Irish Times Property Clinic 18th of July 2013

 

Publishing Date; Thursday the 18th day of July 2013.

 

Q. As a director of a MUD management company I would like to see the establishment of an association of such directors with a view to liaising on matters of mutual interest.
Can you suggest how one could go about making the necessary connections?
Is there available a list of MUDs so that one could ascertain identities of directors?

 

A.This is a good idea and I would suggest that meeting and networking with other owners' management company (OMC) directors would be a very useful way of sharing knowledge and expertise.

There is no definitive list of every owners' management company (OMC) in Ireland. The closest thing to such a list can be found by searching a specific company on a company search website. The company information such as the names and principle place of residence of the directors of a company will be provided for a nominal fee. To contact the directors of these companies directly could be considered unsolicited correspondence however.

The best way to build and grow your own base of contacts organically in any industry is to tirelessly network. The exercise of selling yourself as an honest, competent and useful contact will often come down to how proficient your knowledge is on property management issues. Most professionals that you will meet during the embryonic stages of your associations' growth will be seeking to know your scope of expertise and how useful it will be for them to align themselves with your association.

There are many different existing associations, institutes and representative groups in the property industry but there is indeed an opening for a robust representation of OMC directors.
All of the bodies provide continual professional development (CPD) seminars for their members. These seminars would be a great place to meet industry professionals and expand your knowledge. I would imagine that the corner stone of your associations' ethos will be derived from the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement www.odce.ie

You will need to build a website which is easily navigable and updated often with informed content. A message board or discussion forum for participants will lead to great discussions on matters.

Your local Chamber of Commerce's or the Institute of Directors in Ireland might be a good place to start your networking.

 

Paul Huberman is a member of the Property & Facilities Management Professional Group of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland www.scsi.ie 

 

 

Author: Paul Huberman of H&H Property Management Consultants Ltd

Publish Date: 18/07/2013