Following our previous Service Announcements, of 17th and 20th March 2020, on the steps being taken by Ross & Liddell to safeguard our services to clients through the current COVID-19 outbreak, we would wish to further update you as follows:
We continue to follow the advice issued by the UK and Scottish Governments and the NHS and we have now implemented our contingency plan for continuity of business, in view of the increased restrictions put in place, and our wish to ensure the continued health of our colleagues, clients and the wider population.
From Wednesday 25th March 2020, the following will apply:
- Our offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee will be closed until further notice, pending further Government advice and a lifting of the restrictions currently in place.
- All of our staff are now working remotely, from home, with full, and secure, access to our IT & Management Systems, e-mail and our telephone system.
- We aim to minimise disruption to clients, however, given that we cannot now access our offices, the extent of enforced home working throughout the country, and potential strain placed on the broadband, and phone, networks, we would ask for your patience and understanding should response times be extended.
- E-mail communications will take place as normal and this would be the most effective way of contacting our office and individual staff. If you do not know the e-mail address for a specific staff member then you can contact us via info@ross-liddell.com. Detailing your name, property address, or account number ( if known ), and nature of query, will allow the appropriate staff member to respond as soon as possible. Alternatively, you can contact us via our website by clicking on “Contact Us” at the bottom of the Home page.
- Phone calls to each of our usual main office numbers will access an automated menu of options, from which various services, including automated payment, can be selected.
Main office telephone numbers: Glasgow – 0141 221 9266
Edinburgh -0131 346 8989
Dundee – 01382 201535
- Unfortunately, due to the current restrictions, we will be unable to issue communications, or accounts, by post, therefore, we would ask that clients who currently only receive correspondence by mail, provide us with an email address, to which may issue all future communications.
To allow such communication, please send an e-mail to info@ross-liddell.com confirming your name, property address, or account number ( if known ), together with the e-mail contact address you wish us to use. Alternatively, you can provide this information via our website by clicking on “Contact Us” at the bottom of the Home page.
We will be contacting clients by telephone, where possible, to request provision of an e-mail address to allow continued communications to be issued, as effectively as possible, in these exceptional circumstances.
- Where we currently hold your e-mail address, but you still receive communication by post, we will contact you, in the near future, to confirm our intention to move you onto full electronic communication.
- Contractors have now, in the main, confirmed that they are observing the restrictions put in place by the Government and will therefore only be undertaking emergency and essential works. As a consequence we confirm the following:
- Ground maintenance will be suspended, on the majority of developments, until further notice.
- Cleaning services will be reviewed on an individual development basis and will generally continue in developments where the appointed cleaning contractor has confirmed that their intention to do so, and that appropriate social distancing, Health & Safety and disinfection requirements are in place.
- Roofing, joinery, electrical, plumbing and general works will be undertaken only in circumstances where an issue immediately impacts on Health & Safety, is causing ongoing damage or in an emergency, subject to availability of contractors and suitable social distancing and protective procedures are in place.
- In circumstances, where a contractor has confirmed they are able to fully comply with social distancing (eg. a cleaner or a gardener working on their own) and has no contact with others and is also able to comply with all Health & Safety requirements works may proceed in limited circumstances.
- Inspections by our Property Managers are suspended until further notice and we would ask that where clients note an issue, defect, or required repair that they notify us accordingly. All reported non-emergency / essential issues and required repairs will be logged within our Property Management System, in order that Job Instructions, or Estimate Requests can be issued, on a priority basis, upon contractors’ return to more normal operation.
It is of course important that we remain in a position to instruct and fund contracted services, such as Lift Maintenance, Fire System Maintenance, where the service continues to be provided, together with essential and emergency works, and we would therefore request that clients continue to make regular payments towards their common charges. We understand that some clients may find it increasingly difficult to prioritise and pay incoming household bills, given the current economic uncertainty, therefore, if you do find yourself in this position, please email us at creditcontrol@ross-liddell.com and we will be happy to contact you, with a view to assisting in finding a solution.
We will continue to review our provision of services to clients, taking account of the developing situation in the efforts to control the virus outbreak, and the resultant social and economic impact. We will strive to maintain a high level of service, in line with our Service Level Agreement, in these unprecedented, and unpredictable, circumstances and we would wish all of our clients, their family and friends well during this difficult period.
We will continue to provide future updates by e-mail on our website www.ross-liddell.com and via your Webportal.
Yours sincerely
Andrew J Cunningham BSc MRICS
Managing Director
60 St Enoch Square