Your guide to Managing Agents
Some homes and buildings have companies working behind the scenes to help look after communal spaces and services. This page explains what managing agents are, why they might be involved with your home, and how we support you.
What Is a Managing Agent?
A managing agent is a company that helps take care of parts of your building or estate that are shared with other people: like hallways, gardens or parking areas.
They look after cleaning, repairs, gardening, and other upkeep tasks so everything stays safe and tidy.
Making things easier for you
We know it can be confusing when someone other than your housing association is involved in running parts of your building or estate. That’s why we have a clear policy on working with managing agents to make sure:
- We always know who does what.
- Communication is clear and easy to follow.
- Any problems are chased up and sorted quickly.
- There’s a responsible process if things go wrong.
This makes the service you receive fair and consistent, with no guesswork.
Why does my home have a Managing Agent?
Your home might have a managing agent for a few reasons:
- We don’t own all the building or land – sometimes someone else (like the freeholder) appoints a managing agent.
- Shared spaces still need looking after even when we own your home. Communal gardens or roads may be handled by a managing agent.
- We might choose one so that services across the neighbourhood are handled consistently.
In all cases, this arrangement is usually agreed when the development was built.
How do we support you?
We’re here to support you with:
- Help and guidance: Answering how your building or estate is run and who to contact.
- Communications: We’ll share important updates with you.
- Problem solving: If your managing agent isn’t sorting something, we’ll help make sure it’s resolved.
- Escalation and complaints: You have a right to complain about how we hold managing agents accountable.
In short: you reach out to us first and we’ll take it from there.
Who's involved in managing my home?
Here’s the simple breakdown:
- You (the customer) – Your home is your own space, and we’re here to support you.
- Us (LiveWest) – We manage your tenancy or lease and are your first point of contact.
- Freeholder – The legal owner of the building or land.
- Resident Management Company (if there is one) – A group often formed by homeowners and has resident directors.
- Managing Agent – The company carrying out cleaning, gardening, repairs and ongoing upkeep of shared areas.
You don’t need to work out who does what — just tell us what you need, and we’ll take care of the rest.
Who do I contact?
If you have an issue big or small, contact us first.
You can get in touch by:
- Phone – 0300 123 8080
- Email – Service.Charge.Team@LiveWest.co.uk
- Post – LiveWest Homes Limited, 1 Wellington Way, Skypark, Clyst Honiton, Exeter, EX5 2FZ
We’ll either help you directly or pass your request to the right team (for example, the managing agent or freeholder) and keep you updated.
Frequently asked questions
Who sends service charges and bills?
We manage service charge admin and pass on costs from managing agents where relevant.
What if I want to make changes to my home?
Contact us first and we’ll help explain what permissions you need.
How do I raise a complaint about a managing agent?
Tell us first. We’ll escalate it via their complaints process and work to get it sorted.
Who handles safety checks?
We work with managing agents to make sure health and safety is looked after.