Company Description
Our client's Real Estate Division is the UK’s leading service charge consultancy in the office, retail, industrial and leisure sectors. There is a London office which offers alternative Real Estate services, including valuation and agency.
The Real Estate Division sits within Technical and Real Estate whereby technical incorporates traditional building consultancy with the Head of Building Consultancy also based in the Bristol office.
This position is based in the Bristol office which deals with the corporate office sector and undertakes service charge consultancy for both Landlords and Tenants. The client base is predominantly blue-chip corporate.
There are currently 16 people based in the Bristol office with plans for continued growth in revenue and expansion of service offering.
This is an exciting opportunity to be part of that growth and therefore requires an ambitious and highly motivated individual who is capable of working both on his / her own initiative or in a team.
Job Description
This is a challenging position within a consultancy team that features a breadth of complementary skills. The successful individual will have a good technical knowledge of commercial property construction, design and defects analysis, but also the ability to present findings and opinion in an organised and logical way leading to the use of negotiation skills which from time to time may involve forms of ADR.
Service charges are a highly contentious area and the successful applicant must be able to engage both with technical experts and senior management including where necessary lawyers and accountants.
The successful applicant will be expected to be able to lead commissions and work as part of a team. The role will be client facing and may involve management reporting to other parts of the Technical and Real Estate division or indeed the wider Group.
The successful applicant with be required to attend meetings throughout mainland UK (in London and other provincial centres) and occasionally in Ireland.
It is expected that the successful applicant will be a Chartered Building Surveyor or Chartered Quantity Surveyor with a minimum of 3 years’ post qualification experience.
This is a challenging, varied and interesting role which will enable a technically qualified individual to expand their management experience and negotiation skills. There will be an opportunity for the successful applicant to assist in the development of the Division.
Job Description – Main Activities
Consultancy
- The assessment of Landlord’s proposals to undertake capital works on major building fabric projects. This will include reporting upon condition, defects diagnosis and the assessment of repairs / replacement options.
- Assessment and advice on repairing obligations, cost recoverability and other lease provisions.
- Negotiating with Landlords and / or their consultants in relation to capital works / maintenance proposals and acting as a Client / Landlord interface.
- Reviewing service charge costs and assessing recovery based upon lease provisions. Reviewing service provisions at buildings and liaising with Landlords and / or the agents.
- Reviewing service contracts, assessing service standards and advising on costs.
- Attending negotiations with Landlords or their agents and Tenant / Client meetings.
- Reviewing service charge cost recoveries, budgets and certificates.
- Acting as an Expert Witness in service charge or other related disputes.
Developing a thorough knowledge of service charge consultancy, the RICS Professional Statement and relevant legal cases in order to advise both Landlords and Tenants on management, lease compliant, contract compliant and service charge recoverability.
