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News on the Block Hits 50

News on the Block magazine is delighted to share with its readers this 50th Issue in publication.

Founder and Publisher, Nicolas Shulman said: "We thank all our loyal readers and advertisers for their fantastic support over the years, and we will continue to provide you with the very best information about owning and managing  block of flats".  For over a decade, and to much acclaim, News on the Block has helped thousands of leaseholders, landlords, managing agents and their professional advisors with access to and understanding of information and commentary about the leasehold property sector.

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Property Management Regulation scrapped by Shapps

Housing Minister Grant Shapps has announced that he will be scrapping plans to regulate managing agents. The u-turn was met with dismay by an industry largely supportive of proposed regulation.

Speaking in Parliament, Mr Shapps confi rmed that with the property sector already governed by a well established legal framework, the Government has no plans to introduce any further regulations.

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HIPS Abolished 

The government has abolished the Home Information Pack, to industry acclaim. Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), which are required by EU law, will be retained. Serial entrepreneur and television star, James Caan says the Government's quick thinking in axing Labour's controversial HIPs scheme is a step in the right direction. "This is good news for people desperate to move up the property ladder. The HIPs scheme was a major barrier to fluidity in the housing market," says Caan, founder of a billion pound property fund called Look4aProperty/money. "I believe this is a wise move by the Government and will bring much needed liquidity back."

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Leasehold Law confuses flat owners

Master of the Rolls Lord Neuberger reflected on the risks of too much legislation being introduced too quickly and all too often is poorly drafted by over-pressed civil servants when he spoke at the annual conference of the Leasehold Advisory service (LEASE). He told an audience of property lawyers, managers, freeholders and leaseholders that this leads to cobbled, last-minute amendments and then the judiciary is then called upon to work out what was meant and intended, thus effectively becoming legislators.

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News
No seats for Briggs in election 

Melissa Briggs has been unsuccessful in winning a Parliamentary seat in the General Election.  Nick Gibb from the Conservative party won the popular vote.  Briggs was standing as an Independent candidate for the CLIP party (Carlex Leasehold Independence Party) in the Bognor and Littlehampton constituency.

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News
Planning for the future

As the Government scraps regional housing targets, the Town and Country Planning association has published its latest report, ‘The Future of Planning". TCPa Chief Planner, Dr Hugh Ellis said: "...The TCPa is profoundly concerned that Government's proposal to abolish regional planning will destroy a valuable mechanism for making essential strategic investment decisions."

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Issue 50

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Editor's Choice:

If you're going to fall victim to the recent credit crunch, you might as well do it in style. Fallout from the financial downturn was felt across London's Canary Wharf district, but nowhere was it more obvious than at Ballymore's flagship residential development, Pan Peninsula.
For many people, the summertime means enjoying relaxing picnics in the sun. There is one particular insect associated with this season however, which evokes fear, distress and annoyance in many picnic goers: the common wasp. Despite being a pest species, many people don't realise how interesting and complex these social insects are. So should we treat wasps with fear or admiration?
The recent hike in capital gains tax to 28% by the new coalition Government has been met with caution by the property industry, as it will affect many who have invested in flats.
More financial advisers think their clients should consider commercial property as an investment compared with residential property, according to the latest survey of Independent Financial advisers (IFas) by rEITa.
The latest Government house building data shows that the number of starts rose in the first three months of this year to the best level since the second quarter of 2008. Despite this, starts are currently only running at around 50% of the level achieved at the high water mark of the previous cycle.
The Federation of Private Residents Associations has called for a change to the Landlord and Tenant Act that would allow for ‘reasonable' insulation to be carried out to blocks of flats as part of the service charge.
Mainstay group , the national property management and facilities company, has purchased Market Focus Asset Management (MFAM) based in London. MFAM specialise in the management of mixed use, residential and commercial property.
Over 50 property managers celebrated together in London as England beat Slovenia in the FIFa world Cup 2010. The event was jointly hosted by News on the Block and Sky Homes.


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