Kennedy Property Services
Running an Owners’ Management Company can place a surprising amount of responsibility on a small group of volunteer directors.
Decisions need to be made. Budgets have to be considered. Contractors, maintenance, insurance, service charges and longer-term plans all need attention. At the same time, directors may be dealing with questions from neighbours and other unit owners who understandably want to know what is happening within their development.
For some OMCs, finding people who have the time or confidence to take on a director role can become difficult.
Kennedy Property Services offers professional OMC directorship and board support for Owners’ Management Companies that want experienced, practical input into the running of their development.
Our role is to help bring structure, property experience and independent thinking to the board while working alongside the existing directors, members and professional advisers.
An Owners’ Management Company, usually shortened to OMC, is the company responsible for the common areas and shared interests of a multi-unit development.
This can include apartment developments, mixed-use developments and certain managed housing estates.
The individual property owners are generally members of the OMC, while a board of directors is responsible for overseeing the company and making decisions on its behalf.
The work involved can cover areas such as:
Common-area maintenance
Annual budgets
Service charges
Sinking funds
Building insurance
Contractors and suppliers
Planned improvement works
Health and safety matters
Company administration
Communication with members
Working with managing agents and professional advisers
For a well-established board, these matters may be manageable.
For an OMC with only one or two active directors, or where nobody wants to take on the role, it can become much more difficult.
There is no single reason an OMC looks for outside help.
Sometimes long-standing directors simply want to step down after years of volunteering.
In another development, there may be plenty of owners but very few who are willing to become directors.
An OMC may also be going through a difficult period and want somebody with property experience involved in discussions and decision-making.
Typical situations can include:
Serving as a director requires time and commitment. Owners may be happy to contribute at an AGM but reluctant to take on an ongoing board position.
Professional directorship can provide another option where the company is struggling to maintain an active board.
The current directors may be doing a good job but feel they are carrying too much responsibility themselves.
An additional experienced voice can help the board review information, raise the right questions and reach decisions more confidently.
Major repairs, service-charge arrears, contractor issues or disagreements within a development can put considerable pressure on volunteer directors.
An experienced director does not remove those problems, but can bring a more structured approach to dealing with them.
An OMC may be changing managing agent, planning substantial works, reviewing expenditure or trying to improve how the company communicates with its members.
These periods can benefit from additional board-level experience.
A professional director joins the board to participate in the governance and decision-making of the Owners’ Management Company.
It is not simply a name placed on company paperwork.
The role can involve reviewing information, attending board meetings, considering proposals, asking questions, voting on matters before the directors and helping the board keep important issues moving.
The exact role will depend on the particular OMC, its constitution, the development and the terms agreed before appointment.
Support may involve areas such as:
Attending board meetings
Reviewing management information
Discussing budgets and expenditure
Considering maintenance priorities
Reviewing contractor proposals
Supporting longer-term planning
Helping directors organise outstanding matters
Liaising with the managing agent
Improving board communication
Helping to prepare for AGMs
Following up on agreed board actions
A professional director does not replace the OMC’s solicitor, accountant, engineer, fire consultant or other specialist advisers.
Instead, the role is to help the board use the information provided by those professionals and make informed company decisions.
One advantage of bringing an external professional onto an OMC board is perspective.
People living in a development naturally care about what happens there. That is a strength, but occasionally it can also make difficult decisions feel personal.
A professional director can look at an issue from the point of view of the OMC as a company and the development as a whole.
What needs to be dealt with first?
What information is missing?
Does a proposal need another quotation?
Has a decision been sitting unresolved for months?
Does professional advice need to be obtained before the board goes any further?
Good governance is often less about having every answer immediately and more about knowing what questions need to be asked.
Professional directorship does not mean taking control away from owners.
Actually, in many cases the best arrangement is a mixture of local knowledge and outside experience.
Resident directors understand the development from day to day. They know its history, recurring issues and the concerns of other owners.
An external director brings a different perspective.
By working together, the board can combine knowledge of the development with a more structured approach to property and company matters.
At KPS, we believe the aim should be a functioning board where decisions are properly considered, actions are clear and directors understand what needs to happen next.
Becoming an OMC director for the first time can be daunting.
An owner may agree to join the board because the development needs help, then quickly discover they are receiving accounts, contractor quotations, insurance documents and correspondence they have never dealt with before.
There is nothing unusual about that.
Most volunteer directors are property owners first. They did not purchase their apartment or house because they wanted to run a company.
Professional board support can help newer directors understand how matters are normally approached and what should be referred to the appropriate adviser.
It also gives them somebody experienced to discuss issues with before decisions are made.
Some OMC problems are complicated.
Others are simply the result of too many unresolved tasks accumulating over time.
A repair was discussed but never followed up.
Three quotations were requested but nobody compared them.
An issue was carried from one board meeting to the next.
Owners were told something would be investigated but nobody was assigned responsibility for it.
A more organised board process can make an enormous difference.
This can mean keeping decisions clear, assigning actions, following up before the next meeting and separating urgent matters from issues that can form part of longer-term planning.
The OMC and its managing agent have different roles.
The board makes decisions on behalf of the company. A managing agent can then carry out property management functions within the authority and scope agreed with the OMC.
A professional director can work with the managing agent while still approaching matters from the perspective of the Owners’ Management Company.
This can be particularly useful when reviewing:
Maintenance programmes
Contractor performance
Annual budgets
Insurance matters
Service-charge collection
Planned expenditure
Sinking-fund requirements
Ongoing management issues
Clear responsibilities make the relationship easier for everyone.
A six-unit development does not need the same structure as a large apartment complex.
Nor does an OMC with healthy finances and an active board need the same support as one facing major works, unpaid service charges and several vacant director positions.
That is why we do not believe in treating every management company in exactly the same way.
Before discussing an appointment, Kennedy Property Services will first look at the circumstances of the OMC and what its members or current directors actually need.
That initial conversation may cover:
The size and type of development
The current board structure
Existing managing-agent arrangements
The reason professional support is being considered
Important outstanding matters
Frequency of board meetings
Expectations of the director role
The OMC’s constitution and appointment requirements
From there, the appropriate arrangement can be discussed.
Kennedy Property Services is based in North Dublin and works within the Irish property sector across sales, lettings and property management.
That day-to-day property experience gives us a practical understanding of the issues that can arise within residential developments.
Our approach to OMC board support is straightforward.
We want directors to understand the decisions in front of them, have the right information available and be able to move matters forward without unnecessary confusion.
For OMCs looking for professional director services in Dublin, we are available to discuss the development and determine whether our service is a suitable fit.
A professional OMC director is an experienced external person appointed to the board of an Owners’ Management Company, subject to the company’s constitution and applicable requirements. They participate in board decisions and help with the governance of the company.
Yes. The service can complement an existing board. Resident directors bring valuable knowledge of the development, while an external director can provide additional experience and an independent perspective.
No. They are different roles. The directors oversee and make decisions for the OMC, while a managing agent carries out agreed management functions on behalf of the company.
This is one of the situations in which professional directorship may be worth discussing. Any appointment must still follow the OMC’s constitution, company procedures and applicable legal requirements.
Meeting and chairing arrangements can be discussed as part of the service required by the OMC.
A professional director can help identify when specialist advice is required, but the role does not replace an OMC’s solicitor, accountant, engineer or other suitably qualified professional.
Potentially, yes. The right arrangement depends more on what the OMC needs than simply the number of units in the development.
Contact Kennedy Property Services with some basic information about the development, the existing board and why you are considering professional director support. We can then discuss the situation and the next steps.
A strong OMC depends on people being willing to make decisions, follow matters through and keep the development’s long-term interests in view.
That can be a lot to ask of volunteers.
If your Owners’ Management Company needs an additional director, more experienced board-level support or simply wants to discuss its current situation, speak with Kennedy Property Services.
Call or text 089 452 0241 to discuss professional OMC directorship and board support.
Kennedy Property Services
