Leaseholder Board Member Blog – An Interview with Perry and Pauline
22 June 2023
ELM Group’s Board of management is made up of eight people, each from varying backgrounds, possessing a range of different skills and experiences. It is a key consideration for the Board to take into account the diverse needs and perspectives of the residents who live on our managed estates, and so we have two Leaseholder Board Members to represent our customers and give them a voice at the highest level.
We thought it would be a great opportunity to hear Perry and Pauline’s unique perspectives, to share an insight into their roles on the ELM Group Board, the different challenges residents face and the many benefits of leasehold living.
Perry has been a leaseholder representative on the Board for 6 years and brings a wealth of experience from his past career and almost 15 years living on an RLHA managed Estate:
Perry:“I moved to the UK via Ireland from South Africa in 1994. My business background was fast moving consumer goods, firstly in Marketing & then in Sales. I started my own business in 1980 & as a result of good timing, hard work & very good luck, I was able to retire after 13 years.
My family are spread throughout the world and although we had a lovely home near the river in Walton on Thames it was not a great arrangement as my wife & I spent much of our time travelling. We wanted to find a home that didn’t require as much care & attention and so started looking at retirement developments & I prepared a list. ELM Group’s estate was the second development we visited, we moved into our new home almost 15 years ago.
I was invited to join the board of ELM Group as a Leaseholder Representative 6 years ago & like our choice of home, I haven’t regretted a moment of my time in the role.”
ELM Group saw it was important to introduce the additional perspective from residents who live on the developments we manage on behalf of independent freeholders, or our ‘ELM Managed’ Estates, and in September of 2022, Pauline joined the board as our second Leaseholder board member. In her short time in the role Pauline has already been a valuable addition to the Board. Pauline has lived on her estate for almost a year and a half, and brings an abundance of experience from her varied career:
Pauline: “I was at M&S for nearly 33 years, in Head office in Baker St, London, mainly in the buying departments and rising through the ranks to a Senior Buyer. I was then the Practice Manager at a large GP surgery in Islington, for 11 years, and when we moved down to East Sussex was a Practice Manager Consultant for the Primary Care Trust for 2/3 years. At the same time, I became a Magistrate in Sussex.”
“I was also a Trustee for Age UK East Sussex, was on their Finance Sub Committee, sat as an independent member of the Hastings and Rother Safer Community. I sat as a member of the Independent Advice Group to Sussex Police and was also a member of the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioners Elders Commission.”
We thought it would be a great opportunity to hear Perry and Pauline’s unique perspectives, to share an insight into their roles on the ELM Group Board, the different challenges residents face and the many benefits of leasehold living:
What led you to you consider an ELM/RLHA managed estate?
Perry: In all honesty, it was blind luck that led to our choice of an RLHA estate, we bought through 55 Plus who had good things to say about the management of the estate & the company & the proof of the pudding was quickly confirmed!
Pauline: I did not know the Estate was managed by ELM, at that time I had not heard of ELM! I chose my home as it was what I wanted and needed to move to, in order to be nearer my family and to downsize after I lost my husband.
What would you say leaseholders most enjoy about living on an ELM/RLHA managed Estate, what do you enjoy?
Perry: My neighbours & I all want to live in an environment that is well managed, safe & affordable – RLHA ticks all the boxes.
Pauline: The most important thing is our wonderful Estate Manager, that would be both mine and my neighbours first thought. Peace of mind would be my second thought. But mostly it is the people that live here, we are all very friendly, and most importantly, here for each other.
What is the most unexpected thing that you and/or other residents have enjoyed about living in an ELM managed property?
Perry: The Lockdown showed me how wonderful it was, caring & sharing with our neighbours. At Lorraine (The Chief Executive’s) suggestion we formed a support group that met every Thursday & Sunday at noon. We enjoyed lunch together in our large gardens (socially distanced of course) – had regular visits from a local string quartet & when some of the residents were unwilling or unable to come outside, we walked round to wave at those indoors . We learned about being good neighbours as a result.
As a leaseholder board member, you know about the issues effecting fellow residents and have the voice to make a difference; what do you find are leaseholders biggest concerns about living in a leasehold development?
Perry: Currently the biggest concern of Leaseholders is trying to keep a check on the spiralling increase in the cost of living.
In your opinion, what are the most common myths associated with living in a leasehold development i.e., 'not enough living space’ or ‘you won’t have as much independence’?
Perry: A shared environment is a challenge that all of us who have lived totally independently have to face. Once upon a time we could do pretty much as we wanted to. Now we need to have much more consideration of our neighbours views and of course rules & regulations are entrenched in our leases – sometimes causing frustration, but always for the best.
Pauline: I don’t know about the myths, but there are houses and apartments here of varying sizes and I think everyone has enough living space, that was well thought out in the development stages, and certainly here we have as much independence as we want and many great neighbours to socialise with, or not, as we want.
Since being appointed to the Board, what have you learnt about ELM/RLHA?
Perry: The main lesson I have learned from serving on the board, is that the company has a mission statement – which sums up as doing the best that it can for its customers – that’s us, the Leaseholders. Every moment of every day the whole team do just that, they work at keeping us safe & well managed in an affordable environment.
Pauline: I have learnt a lot about ELM/RLHA having not heard of ELM prior to moving here. Since joining the Board, I have been impressed at how everything is gone into in so much depth to get the best value for leaseholders, how involved the staff are, from the Chief Executive downwards, and it’s good to know that RLHA is a charitable organisation.
What is your role on the board, and why do you think is this important?
Perry: My role on the board is to provide a voice for over 4000 customers. I do my best to ensure their interests are always the top priority of the company. One of the most difficult aspects of my role is trying to ensure that the correct procedure is followed when an issue arises – as the Leasehold representative I always recommend the steps advised by the managing agent as the best route to resolve issues; the Estate Manager & Area Manager are best equipped to provide answers.
Pauline: My role on the Board is I believe to bring in the voice of leaseholders living in developments that are owned by independent freeholders. It is important to give the differences to living in a property which is owned and managed by ELM.
You both have different backgrounds and experiences; what unique perspective does this help you bring to the board’s discussions?
Pauline: Hopefully my background brings a bit of all my experiences, in retail, the NHS, from managing a GP practice, along with my experience as a Trustee for a charity and my involvement with the Police and the PCC. Sometimes little nuggets come from all this, that will be of use at ELM, but still early days for me.
What would your advice be to someone considering moving to an ELM managed estate?
Pauline: I would say ELM is a great Management Company. I would not have any reservations about that being a plus feature.