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Are you hard-working, committed to social and environmental issues, have strong ethics and a head for business? Then join one of UK's leading Social Enterprise. Founded in 1998, we provide affordable office space to over 150 social change organisations, have raised £10 million from ethical share issues and manage property worth £20 million.
Established in 1998, The Ethical Property Company is one of the country’s
leading social enterprises. The company purchases, develops and manages office
and retail premises for organisations working for social change.
To its
tenants, the company offers an affordable rent; long term security of tenure;
flexible and supportive management; and facilities designed to meet their needs.
Tenants also become part of a working community where they can exchange skills
and ideas.
To its investors, the company offers the security of a
property-based investment that offers a financial return as well as achieving
lasting social change. The company has paid an annual dividend every year since
2000, of 3 pence per share rising to 3.25 in 2006. Over the same period, share
price has increased from £1 to £1.25.
Over the last seven years the
company has grown to have 25 staff and 150 social change organisations as
tenants, based in our 13 centres. We have raised just under £10 million in three
ethical share issues from over 1,400 investors. Together with £10 million in
bank borrowing, this has been used to acquire over £20 million in property
assets and has given us a turnover of just under £2 million a year.
The
company currently owns 13 centres
>
Brighton (1)
> Bristol (3)
> Edinburgh (1)
> Leeds
(1)
> London (4)
> Manchester (1)
>
Oxford (1)
> Sheffield (1)
We are
currently also exploring further investment in Brussels. The properties are
managed on a ‘cluster’ basis with a local office in each cluster. The current
staff in the Oxford office consists of a managing director, operations director,
finance director, finance manager, finance assistant, senior property manager,
office manager, administrative assistant, two ICT workers and head of ICT. In
addition, there is a property management team of five in London, three in
Bristol, two in Sheffield and two in Edinburgh.
The company works closely
with its sister organisation, the Ethical Property Foundation. This charity aims
to promote the concept of ethical property investment, management and
development through research, best practice promotion and grant-assisted support
services to charitable organisations.
Current projects include a property
advice service, publications on planning issues, and a survey of social change
organisations across the country. Long term, the Foundation hopes to establish
the idea of ethical property as a ‘social brand’. The Foundation employs 3 staff
in London and 1 staff in Bristol.
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A Day in the Life of Andew
Property Manger, London &
Oxford
My typical day? No such thing. Each day is different which
makes the job enjoyable and challenging.
For almost two years I have
been managing the London Cluster of properties and the Oxford Action Centre
(though I am also in transition to being SPM of the new Oxford building).
Blocked toilets, leaking pipes, alarm systems playing up, investigation
of strange smells in offices are just a flavour of the daily challenges to deal
with. There are also site visits with contactors to discuss job specs, dealing
with tenant queries and attending Centre Management Group Meetings. The most
difficult, challenging yet rewarding days are when several problems occur at the
same time. Though this can be quite stressful there is a great deal of
satisfaction to be had in resolving these problems quickly to minimise
disruption to our tenants.
I also assist the Directors in Company
Secretarial matters, though perhaps my most important role is that of Sherpa.
This involves me carrying various documents, bits of hardware etc. between
Oxford and London. I have requested that instead of a company bicycle I be
provided with a donkey to assist in this part of my duties, but to no avail.
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A day in the life of Simonne
Office manager, Oxford.
On a typical day, I might deal with the administration relating to an incoming tenant, check through the utilities invoices, update our environmental monitoring charts with the monthly meter readings, try to persuade a council to rate a shared office as two separate units and deal with queries from a tenant about their lease.
However, I also have a general remit to pick up things that don’t fit into any other category, so I can end up replacing a broken office chair, taking photos of the leaking grease trap in our cycle parking area, hassling staff into noting their whereabouts on the on-line calendar… you get the idea.
In addition, my distant murky past as a lawyer means that anything vaguely involving solicitors usually passes my way at some stage along with the familiar grumbles about lawyers’ bills and legal mumbo-jumbo. Of course, one of my most important and glamorous tasks is to collect up soggy teabags and fruit peel from the kitchen at the end of the day!
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