4.2.2 STEP 2 - Set Up Block Information

Access via the menu option: the block -> Block Summary

To watch a video on how to carry out this process, please click on this video:  4.2.2 STEP 2 - Set Up Block Information

Block Details

This section contains basic information about the block such as the block address and who the property manager is.

You can also determine under which branch the block belongs to (if your company has multiple branches that it operates from - these will need to be set up in the agent settings screen within the Workbench so it is available in the Block Summary screen).

The sponsor can also be changed on this screen. A sponsor is someone like a senior property manager or a financial director. 

If you click on the [Edit] button on the top right, you can edit the details. 

You can also add general notes about the block on the right hand section. 

NOTE: Notes can be edited by anyone

Units

This section contains details about the units within the block. You can add, reorder, view and even delete units. 

You can add new units by clicking on [Add Unit].

You are then presented with a pop which allows you to enter the number of units you require and then you can add in the unit name for each of them. 

You can re-order units as well by clicking on the [Reorder]. Simply drag the unit into the desired position and this will reorder the unit. 

You can see the details of the unit by clicking on the[View] button.

The unit details have a dashboard style layout which allows a quick view of all the details without having to scroll.

There are a few sections on this screen with each having its own purpose:

1. Unit - Here you can enter the Unit name which is the system's name displayed on the block summary screen as well as drop-downs in the system where you have to select a unit. This section also contains the [Next] and [Previous] button that can be used to go to the next and previous units without having to go back to the summary screen. You can also amend the unit details by clicking on the [Edit] button. 
   
2. Unit Address - The full unit address where the unit resides
   
3. Title - (i.e. ownership) key information relating to the unit:
   
1. Name of Legal Owner - the name of the person, people or company that own the unit; this is used for addressing demands and correspondence
   
2. Name inc. Salutation - used as the introduction for letters and emails (e.g. Dear Mr Smith)
3. Ownership Start Date - If the 'Ownership Commenced On' field is left blank any financial data produced for the current Legal Owner will be driven from the date of the Opening Balances set for the Block. However if you have the actual date when the Legal Owner started their ownership of the unit you can input that date here.
4. Tenant Reference - This reference is printed on the tenant’s demands and they are asked to quote this reference when making a payment. If you have an existing reference or code for each tenant, and you wish to continue to use it, then it can be entered here. Otherwise the system will allocate a unique reference number for the tenant
5. Tenure - You can choose whether the unit is a Leasehold, Freehold, Commonhold and Other. 'Freehold' properties will result in the section 47 / 48 notice being excluded from service charge demands and will alter the text on Ground Rent demands, otherwise it will be included. If the Tenure is Freehold then the Service Charge text on the demands will be changed to Rentcharge due to legislation (Gov.co.uk Website - Rentcharge).
   
6. Change of Ownership - Allows you to change the legal owner of a unit. This popup will also list out previous owner history and you can also revert the change by Deleting a record: 
   
NOTE: You CAN NOT enter an ownership start date in the future as other functions within the system works off the dates to run it processes such as demand production and leaseholder statements. 
4. Notes - You can add general notes about the unit here
   
5. Correspondence Address - The address that is required to post any correspondence to the unit. Often this is the same as the unit address and in those situations, you can just tick the 'Same as Unit Address'. When you do this, the Correspondence Address lines disappear (If you don't have this option ticked but Line 1, Line 2, Line 3, Town, Postcode are the same on both address sections then it has the same effect). 
   
   
6. People Involved - You can add contact details relating to this unit. Here is also where you set unit holders up that you want to give access to the Portal. 
   
1. Use the [Add New Person] option to add specific details (e.g. email and telephone numbers) about the people in the property .
   

If you tick the Management Team / Directors box, then this person is added onto the Block Summary screen.

Web Access allows you to send the login to unit holders. They can then use this to login into the portal. 

You can also [Delete] units providing that they meet certain criteria's. If they don't then you will be prompted with a warning:

Management Team / Directors

This lists all the people involved records that had the option ticked when they were created. It gives a clear indication of the contact points for the property manager to help manage the block more efficiently. 

Please see this article for information on a frequently asked question relating to the change of ownership:  4.11.3 What should I do when the ownership of a flat changes?

To add the Unit Details and People Involved details in bulk, please see point 4 of this KB article:  3.1.3 Agent Management

• Related Articles

• 4.11.7 How to produce a Leaseholder statement or statements?

  There are three main system areas where leaseholder statements can be produced: 1.      In the Block Area -> The Block -> Block Reports ->Leaseholder Statement -All Units can be produced for all units in a block: Once you have selected ‘Leaseholder ...

• 3.1.3 Agent Management

  Blocks Online provides a number of administrative functions which are typically only required on an infrequent or extraordinary basis. 1. Agent Suppliers - This is where you set your global list of suppliers that can then be linked to the blocks in ...

• 4.7.1 Block Insurance

  Blocks Online provides the facility to allow the tracking and monitoring of insurance policies. Accessed via the menu option: The Block -> Block Insurance. This screen is used to record details of insurance policies (e.g. buildings insurance, D&O) ...

• 3.2.3 Deactivate a Block

  Accessed via the menu option: Block Management –> Deactivate Block All new blocks will be given a status of Active when they are first registered. If you no longer manage a block then you can ‘Deactivate’ the block. When this is performed the block ...

• 2.4 Agent set-up Steps

  Think of this as a check list to follow in sequence in order to get onboarded fully on the system: STEP 1: Users/Staff Setup - These are all the users that will be able to log into the system in order to use it. There is no limit to the number of ...