"We are from this area and it's very nice to still live here. We get on very well with our neighbours."

Resident, Craiglockhart, Edinburgh

Factoring - Frequently asked questions

If you are an owner in a sheltered or retirement development, and are interested in finding out more about Hanover's service, these questions and answers may help you.

What is Hanover?

We are a registered charity which provides management and support services to residents in owner occupied and rented accommodation across Scotland.  We are the biggest not-for-profit provider of these services to owner occupiers in retirement accommodation in Scotland, and have a record of establishing and maintaining long-term relationships with the development owners to whom we provide a service. 

How do we go about changing our managing agent?

Your development will probably have a Deed of Conditions which sets out owners’ rights and obligations, including the provisions for appointment and dismissal of a managing agent, sometimes referred to as a factor. 

Recent legislation allows a majority of owners on a development to decide to appoint or dismiss a managing agent.  We will be happy to examine your Deed of Conditions on request and tell you the basis on which we would be prepared to accept an appointment as your managing agent. However, any owner seeking legal advice on the status of the Deed of Conditions should consult a solicitor. 

What terms would Hanover accept appointment on?

At most developments managed by us there is a Management Agreement in place.  This is a form of contract which has been agreed between the development owners on one hand and Hanover on the other. 

These agreements are derived from our model agreement which we believe reflects modern day best practice and professional standards.  However, we recognise that any such appointment has to rest on the agreement of development owners and so we are always prepared to discuss these terms and try to modify them if owners so wish.  Typically these agreements run for three years at a time though owners at some developments have appointed us for a five year term.

We will supply a specimen draft agreement for discussion with your owners' association or committee on request.

Is Hanover a reputable service provider?

We are regulated by the Office of the Scottish Charities Regulator, the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care and the Scottish Housing Regulator.  Full audited accounts are available for inspection. 

We commission an independent customer satisfaction survey every three years and publish its results.  The results of the 2009 survey gave us a high rating in respect of all aspects of our services.

View our customer satisfaction survey results>>

What services does Hanover provide?

We will manage the common parts of your development, including grounds and gardens. 

We provide a housing support service as described under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001.  This involves various categories of low level, “light touch” services to help residents to maintain their independence in their own homes.  These include general counselling and support, assisting with the security and safety of the dwelling, arranging adaptations to help the resident cope with disability, assisting with relationships and disputes with neighbours and providing an emergency alarm system and related tasks. 

The Hanover Telecare service provides a round the clock 365 days a year emergency contact service which can be activated by a range of monitors in your house or on your person. 

Find our more about Hanover Telecare>>

We also run a Care at Home service in Edinburgh, which purely assists with personal tasks such as helping administer medication, help with dressing and grooming, laundry, home cleaning, shopping and similar tasks.

Find our more about Care at Home>>

Could I see Hanover's service in action?

If there is a wish amongst owners at your development to consider appointing us as managing agent, we would be pleased to arrange for a small group of owners at your development to visit another development, currently managed by us, as near as possible to where you live.

What contact will there be between Hanover and me?

If you have a development manager who works on site it would be most likely that she or he could be able to transfer their employment to us if that is what the parties wished. 

Our supervisory staff maintain a programme of development visits to meet residents and check that everything is well.  Our senior managers are contactable directly during office hours.

What information does Hanover routinely supply?

A draft budget is presented to owners for discussion and approval each year. In addition, an annual financial statement for your development showing money held in trust for the development owners as well as details of income and expenditure is also provided. 

We will prepare a long term maintenance plan, anticipating major repairs and planning routine maintenance, so as to help maximise the value of your property.  A five-year projection of planned maintenance is included with the annual budget statement.  Owners will be invited to delegate authority to us to spend development funds on an agreed programme of maintenance up to a financial limit to be agreed.  Above that, we will seek owners’ authority to commit available funds to emergency repairs should this ever be necessary.

Does Hanover operate to a set of predetermined policies?

We maintain a range of policies and procedures governing all aspects of our service to owners.  These are kept under regular review and are available for discussion with owners’ representatives through six monthly “forum” meetings held in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Can I contact someone to discuss my enquiry?

Yes.  We would be pleased to hear from you and to discuss matters confidentially and informally.