While there are no mandatory qualifications required to operate a property maintenance business, the proprietor will typically be a qualified trades person with experience in the construction and property maintenance sector. Project management and consultancy skills and experience in writing tender proposals and reports will be beneficial, along with up-to-date knowledge of the statutory qualifications and training required by skilled tradesmen.

Suitable courses for anyone setting up and running a property maintenance service include:

• 
• Project management courses run regularly in central London by Reed Learning, including a two-day Introductory Certificate in Project Management, accredited by the Association for Project Management (APM) and costing around £850 (excluding VAT). For more information, go to www.reedlearning.co.uk/training/courses/project-management.
• The Stonebridge Associated Colleges online or paper-based distance learning course entitled Contracts of Employment, Recruitment and Selection, which may benefit proprietors of property maintenance services new to recruiting staff. The course costs from £60. Go towww.stonebridge.uk.com/course/contracts-of-employment-recruitment-and-selection-byte-size for more information.

• One-day courses in completing pre-qualification questionnaires and bid writing run by Millstream Learning and Consultancy, which may benefit proprietors of property maintenance services that tender for public sector contracts or larger commercial contracts The courses cost around £300 and are held regularly in London and Manchester (www.tendersdirect.co.uk/Training/Courses.aspx).

• The Plain Words one-day London-based course covering structuring and writing reports, which costs £395 and may benefit proprietors of property maintenance services who produce reports for clients setting out their recommendations and summarising points for action (www.plainwords.co.uk/co_reports.html).

• ‘Creating demand through specification’, which is a one-day course costing around £300 (excluding VAT) that is run regularly in central London by the Building Centre and may be useful for proprietors of property maintenance services. The course covers the market dynamics influencing decision making and examines the specification process. Go towww.buildingcentre.co.uk/events/event_diary_details.asp?id=990 for more information.

• ‘Marketing Planning’, which is a workshop run by Marketing Works that is aimed specifically at the building industry. The workshop is run in-house and costs £1,495 (excluding VAT) for up to 16 delegates or a tailored version can be provided to meet individual needs for a one-off fee. Topics covered include creating a marketing culture, developing a three-year strategic marketing plan and carrying out practical marketing activities. Go towww.marketingworks.co.uk/page.aspx?c=53&p=78 for details.

• The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) provides a number of one-day courses covering topics such as presentation skills, selling, and winning bids and proposals (www.cim.co.uk/Training/CourseAtoZ.aspx). Courses are usually delivered in London.
• The Institute of Consulting (IC) runs a number of consultancy training workshops including Moving Into Consultancy, a one-day course costing £295 for members and £395 for non-members (www.iconsulting.org.uk/training_and_qualifications/training_courses).

• Free webinars run by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) covering topics including business expenses, self assessment online, VAT, self employment and becoming an employer. Go towww.hmrc.gov.uk/webinars/topics.htm for more information.

Limited Company Registration and all the initial Setup. 

Please Let us help you today register your limited company and ensure the legal structure is Tax Efficient!

We shall also help with opening a business Bank Account, Payroll, Staff & Sub Contractor Contracts, Bookkeeping, VAT and End of year Accounts.

And that is just the start!

 If you need to speak to a Proactive Accountant about your property maintenance business, please contact us on 0208 679 4690 please Visit our  website.