By Ed Cheevers, Rural Estate Manager
When I was asked to write about a day in the life of an estate manager, my mind went blank. There is no ‘typical day’ managing estates, but I’ll aim to give an overall impression.
Estate Management at its most simple level can be summarised as ‘problem solving’. The first thing I do each morning is to think, ‘what problems will I be faced with today?’ Once I have checked through my burgeoning inbox and realised (hopefully) that no one’s roof has collapsed and spoken to the team, I then set about dealing with my wider job list.
A large part of my time is taken up as Managing Agent of 2 rural estates. These Estates are made up of various land uses (farmland, woodland, commons, for example, etc.), commercial enterprises (workshops, storage units, a hotel and a pub to name a few), and let residential properties.
What estate management actually looks like
A ‘normal’ day for me on an estate might look something like this:
9.00am – meeting with our Telecoms team to discuss a proposed mast site on the Estate with the operators agent. Being able to enlist the help of our experts is bound to achieve a better result due to their experience and so it is great having them on hand to advise.
10.00am – we are currently in the process of drafting a new Woodland Management plan and so I may need to walk some woodland.
11.00am – meet with a contractor who is constructing a new barn, replacing an old bridge, digging a pond or ditch, or carrying out some fencing work
12.00am – meeting with the Estate owner. Some Estates operate with quarterly meetings but I tend to prefer weekly meetings with my principal client as not only is this a good excuse for some lunch, it helps for us to catch up more broadly about what is ongoing and allow for consistent interaction.
2.00pm – I am often managing multiple residential refurbishment projects at any one time, plus various smaller building works and so the afternoon may be taken up with various site visits (picture of recent refurbished farmhouse)
3.00pm – meet with the Hotel manager to look at some building works and inspect a tree which has fallen through a boundary wall for instance
3.30pm – someone has written in requesting an easement across an Estate owned verge and so I would meet the enquirer or their representative
4.00pm – Once a week I meet with the Estate staff. This includes the Gamekeeper, Head Forester and Assistant Head Forester plus members of the maintenance team.
Keeping the bigger picture in view
A lot of my time is therefore spent being reactive and keeping lots of plates spinning. However, it is important to step back and look at the larger picture, whether that is the general direction of a particular project or if the owners’ objectives are being met.
Whatever I think tomorrow will hold, I will usually be completely wrong. Luckily, this only adds to the challenge and stops things becoming mundane! I hope this gives a useful impression of what a day in the life of an estate manager actually looks like.
Please feel free to give me a call about anything ‘Estate Management’ and I’m always happy to help –
Ed Cheevers, Rural Estate Manager
Phone: 01483 617697
Email: E.Cheevers@batchellermonkhouse.com
Speak to Our Estate Management Team
If you have a rural estate or property portfolio that needs managing, or you’d simply like to understand what professional estate management looks like in practice, we’d be glad to have a conversation.