Block management software is a long commitment. Migration is real work, your team lives in the system every day and your leaseholders feel the results. This guide sets out the questions that separate platforms built for UK block management from generic property tools wearing the label.
Start with the accounting
Service charge accounting is where block management software succeeds or fails. UK blocks need schedule level fund accounting, because leases split costs across schedules and funds, not one flat pot per building. Ask any vendor these questions.
- Can a unit sit in several schedules with different apportionments in each?
- Does the year end balancing run produce penny exact credits and charges per unit?
- Are demands generated with the statutory documents attached, including the summary of rights and obligations?
- Is service charge money tracked as trust money with proper client accounting?
- Does bank reconciliation handle real feeds, part matches and discrepancies?
If the demo cannot show a two schedule building with uneven apportionments billed correctly, stop the demo.
Compliance is not a bolt on
UK block management carries statutory duties that software should carry for you. Section 20 consultations with their notice stages and 30 day clocks. The 18 month rule on cost recovery. Fire and safety compliance tracking with evidence. For higher risk buildings, the golden thread, safety case reports and mandatory occurrence reporting under the Building Safety Act 2022. Ask to see the workflow for each, not a slide about them.
Portals reduce your postbag
A resident portal that shows live balances, takes card and Direct Debit payments and accepts repair reports removes a large share of routine calls and emails. A contractor portal that handles quotes, appointments and completion evidence removes another. Check the portals are included in the price rather than sold as paid extras, and check what residents actually see. A portal that only shows a PDF statement from last quarter does not reduce anything.
Interrogate the migration
Your data is in spreadsheets, a legacy system or both. The questions that matter
- Is there a structured import path for units, leases, contacts, balances and documents?
- Are opening balances reconciled as part of go live, and who does that work?
- What does the vendor charge for implementation, and what is included?
- How long do comparable portfolios take from contract to go live?
A vendor who cannot answer these precisely is telling you the migration will be your problem.
Look at the pricing model, not just the price
Per unit pricing scales with your portfolio, but watch for what sits outside the headline number. User seats, portals, support tiers, training, API access and integrations are common extras. Ask for the full price of your realistic setup in year one and year three, in writing. Transparent vendors publish their pricing. PropLink publishes ours.
Judge support like a service, because it is one
You are buying years of updates, questions and occasional emergencies. Check where support sits, what response times are promised and whether documentation is public and current. Ask existing customers of a similar size how support behaves after the sales process ends.
A short checklist to take into demos
- Schedule level fund accounting shown live on a real structure
- Statutory compliance workflows, not compliance slides
- Resident and contractor portals included
- A structured, priced migration path
- Published pricing with no surprise extras
- Support and documentation you can inspect before signing
The right platform disappears into the daily work. Demands go out on time, the matrix stays green, leaseholders answer their own questions and year end stops being a season. If you want to see how PropLink approaches each item on this list, the features index walks through every capability with the workflow behind it.