed development – how do I or my solicitor obtain information?

If you are in the process of selling or purchasing a property managed by RMG London, please arrange for you solicitor to contact our Solicitors Enquiries Department on 0345 002 4444 or alternatively they can issue post to our dedicated DX number which is DX 80671 HODDESDON.

It is important that all sales and purchases are notified to RMG London due to legal requirements which may differ depending on the terms of the lease.

I’m selling my property, do I still need to pay my service charge or can I clear the account when the sale completes?

Even during the process of a sale, any outstanding invoices will need to be paid by the invoice due date to allow for scheduled services on the site to continue uninterrupted and as budgeted. However, should your sale complete at any point during the current service charge period, your solicitor will be able to claim back any over payments made by yourself via apportionments with your future buyer.

Do I need to tell you if I’m letting my property?

If you live in a leasehold property, it is likely that your lease will require you to obtain consent before you let your property.

You can download the sub-let consent form by logging into your RMG Living account. This must be returned fully completed on an email attachment to london.ccc@rmg.london or to our office address:

RMG London

31 Plympton Street

London

NW8 8AB

Why do I pay a service charge?

As per the lease terms, your service charge is due by the first day of the start of the new service charge period. The quickest and most effective way to pay your service charge is online through your RMG Living account where you can also view your statement of account and up to date balance. You may also be able to pay by Direct Debit, Standing Order, bank transfer (BACS) or over the phone by calling our Customer Services Team. On some developments, payment terms may vary; please see your invoice for full details of all the options available to you.

The service charge budget is primarily designed to budget for the day-to-day costs of managing your property. Often a sum of money is allocated to a ‘reserve’ which is used to fund unexpected costs or major cyclical works. Even where such a provision exists, it may not be enough to cover all eventualities. On these occasions, the costs of major works will need to be apportioned and charged as a separate expenditure.

At the end of every service charge year, the accounts are audited in respect of the year’s budgets. Sometimes there can be an over spend on the accounts due to unforeseen expenditure required. Should this occur, a deficit is declared on the accounts. The deficit is then apportioned to residents and requested as a one off charge to settle the outstanding debt. This is paid in addition to the regular service charge.

Should there be a budget under spend on the year end accounts, the under spend is apportioned and credited back to residents in the form of a surplus credit. The surplus credit is offset on the next period’s service charge.

Setting Up / Cancelling Direct Debits

In order to collect your payment by direct debit, you will need to set up a direct debit mandate with RMG London. Depending on the terms of lease on your development, you can set up a direct debit instalment plan which will collect your payments monthly over an agreed period.

Additionally, some developments may allow payment by direct debit through a collect in full mandate. This means that the full charge will be collected in one instalment following the invoice being issued.

To cancel your direct debit you will need to contact us directly on 0207 598 1600 and we will be able to action this request for you. If you cancel your direct debit through your bank, we may not be notified in time and may try to collect the payment. A denied payment request may incur additional charges from your bank, so it is recommended that you contact us directly.

Why do I pay building insurance?

Under the terms of your lease, it is likely that you are responsible for contributing to the cost of insuring the building and you are liable for your share of the cost of the insurance policy. Please note, you do not need to arrange separate buildings insurance yourself. However you will still need to arrange separate contents insurance.

What is a Land Registry search/fee?

A Land Registry search is conducted to find out if the owner of the property has a second correspondence address registered at which they can be contacted. This is usually needed to ensure we contact the leaseholder at the correct address. This search will only be completed if payment of your service charge invoice hasn’t been made and there has been no response from the owner and service charges remain due on the account.

What are the additional charges RMG London could charge a Leaseholder?

The following is a summary of situations that may incur a charge to be levied by RMG London.

  • Reminder Fee – This charge may be applied should an account holder not settle their account within 28 days of the invoice send date.
  • Land Registry Search – A land registry search may be carried out to ascertain if an account holder has an alternative address that may be used to forward an overdue invoice.
  • Debt Referral Admin Fee – An administration charge which may be levied during the debt collection process.
  • Instalment Fee – Subject to the terms of a lease an Instalment Fee may be applicable if an account holder wishes to settle their account balance in 3 or more instalments. The charge is applicable once per service charge year and covers the processing of each additional instalment. Should the account balance be settled in up to 2 instalments, the charge does not apply.
  • Returned Cheque Fee – Should a cheque be processed with insufficient funds in the account a returned cheque fee may be charged.

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