Property Management & Development Consultancy

Our consultancy services are designed both to advise on new-build developments and to review and optimise existing schemes. We work with developers and housebuilders on large multi-phase projects including regeneration schemes, mixed-use developments, build-to-rent communities and multi-tenure projects where design, tenure mix, and long-term management all matter.

We also help with existing developments that need optimisation or reassessment. Whether the project is new or established, our goal is always to add value - making sure developments operate efficiently and deliver a great resident experience.

We recommend bringing us on board as early as possible - typically when you are at concept design or RIBA Stage 2/3. That way, our operational insight can inform layout, servicing, infrastructure and management strategies before major decisions are locked in. This helps avoid costly problems down the line, and ensures your development is designed with long-term management in mind.

Because we offer a full end-to-end service - from consultancy through to long-term management - our early involvement means we can weave practicality, compliance and cost efficiency into every stage of your build and beyond. That continuity is what makes our service different and highly effective.

A Design for Management report is where we review the building and estate design with a management-first mindset. We look at everything from front- and back-of-house layouts, shared spaces and public realm, to services, servicing routes, plant rooms and communal infrastructure. The idea is to ensure the design works not just on paper, but is efficient, safe and easy to manage in real life. 

We also consider compliance, maintenance, safety, emergency access, utilities, sustainability and the resident experience - and provide recommendations designed to avoid future problems. This early-stage input can save a lot of money over the life of a building, reduce service charges, and help make the building more desirable to future residents or investors.

Financial planning is a core element of our consultancy service. We have extensive experience preparing phased and complex budgets for all types of residential and mixed-use developments, working closely with clients to ensure that service charges are accurate, transparent and aligned with commercial objectives. We can forecast first-phase costs, help set up reserve funds (Capex), create budgets for heat networks and other utilities, ensuring long-term cost certainty and transparency.

We also advise on strategies to minimise service charge voids and manage liabilities, which can significantly reduce financial exposure during early occupation. Alongside this, we provide guidance on regulatory and legal responsibilities associated with estate and service charge management. Our focus on clarity, accountability and long-term viability helps developers create service charge structures that are fair and based on real data, ultimately improving resident trust and supporting the commercial success of the scheme.

Our mobilisation team plays a central role in ensuring a smooth transition from construction to occupation. By developing clear operating strategies during the pre-handover phase, we take a Soft Landings approach that prioritises performance, resident satisfaction and operational readiness. We coordinate detailed mobilisation plans that align developers, contractors, management teams and other stakeholders, ensuring the handover process is structured, consistent and fully documented.

We also provide tailored strategies for staffing, which is often the largest service charge cost, ensuring the right level of personnel is in place. Additional support includes amenity and estate operations planning, defect management processes, resident communication frameworks and customer journey procedures such as disaster recovery plans and data protection impact assessments. We can also offer sustainability and environmental consultancy, as well as guidance on resident engagement programmes.

Our deep commitment to safety underpins all our consultancy work. We support clients across the full range of statutory obligations, including health and safety, golden thread management, building safety case preparation, financial and legal governance, insurance, warranty oversight and lease review. With rapidly evolving legislation under the Building Safety Act, our expertise helps developers interpret requirements, adapt processes and ensure buildings are safe, compliant and future proof.

We have one of the industry’s largest specialist in-house teams covering Building Safety, Fire Safety Remediation and broader technical compliance, enabling us to provide comprehensive strategic advice as well as ongoing operational support. Our involvement ensures safety considerations are integral, reducing risk and supporting a smooth regulatory journey through planning, construction, handover and long-term management. 

Enhancing resident experience is central to our approach and deeply integrated into our consultancy services. We work with clients to develop robust customer journey processes from day one, ensuring high standards of service, safety and communication. This includes everything from data protection impact assessments and disaster recovery planning to operational policies, amenity management and staff training programmes that support a consistent, resident-focused service culture.

Community engagement is also a cornerstone of our broader estate management philosophy. Through our Residents’ Club platform, community events, environmental initiatives and partnerships with local organisations, we help create connected, inclusive and vibrant communities. Our experience in running stakeholder events allows us to design engagement programmes that bring together residents, housing association partners and wider stakeholders. By enabling residents to actively participate in shaping their neighbourhoods, we foster long-term pride, wellbeing and a strong sense of place.

We assess each project and scope of work on its individual requirements and apply pricing based on an agreed day rate. As the level of involvement varies depending on the client and stage of development, we adopt a flexible and responsive approach. Where appropriate, we also take into account the potential for a longer-term management appointment when determining our fees, enabling us to offer greater cost efficiency and value to our clients. 

Estate management strategies are increasingly requested by developers as part of planning applications, demonstrating how the long-term stewardship of a development will be delivered and funded. We regularly prepare these strategies, outlining how the estate will operate, how public realm and amenities will be maintained, and how service charges and management structures will be managed. This provides planning authorities with confidence that the development will be sustainable, well-maintained and able to deliver high-quality living environments for residents over the long term.

We’ve seen how this works in practice on major schemes where our consultancy input helped smooth the planning process, reducing risk around operational, management and financial considerations. 

With nearly 35 years of hands-on property management experience and a portfolio of tens of thousands of homes under management, we bring real operational insight and data to every project. That means we don’t just plan on paper, we draw on what actually works in practice. This helps us set realistic service-charge models, design efficient buildings, and manage estates in a way that balances cost, compliance and resident satisfaction.

We also provide a seamless end-to-end service, with consultancy and long-term management delivered under one highly experienced organisation. This continuity ensures that the recommendations we make at design stage are fully realised in operational performance, improving liveability, customer satisfaction and long-term value. For clients who appoint us to manage the scheme beyond completion, our consultancy rates are typically more cost-effective, offering a commercially attractive integrated solution that supports the full lifecycle of the development.

To find out more, contact us at: consultancy@rendallandrittner.co.uk