Block Management in the South West
Leasehold in the region is mostly flats, and coastal blocks carry the cost of salt air.
Plymouth Block Management acts as managing agent for block, estate and leasehold management across the South West, for RMCs, RTM companies and freeholders, from a Plymouth head office.
The region spans 13 unitary authorities plus two-tier Devon and Gloucestershire, served by six fire and rescue services. Of its leasehold stock, 76.3 per cent is flats against 69.0 per cent nationally, and coastal blocks can sit in the most severe ISO 9223 corrosion categories.
Proposals are for developments of 50 or more units. Smaller building? Talk to our team.
Where the Buildings We Manage Actually Are
Developments in our portfolio include Ocean Crescent, Discovery Wharf, Harbourside Court and Admiralty Row East in Plymouth; Flete House at Holbeton, Woodland Court in Ivybridge, 71 Plymouth Road in Tavistock, and Harris Place and Old Park Avenue in Exeter; Brunel Mews and Royal Albert Court in Saltash; and Rialto Court and Polmear Apartments in St Austell.
Thirteen Unitaries, Two Two-Tier Counties, Six Fire Services
- Local authority
- 13 unitary authorities plus two-tier Devon and Gloucestershire
- Authority type
- Mixed (unitary and two-tier)
- Building control
- the unitary, district or borough council for the area
- Setting
- Coastal
Page last updated . Sources: ONS Census 2021, accommodation type (TS044); Environment Agency long term flood risk; GOV.UK, register a high-rise residential building; GOV.UK, local government reorganisation, 29 October 2026.
Where a South West Block's Costs Are Decided
Measure the Block, Not the Table
A council's absence from the cladding remediation tables does not mean it has no tall buildings. For each block we would establish height by measurement and, for a higher-risk building, handle Building Safety Regulator registration.
Building safetyBudget Coastal Metalwork in the Reserve
We would put balustrades, railings, fixings and walkways into the reserve fund plan for a coastal block.
Reserve fundsRoute Supply and Drainage Separately
In the Bristol area, Bristol Water supplies the water and Wessex Water takes the sewerage. For a block there we would direct communal supply and drainage issues to the right undertaker and keep both on the compliance record.
Maintenance and repairsKeep Accounts Ready for Havant
Leasehold disputes for the whole South West are heard by the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Southern region at Havant. We would keep service charge accounts and consultation records complete enough to stand up there if challenged.
Service chargesSalty Coastal Air Is Chiefly a Metalwork Problem
Salt exposure is a defining cost for blocks on the region's coast. ISO 9223 puts the most severe coastal atmospheres in categories C5 and CX, in which unprotected carbon steel can lose 80 to 200 micrometres of thickness in its first year in C5, and more in CX, against 1.3 to 25 micrometres inland. That is why balustrades, railings, fixings and walkway structures are the parts of a coastal block that most often drive its repair budget, and why they belong in the reserve fund plan.
76.3 Per Cent of the South West Leasehold Is Flats
The South West has proportionally less leasehold than England as a whole, but what it has is more concentrated in flats. Government figures for 2024 to 2025 put 15.4 per cent of the region's dwellings in leasehold against 19.9 per cent across England. However, 76.3 per cent of the region's leasehold stock is flats, against 69.0 per cent nationally.
Within the region the range is very wide. At the 2021 Census 26.8 per cent of households in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole were in a purpose-built block, against 4.4 per cent in the Forest of Dean. Most of the region's leasehold homes therefore sit in blocks with shared service charges and statutory consultation on major works.
Height Decides Which Blocks Are Higher-Risk
A building is higher-risk under the Building Safety Act if it is at least 18 metres or at least seven storeys high and has at least two residential units. Across the South West, 267 unique buildings of 11 metres and over are being monitored under the government remediation programmes. The published tables do not list every council with tall blocks, so for any individual block the answer comes from measuring the building, not from a table.
Gloucestershire Reorganises While Devon Waits for a New Decision
Gloucestershire County Council and its six districts are to be replaced with a single unitary authority. In Devon, the decision of 16 July 2026 to replace Devon County Council and its eight districts with four unitary councils covering Devon, Plymouth and Torbay was set aside on 29 October 2026, pending a fresh decision. Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Swindon, Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire are not in the reorganisation programme. For a block in Gloucestershire, the council contacts for planning, building control and licensing will change; in Devon they stay as they are until a new decision is made.
Patterns That Recur from Cornwall to Gloucestershire
- The region is a patchwork of structures: 13 unitary authorities plus two-tier Devon and Gloucestershire, so which body a block deals with depends entirely on where it stands.
- Six separate fire and rescue services cover the region: Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly, Devon and Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire, Avon, and Gloucestershire.
- Leasehold disputes for the whole South West are heard by the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Southern region, which sits at Havant.
- The Met Office district covering south-west England and south Wales averaged about 1,277 millimetres of rain a year over 1991 to 2020, against about 870 for England as a whole, roughly 47 per cent more.
Published Fees, the Same in Truro as in Tewkesbury
Management is a fixed annual fee, quoted for the building and agreed before we start. We take no commission and no third-party incentives, so the fee is the whole of what we earn from the building. Taking a block on carries a one-off start-up fee, set by size:
| Block size | Fee |
|---|---|
| Start-up fee, up to 10 units | £420.00 |
| Start-up fee, up to 25 units | £540.00 |
| Start-up fee, 50 units and above | £660.00 |
Taken from our published Additional Services price list, PBM Form #01-27 rev.6, effective 23 June 2025. All fees quoted are inclusive of VAT. See how our block management fees work and what changing your managing agent involves.
ARMA ACE Awards 2022, Managing Agent of the Year (1,000 to 5,000 units). ISO 9001:2015 certified. Member of The Property Ombudsman. Google reviews.
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Areas with Their Own Page in the South West
| Area | Local authority | From Plymouth |
|---|---|---|
| Block management in Cornwall | Cornwall Council | 7 miles |
| Block management in Devon | Devon County Council above eight district, city and borough councils | 46 miles |
| Block management in Somerset | Somerset Council | 74 miles |
| Block management in Dorset | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council and Dorset Council | 100 miles |
| Block management in Bristol | Bristol City Council | 121 miles |
| Block management in Bath | Bath and North East Somerset Council | 122 miles |
| Block management in Wiltshire | Wiltshire Council | 125 miles |
| Block management in Gloucestershire | Gloucestershire County Council with six district, borough and city councils beneath it | 149 miles |
Towns and cities with their own page include Exeter, Torquay, Paignton, Dartmouth, Teignmouth, Exmouth, Truro, Falmouth, Newquay, Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth, while Weston-super-Mare, in North Somerset, is covered on our Somerset page.
Management Services for Blocks Across the Region
Region-Wide Questions from Boards and Freeholders
How Do We Know If Our Block Is a Higher-Risk Building?
A building is higher-risk if it is at least 18 metres or at least seven storeys high and has at least two residential units. Across the South West, 267 unique buildings of 11 metres and over are monitored under the government remediation programmes, but the test applies building by building. We would measure the block and, if it qualifies, handle Building Safety Regulator registration.
Which South West Councils Are Being Reorganised?
Gloucestershire County Council and its six districts are to be replaced with one unitary council. In Devon, the decision of 16 July 2026 to create four unitary councils covering Devon, Plymouth and Torbay was withdrawn on 29 October 2026 and is being reconsidered. Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Bristol and the other South West authorities are not in the programme.
How Much Wetter Is the South West Than England as a Whole?
The Met Office district covering south-west England and south Wales averaged about 1,277 millimetres of rain a year over 1991 to 2020, against about 870 for England as a whole, roughly 47 per cent more. For a block that is a reason to keep roofs, gutters and communal drainage firmly in the inspection programme.
Ask About a Block Anywhere in the South West.
A free, no-obligation proposal, written so it can be circulated to a board.