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A tribunal ruling which ordered Urban Splash to pay £46.5 million to the government after the discovery of fire safety defects at seven buildings in Manchester will be the "essential reference point" for other developers, according to experts at national law firm Clarke Willmott.

The Property Care Association (PCA) is urging householders to carry out essential maintenance checks ahead of winter to help prevent water entering their homes.

New survey data shows most landlords haven't heard of the Renters' Rights Act's landlord database or ombudsman. Because every registration has to name the freeholder and the property manager, block managers are about to be drawn into a scheme many of their leaseholder-landlords don't know exists.

Three properties close by on the same road in the ever popular Moseley suburb of Birmingham are set to go under the hammer if not sold before Bond Wolfe’s upcoming auction in December. 

The Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA) places a range of new statutory duties on those responsible for residential buildings; duties that can extend to Right to Manage (RTM) or leaseholder owned freehold companies (a resident management (RM) company) where they hold management and repair obligations for an estate or block of flats.

The Real Estate Advisory team at FRP has arranged a £1.43m heavy refurbishment bridge to convert a Grade II listed former smelting shed in Swansea into 12 apartments. The borrower plans to let the apartments on a buy-to-let basis once the works are complete.

MERA has provided a £2.6m bridging loan for the acquisition of a vacant office building in Reigate, Surrey, and intends to fund the conversion works once the scheme’s planning is finalised. The building already has consent for 37 flats, with an increase to 50 homes expected within weeks. The completed scheme has an estimated GDV of £10m.

Residential development and SME real estate specialist Lee Edwards has joined national law firm Clarke Willmott as a partner in its Southampton office. 

Commonhold reform is taking shape, but important questions remain about how it will work for homeowners, lenders and the professionals responsible for residential buildings, according to the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP). 

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has today published its response to a consultation on proposals to strengthen the regulatory framework for managing asbestos.

Metering and billing companies collect substantial sums from residents on behalf of communal heating schemes. But how much oversight do property managers really have over those funds? From pooled accounts and unexplained withdrawals to confusing bills and delayed payments, some industry practices deserve far greater scrutiny.

When a block changes drainage contractor, leaseholders may be told that the handover is complete because the files have been sent. A more useful question is whether those files explain the position the new contractor is inheriting. What has been investigated, what work has been recorded, and what still needs a decision?