We provide expertise and reliability in estate and block management
Common Ground is a specialised property management company serving leasehold estates and blocks of flats across Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Middlesex, Hertfordshire, West London, and Surrey. Our offices in Oxford and Henley on Thames and London enable us to provide a personal and quality service to estates in close proximity.
We pride ourselves on our transparent and individual approach to property management, allowing our clients to have a greater say in the management of their estate without the burden of day-to-day management.
We pride ourselves on our transparent and individual approach to property management, allowing our clients to have a greater say in the management of their estate without the burden of day-to-day management.
As of February 2023 we manage in excess of 2,800 properties across 96 estates.
Meet the Common Ground team
Alan Draper
Managing Director
Managing Director
Alan began his career in IT with companies such as Sophos and Sony. He utilised the skills picked up in his 15 years as an IT professional when setting up...
More about Alan DraperWilliam Beauchamp
General Manager
General Manager
William has been with Common Ground since 2021 having worked in the property management sector since 2018 working within London and Berkshire. Outside of the world of property management William...
More about William BeauchampCheryl George
Property Manager
Property Manager
I joined Common Ground as a Property Manager in 2022 after managing sites at the opposite ends of the spectrum, from Retirement Village to Student Accommodation. I won’t say which...
More about Cheryl GeorgeMelissa Meighan
Property Manager
Property Manager
Melissa is a bubbly mum of three from Surrey. She has been working In property management for six years. Before this, Melissa owned and managed her own business, a Pre-School...
More about Melissa MeighanEd Hughes
Senior Property Manager
Senior Property Manager
Ed Hughes began his property management career in 2008 and has since managed a wide range of residential developments across London and South of England. Passing his IRPM Member exam...
More about Ed HughesMatt Collis
Property Manager
Property Manager
Upon graduating from the University of Westminster with Upper Second Class Honours in BSc Hons Real Estate, I took the leap into the world of Block Management. During my 5...
More about Matt CollisSarah Adlington
PA to Managing Director and General Manager
PA to Managing Director and General Manager
I am a mum of two teenagers, always a challenge any day of the week, one at University and one looking at that direction. So empty nest syndrome is fast...
More about Sarah AdlingtonLouise Jones
Legal Manager
Legal Manager
I’m originally from Scotland and have lived in Henley since 1996! Prior to coming to work for Common Ground I spent 13 years working for a fund management company. I...
More about Louise JonesJanine Underwood
Service Charge Accountant
Service Charge Accountant
I Joined Common Ground August 2022 as a service charge accountant. I started my finance career in Banking with the last 23 years in Client accounts. This involved Residential Lettings,...
More about Janine UnderwoodMarianna Ceckova
Service Charge Accountant
Service Charge Accountant
Hi! My name is Marianna. I joined Common Ground as an account assistant almost five years ago, and I am responsible for 28 properties. I am currently studying for my...
More about Marianna CeckovaLynelle Fernandes
Service Charge Accountant
Service Charge Accountant
I joined Common Ground in October 2022 as a Service Charge Accountant. I have over 20 years of accounting experience, having worked in the rolling stock, manufacturing, and HVAC industries....
More about Lynelle FernandesKate Gibbs
Service Charge Accountant
Service Charge Accountant
I have recently joined Common Ground as a service charge accountant and have been made to feel very welcome. After 14 years of service charge experience within the retail industry...
More about Kate GibbsTom Aherne
Maintenance Man
Maintenance Man
Hi, I’m Tom, a construction industry veteran with over 40 years of experience. I joined Common Ground just over a year ago and have since enjoyed the diverse range of...
More about Tom AherneHow we became a leading Property Management Company. Alan explains our journey in detail…
1.
As a leaseholder, I had sought to replace the managing agent of the block where I was living.
2.
Unable to find one offering the services I felt should be available, I saw the service charge double in a two-year period for no apparent reason.
3.
I wanted greater transparency, and I realized no one was offering this.
4.
In August 2008, following a heated conversation with a representative of an estate management company, I had a eureka moment - I could do the job far, far better.
5.
Further investigation into the estate/block management market highlighted widespread poor levels of service, lack of communication, and financial transparency.
6.
I set up Common Ground Estate & Property Management in October 2008 to address these shortcomings in the market.
7.
Our business model is simple - we visit the properties we manage regularly to ensure that standards of maintenance and repair are high.
8.
This approach also ensures that we understand the culture of each site we manage and can tailor our approach accordingly.
9.
We focus on relationships with directors and residents and never lose sight of the fact that we are managing YOUR home.
10.
We use cloud-based IT systems to enable clients to access financial data and information about their estate in real-time.
11.
These same systems ensure that our property managers are field-based rather than tied to the office.
12.
Common Ground has grown year on year since its formation and now manages estates of all shapes and sizes across Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Middlesex, Hertfordshire, West London, and Surrey.
Our services
Estate and Block Management
We'll take the stress out of property ownership by ensuring that the day to day running of each estate or block is managed professionally, cost effectively and to your specific requirements.
Discover moreLegal Services
Our legal team can offer the right to manage, co-ordination of freehold purchases and mediation cases as well as producing the legal packs often required when a property transfers.
Discover moreServices for Property Developers
We can work with ethical property developers at the start of a new build to ensure the design, construction and legal framework create the lowest possible service charge.
Discover moreConsultancy
We offer consultancy services to self-managed leasehold estates and blocks, and property developers.
Discover more“Having experienced a block managing agent that seemed to have no control over spending, it's refreshing to work with a managing agent that is 100% transparent. Their portal system enables tracking of maintenance tasks and their use of the Xero accounts systems means that directors can keep track of all expenditure. Highly recommneded.
Daniel
I very highly recommend Common Ground. Their conscientious team is highly professional, experienced and efficient, which is extremely reassuring to Directors and responsible owners of properties. They are pro-active, helping to plan ahead and to anticipate problems, which they can deal with firmly but sensitively. They are a pleasure to work with.
Clive
We moved to Common Ground from one of the large national agents. The list of maintenance items that required attention was growing longer and longer as we were moved from one property manager to the next. Common Ground stood out from the day the MD came to assess the site and fixed two of the outstanding maintenance items during that visit.
Common Ground worked through the maintenance items which we were able to track through their portal system. It’s also been a pleasure to have the same property manager and accountant throughout. The continuity is important, so it is good to work with an agent that retains its staff.
Hila
Our relatively small development was rescued by Common Ground after a disastrous initial situation caused by the inefficiency of the managing agents appointed by the developer. After examining the situation Common Ground came up with a first rate transparent management system which gave directors full and instant access to accounts and other matters, such as legal advice and rights of leaseholders. They make managing easy for directors and attend to everyday problems promptly.
Eddie
New clients
Would you like to discuss our services in more detail? Looking for greater financial transparency? We’d be happy to hear from you. Call us on 01491 525 940 or drop us a message…
Existing clients
Our portal is the best way to communicate with us regarding your property. It offers convenient access to important information about your property and allows you to report any issues you may have.