Caretaker Services for Blocks of Flats
Professional caretaker services block of flats management, from day porters to live in caretakers, ensuring your building is clean, secure, and well-maintained every day.
A dedicated caretaker of a block of flats plays a vital role in the day-to-day running of any residential building. From keeping communal areas clean and presentable to carrying out minor repairs and supervising contractors, a good caretaker is the eyes and ears of the building. At Block, we provide comprehensive caretaker services block of flats management that ensures your building benefits from reliable, professional on-site support tailored to its specific needs.
Whether your building requires a full-time resident caretaker, a day porter covering set hours, or a visiting caretaker attending on scheduled days, we manage the entire process as part of our wider block management services. This includes recruitment, employment administration, task scheduling, performance monitoring, and cost management through the service charge. Our approach ensures that caretaker provision is properly coordinated alongside building maintenance, communal cleaning, and concierge and porter services to deliver a seamless experience for leaseholders and residents alike.
Day Porter vs Resident Caretaker - Which Is Right for Your Building?
The type of caretaker provision your building needs depends on its size, the number of residents, and the level of on-site support required. Understanding the difference between a day porter and a live in caretakers arrangement is essential when planning your service charge budget and ensuring the building receives the right level of care.
A day porter attends the building during set hours, typically covering weekday mornings or afternoons. Day porters handle routine tasks such as cleaning communal areas, accepting deliveries, monitoring the entrance, and carrying out light maintenance. This option suits smaller to mid-sized blocks where a full-time on-site presence is not required but regular attention is needed to keep the building in good order.
A resident caretaker lives on site and provides a more comprehensive, round-the-clock presence. Live in caretakers jobs typically involve a broader scope of duties including out-of-hours emergency response, security monitoring, and greater involvement in building maintenance coordination. This option is most common in larger developments where the scale of the building justifies a permanent on-site presence, and where property caretaker rights and employment terms include the provision of on-site accommodation.
Caretaker Duties and Responsibilities
The duties of a caretaker of a block of flats vary depending on the building and the agreed scope of the role. As your managing agent, we work with you to define a clear set of responsibilities that ensures the caretaker delivers maximum value. Typical caretaker duties include:
Every caretaker we manage works to a documented task schedule that is reviewed regularly by our property managers. This ensures accountability, consistent standards, and clear evidence that the building is being properly maintained. Where a caretaker identifies issues beyond their scope, we coordinate the necessary building maintenance response through our network of approved contractors.
Employment and Management of Caretakers
Employing a caretaker involves a range of legal and administrative obligations that many freeholders, directors, and resident management companies find complex to manage. As your managing agent, we handle every aspect of caretaker employment and management so you do not have to. Our service covers:
- Recruitment, interviewing, and selection of suitable candidates
- Drafting employment contracts that reflect the agreed duties and terms
- Managing payroll, pension auto-enrolment, and HMRC compliance
- Handling holiday entitlement, sickness absence, and cover arrangements
- Addressing performance issues and carrying out regular reviews
- Managing property caretaker rights including accommodation terms for live-in roles
Property caretaker rights are an important consideration, particularly for live in caretakers jobs where accommodation is provided as part of the employment package. The legal status of the caretaker's accommodation, whether it constitutes a service occupancy or a service tenancy, has significant implications for both the employer and the caretaker. We ensure that all employment arrangements are properly structured and legally compliant, protecting the interests of leaseholders and the building.
For buildings that prefer not to employ a caretaker directly, we can arrange contracted caretaker provision through specialist facilities management companies. This removes the employment burden entirely while still delivering reliable on-site support managed and monitored by our block management team.
Caretaker Costs and Service Charge Allocation
The cost of providing a caretaker is recovered from leaseholders through the service charge, in the same way as other communal services such as cleaning, maintenance, and insurance. Typical caretaker-related costs that may appear in the service charge budget include salary, employer's National Insurance contributions, pension contributions, uniform and equipment, and the cost of any accommodation provided for a resident caretaker.
As your managing agent, we ensure all caretaker costs are transparently budgeted and clearly presented in the annual service charge accounts. We regularly review whether the current caretaker provision represents value for money and recommend adjustments if the building's needs change. Our goal is to deliver the highest standard of on-site care at a fair and reasonable cost to leaseholders.
For a tailored quote for caretaker services block of flats management, please get in touch or call us on 0161 371 7190. We will assess your building and recommend the right level of caretaker provision for your needs and budget.
Frequently Asked Questions About Caretaker Services
What are caretaking services?
Caretaking services refer to the on-site management and upkeep of a building, typically a block of flats or residential development. A caretaker is responsible for day-to-day duties such as cleaning communal areas, carrying out minor repairs, supervising contractors, managing key holding, and reporting maintenance issues to the managing agent. Caretaking services ensure the building remains clean, safe, and well-maintained for all residents.
Who is responsible for repairs in a block of flats?
The freeholder or their appointed managing agent is typically responsible for arranging repairs to the communal parts of a block of flats. This obligation is usually set out in the lease, which requires the landlord to maintain shared areas including hallways, stairwells, the roof, external walls, and communal installations. The cost of repairs is recovered from leaseholders through the service charge. A caretaker may carry out minor repairs directly, while larger works are arranged through specialist contractors.
What are the roles and responsibilities of a caretaker?
The roles and responsibilities of a caretaker in a block of flats typically include cleaning communal areas such as hallways, stairwells, and lobbies; carrying out minor repairs and maintenance tasks; supervising contractors working on site; managing key holding and access for deliveries and tradespeople; monitoring building security and reporting issues; inspecting the building for defects or hazards; managing bin stores and waste collection areas; and liaising with the managing agent on day-to-day operational matters.
Do caretakers live on site?
Some caretakers live on site, particularly in larger developments where a permanent on-site presence is beneficial. These are known as resident or live-in caretakers, and their accommodation is usually provided as part of their employment terms. However, many blocks use day porters or visiting caretakers who attend the building during set hours rather than residing there. The choice between a resident caretaker and a day porter depends on the size of the building, the needs of residents, and the available budget within the service charge.
What is the salary of a caretaker in the UK?
The salary of a caretaker in the UK varies depending on the location, the size of the building, the scope of duties, and whether the role is full-time or part-time. As a guide, a full-time caretaker of a block of flats typically earns between £22,000 and £32,000 per year, with live-in caretakers often receiving a lower cash salary alongside the benefit of on-site accommodation. Day porters working set hours may be paid on an hourly basis. The cost of employing a caretaker is recovered from leaseholders through the service charge.
Need Professional Caretaker Services for Your Block?
Get in touch for a free, no-obligation quote. Our team will assess your building and recommend the right caretaker services block of flats solution to keep your communal areas clean, safe, and well-managed.