The walls of your property development or neighbourhood complex constitute far more than just a collection of living spaces – they form a hub to relax and unwind, a home, and a place to foster a positive community. In this piece, we’ll be focusing on the best ways to enhance the community feel of your development for the betterment of your residents, visitors and leaseholders. Here are Centrick’s five tips for ensuring that your development is safe, positive and an overall wonderful place to call home!
Tip One: Enhancing Your Communal Spaces
Communal spaces form a neutral space for residents to meet, relax and socialise. Whether it’s a simple resident’s lounge, or more luxurious hotel-style facilities such as cinemas and communal gardens, these spaces provide residents with an opportunity to meet others and foster a sense of ‘togetherness’. Communal spaces should offer something different to your actual home – whether it’s the opportunity to unwind with a movie, grab complimentary drinks and snacks, or focus on your wellbeing in the gym. It is therefore important for these spaces to be accessible and desirable to spend time in – after all, positive community bonds can’t form in ill-maintained social spaces that are far less desirable to spend time in when compared to your home.
Tip Two: Organising Regular Residents Meetings
Residents meetings form an integral part of a development’s community spirit by encouraging tenants, residents and leaseholders to come together and express their hopes for the development. At these meetings, residents are given a direct say in where their service charge goes and how it is used, and can provide a platform to express any concerns or complaints they may have within a controlled environment. This is a fantastic way to make your local community feel connected and heard, whilst directly involving residents in any decision-making processes and showing that you value their opinions.
Tip Three: Good Leadership
By setting out rules and guidance for residents and visitors, a leader is able to promote a sense of safety and perhaps even pride in their development’s community. This encourages residents to come together to achieve a common goal under the leadership of a senior staff member or management company. Whether it’s ensuring that noise levels are kept to a minimum, or communal areas are kept clean after use, the wider community flourishes with the guidance of a manager and collaborates to ensure that your development is a positive environment to live in.
This is why Centrick’s Building and Estate Management team is so popular: we provide tailored advice and support for developers who require the structure or guidance that is needed to help these communities thrive.
Tip Four: A Positive Community For All Residents
All residents and leaseholders should be kept up to date with any community events in order to promote a feeling of inclusivity. Whether this constitutes being updated on any maintenance issues, changes in management, or social events, all residents should have the opportunity to be involved. This can be promoted through regular newsletters, notice boards or social media groups. Neighbours who otherwise wouldn’t meet one another and socialise will therefore have the opportunity to interact and bolster the community.
For example, not all residents will be able to, or want to, attend regular meetings – however, it is still important for these individuals to be included in these processes and kept up to date with the outcomes of these meetings that happened in their absence.
Tip Five: A Stable Environment To Call Home
Your development should be as well-maintained as possible in order for your residents to feel as if they are getting good value for money, and that their shared spaces are being looked after by a management company that cares. This is also vital for ensuring the safety of residents and visitors –faulty equipment, trip hazards or any potentially dangerous issues that require maintenance could cause injury and contribute to a sense of instability, which doesn’t pertain to a positive psyche within the wider community.
Want to know how to transform your development into a positive community hub?
Centrick’s Building and Estate Management division has helped enhance functionality at developments across the country to bring a sense of community and wellbeing to residents. We create tailored solutions to help your development evolve into the best version of itself – whether it’s providing structure to your residents’ meetings, helping you meet your financial goals, or maintaining your shared spaces. Contact our friendly team of experts using the form below for more information:
