Vertical Markets

Property Guardian Providers Association

by Mark Rowe

Seven UK property guardian firms have come together to form a trade association. The Property Guardian Providers Association (PGPA) was welcomed in a debate on the sector in the House of Lords on Monday, and government Minister Lord Bourne announced the government would be seeking to meet the association soon.

The PGPA is founded by Ad Hoc Property Management, Guardians of London, Live-in Guardians, Lowe Guardians, VPS, Dex Property Management and Camelot. It seeks to formulate policy, and to ensure that its members meet or exceed legal and safety standards. These seven founding members provide over 80pc of the guardian accommodation in the UK.

Simon Finneran, Managing Director of Ad Hoc Property Management, one of the key drivers behind the association’s inception, said: “The industry has grown to a size where it now needs a structured framework in terms of best practice and progression to not just raise standards, but to also ensure that guardians are getting the best out of their experience.”

After an industry-wide census of its members, the association found that many people can’t afford to live in the city where they work, and yet property guardianship provides a cost-effective way to do so. It was also found that no less than 60 per cent of guardians remain in the same place for a year or more, confounding the myth that guardians are constantly on the move.

Simon added: “Property guardianship is becoming a more popular way of living as it allows for people to save money to get on the property ladder themselves. One in four guardians are in their 30s and one in three are key workers, all of whom are benefitting greatly from living closer to work.”

The association, which launches formally at the Empty Homes Conference in Birmingham, has established a formal constitution which sets a benchmark for the legal obligations of management companies and property owners, as well as a service quality covenant to guardians. To become a member, companies must not only meet the criteria as defined in the constitution, but be subject to an annual audit of its procedures and services.

The association’s inaugural chairman and secretary is Graham Sievers until the election of the first member chairman at the organisation’s first annual general meeting next year. He said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to ensure that this fast-growing sector is represented vocally and sets the best-in-class standards for the whole industry.”

The Empty Homes Conference runs on Thursday, October 18 from 10am to 4.45pm at etcVenues Maple House, 150 Corporation St, Birmingham B4 6TB. Visit: http://www.ehnetwork.org.uk/2018Conference.

For more about the Property Guardian Providers Association contact [email protected].

Picture by Mark Rowe; Lord Hood pub, Greenwich, with live-in guardians, June 2018.

Related News

Newsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to stay on top of security news and events.

© 2024 Professional Security Magazine. All rights reserved.

Website by MSEC Marketing