Blocks of flats of any size will have communal areas, like hallways, landings, stairs, and possibly gardens or sitting areas. These areas need looking after, but whose job is it to do so? The residents of the flats are certainly not going to be inclined to do it, especially if they just rent out the individual flats. 

Generally, a block and all its communal areas will be taken care of by a block management company, who will have to make sure they stay safe, clean and tidy. The block management company won’t provide cleaning and maintenance services themselves, but they will usually hire external services providers to complete this work on behalf of the residents and flat owners. It is a block manager’s job to make sure they are not paying the odds for these services, as they will ultimately be paid for with the service charges that the residents pay to live there.