Month: June 2023

LMC’s directors have been going through a very frustrating period, but we want to let everybody know that we are still working hard to achieve the resolution of the many issues we are facing in the management of Little Meadow. 

In the last seven days we have counted forty-nine emails exchanged between the directors and with the other parties involved in this saga!

• The integration of DJC’s and FirstPort’s two separate systems was carried out over the weekend of 3rd/4th June.  Since then our designated Property Manager has changed twice.
• The vote to appoint the six new owner/directors took place at the Members’ meeting on 26th April and these changes should have been filed at Companies House by our corporate Company Secretary, DJC Secretarial and Management Ltd within 14 days.  We understand that the relevant department at FirstPort has been waiting for the necessary authentication codes to enable them to do this, but at the time of writing the filing still hasn’t been done.
• The formal Minutes of that members’ meeting have still not been received as promised from the DJC representative who attended that evening.
• Bellway has again gone silent on the completion of the outstanding items in the list posted here on 31st May.
• We still await full details from DJC/FirstPort about the current financial position of LMC.  After many requests we received some additional information last week, but it was incomplete and plainly inaccurate.
• LMC’s accounts for the year ended 30th September 2022 are due for filing at Companies House before the end of this month and a confirmation statement is due to be completed and filed by 4th July.  We have not been able to establish if these documents are ready yet and we have insisted that they are signed off by one or more of the original Bellway-appointed directors as none of the new directors has any knowledge of the affairs of LMC up to that point.
• The legal transfer to LMC of the land comprising the common areas is barely inching forward and we are trying to arrange a meeting between the directors of LMC and Bellway Homes’ senior management to get this and other matters finalised as soon as possible.  The suggestion of a meeting has been turned down due to the pressures of Bellway Homes Ltd’s impending financial year end (which falls on 31st July 2023) but we are promised that one will be arranged as soon as time permits.
• There is no further news on the adoption of Marjoram Avenue by Surrey Highways, nor of the adoption of the sewers by Thames Water.  It is entirely Bellway’s responsibility to pursue adoption and there is nothing LMC can do to expedite it beyond keeping pressure on Bellway to bring things to fruition. Undoubtedly there is a bond agreement in place so the eventual outcome is not in doubt, just the timing.
• The gardening work will continue to be carried out by Allwinds for the time being but this will be kept under review for a possible switch when some of the more pressing administrative matters mentioned above have been dealt with.  Meantime, the directors are keeping an eye on the quantity and quality of their work and will make sure clear instructions are given to effect improvements. 

As you know, DJC/FirstPort, is contracted by LMC to carry out work on its behalf and in accordance with its instructions (see ‘DJC/FirstPort’s role’ in an earlier post). We have made it clear that we are unhappy with the quality of service they have provided so far and have told them that Little Meadow deserves better.

Please be assured that the directors are doing all they can to resolve everything and to protect the interests of all owners and residents of Little Meadow. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions please get in touch with us.

I posted this in the Marjoram Avenue and Closes Facebook group a short while ago but I think it’s worth repeating here as the role of FirstPort (formerly DJC Management) can be a bit confusing. Not everybody uses Facebook so some will not have seen it.

Little Meadows (Cranleigh) Management Company Ltd (“LMC”) remains the ultimate recipient of any charges which are collected by the managing agent – DJC/FirstPort. The money is held in a designated client’s account on LMC’s behalf from which the agent pays out for gardening, general maintenance and the many other running expenses of the estate.

So, LMC has contracted the managing agent to do the routine, day-to-day things on its behalf and while the agent has recently changed you can see that overall control remains with LMC – only now the owner/directors are active in that respect – before, Bellway’s directors took a back seat and just let DJC get on with it.

If you’re paying charges you should presumably use the payment details which have been provided in the letter you should have received from FirstPort. The letter will include your account number with them so that they can allocate any payments to you.

If something needs doing or if you want information please send the directors a message via this website and they’ll take it on board, instructing DJC/FirstPort to take action if it’s needed.

In case you haven’t received it in the post, the letter regarding DJC’s takeover by FirstPort has now been sent out. It says that it is a “further update” but as far as we know it’s the first communication with owners.

There’s also a letter which says that the first was sent in error and there’ll be another one on its way soon; however, it seems most people got the correct one the first time around (so didn’t need an apology!).

The content of both letters are self-explanatory and you can download a copy of the first one (dated 8th June) here. For what it’s worth the second one (dated 12th June) is here.

If you’re trying to register with their My Home portal as they suggest, you might find that there are several issues with the registration process and it may be necessary for you to call to ask them to email a registration link.

You’ll also notice that the way the letter is addressed is incorrect, so we will be advising FirstPort of the correct format for future postal communications.

Not a very good start, but it’s early days yet.

The latest estimate from Bellway is that they are targeting August/September for Marjoram Avenue to be adopted by Surrey County Council. Before this can be done there needs to be a repair to the paviours near the junction with Primrose Close as there is slight subsidence there following drainage work a year or two back.

None of the closes, Betony, Primrose or Yarrow are to be adopted which is in accordance with the original plan. LMC will have responsibility for their upkeep.

We await news on Thames Water’s adoption of the drainage which we believe has to happen at the same time as the road adoption. Thames Water owns the land on which the sewage pumping station sits (adjacent to Primrose Close) and it is already responsible for that.

We were told only recently that DJC Management Ltd (“DJC”) has been taken over by a larger company called FirstPort. The website for DJC now automatically diverts to FirstPort’s although at the time of writing the DJC MyBlockman portal (which many of you will have registered with) is still operational.

Of course the directors are keen to establish what the effects of this change will be and as soon as we have some more information you’ll be able to read it here.

We met today as planned and over the course of an hour and a quarter we reviewed a file of information that had been supplied to us by DJC Management and formed an outline plan on how best to deal with the many maintenance aspects of the Little Meadow estate.

There are lots of things the directors will need to consider and we hope that the fruits of our labours will become apparent in the coming months.

As always, please contact us with any comments or if there’s something that needs doing.