PERA Newsletter - October 2024

Latest updates from the Piccadilly East Residents' Association

The committee continues to do its work as a collective and is keen to share information and updates on the following topics:

  • PERA End-of-Year gathering
  • PERA Membership
  • Manchester Police meeting
  • Snagging issues
  • Engaging with a chartered surveyor
  • Meeting with Capital & Centric
  • Meeting with Zenith

1. PERA End-of-Year gathering

Please save the date for our festive end-of-year gathering on Thursday 5th December at 6:30pm. This year has brought significant change, and we hope you can join us in a celebration of the headway we have made together. We look forward to bringing the year to a close with as many of you as possible.

2. PERA Membership

We are currently at 70% membership across Phoenix and Crusader, totalling at 198 flats. It goes without saying that we are always looking for new members, so please share information about PERA with your neighbours who have not have joined.

3. Manchester Police meeting

Earlier this month, one of our committee members met with the local police. In this meeting, the police emphasised the importance of reporting incidents to them. They are keen to work with us as a community to ensure of our safety and would like to remind all residents of the importance of reporting incidents to the police.

Becoming part of Neighbourhood Watch was another topic of discussion, and it was agreed that we could form part of a trial for the new Neighbourhood Watch Scheme. Neighbourhood Watch is the largest volunteer-led crime prevention charity in England and Wales. They have over 60,000 active volunteers and over 2 million supporter households. For more information, please visit their website: ourwatch

4. Snagging issues

We have received a number of reports of defective cloister windows due to issues with the handles. This was raised in our meeting with Capital & Centric. In order for this to be properly addressed, it is critical that there is a record of this for all affected properties. If this issue affects you directly, please contact Capital & Centric. Additionally, if you have any unresolved snagging issues, please contact Zenith at info@zenithmanagement.co.uk or call 0161 245 1166.

5. Chartered Surveyor

As mentioned in our last PERA meeting, the committee is consulting with a chartered surveyor to ensure compliance with legal requirements for past service charges. We plan to meet with them to address external snagging issues and obtain an estimated audit price for their services. We’ll continue to update members throughout this process.

6. Meeting with Capital & Centric - 10th October

Committee members met with Capital & Centric to discuss several items, including the outstanding audited accounts from Urban Bubble. The good news is that we are expecting the Year 1 accounts to arrive in the coming days. Residents will be informed once we receive them and will be kept abreast of any developments regarding this.

A more detailed update on additional items discussed in this meeting will be shared with residents in subsequent correspondence.

7. Meeting with Zenith - 16th October

The committee also met with Zenith this month. The issues tracker, which the committee uses to track ongoing items, was reviewed. Please find key updates on a number of items below:

Accounts and service charge: In the handover of management from Urban Bubble to Zenith, the accounts for previous years of management continue to require attention and correction. In this meeting, we were informed that Urban Bubble has corrected the errors on individual resident accounts for Year 1 and Year 2. Once we receive any further updates on this, we will inform residents.

Concierge staff hours: Zenith has agreed to reach out to residents in order to gain a better understanding of their requirements for the concierge service—specifically around the need for 24-hour staffing. There are a number of alternative models that could be adopted, and given the potential cost savings around this, we are keen to agree on the right one for both buildings.

External guttering: Concerns were raised about blockages in some of the external gutters, potentially due to the initial construction of the property. This has been noted by Zenith, and in order to build a fuller picture of the situation, we will continue to monitor things—especially during the wetter seasons. If you notice any issues with external guttering, please do report this to Zenith.

Again, a more detailed update regarding all items discussed in this meeting will be shared in the coming weeks.