Property management company launches ‘mutual ground’ service

Property management company Virtu Property has launched a service designed to take the hassle out of maintaining communal spaces.

The Mutual Ground scheme – which has been rolled-out at more than 60 developments across the region – focuses on running routine maintenance for more than 1,000 individual units, reducing management fees and increasing the quality of grounds services.

Behind the initiative is Shane Bland, founder and director of Virtu. In this expansion he will be joined by property manager Richard Moynihan who has joined Midlands-based Virtu from sister company Centrick, as well as client services manager Mike Broughton, who has more than 25 years experience in horticulture and landscaping.

Bland said: “Due to the fact that the majority of new housing developments no longer benefit from a local authority taking over the communal areas, residents are having to face the prospect of managing these themselves; often resulting in a real hike in costs.

“A traditional managing agent primarily only looks after leasehold properties, which is considerably more complex than freehold properties and therefore results in the need for higher management fees. Our own experience across a multitude of developments compounds this; so rather than burdening freehold properties with the same structure and costs as leasehold schemes we decided it would be more effective to create a bespoke solution.”

The Mutual Ground service includes routine grounds maintenance, specialist services such as gate automation, water pumping station and tree surgery, and audit and accountancy services.

Residents will benefit from Virtu’s new online portal, allowing them to find all the relevant information for their development, including how to make payments, resident requests, selling a property, development maps and ground maintenance specification.

“I’m delighted to be debuting the Mutual Ground service alongside Richard & Mike. Mike has been involved in horticulture and grounds maintenance for most of his life and his experience and knowledge perfectly complements Richard’s background in managing housing developments. I truly believe we are the ideal team to deliver this new offering to residents, and I’m looking forward to making life a little easier for our customers,” said Bland.