Britain's Best Apartment Building Management Resource

Record-breaking warming in the Pacific Ocean is increasing the chances of a wetter, windier UK autumn and early winter. For residential blocks, though, the bigger issue may not be the weather itself. It may simply be whether there is enough money available when something goes wrong.

This year's prolonged dry weather could raise the risk of cracking and structural movement in some UK homes, a national trade body has warned. The Property Care Association (PCA) is asking homeowners to watch for signs of movement, especially in areas with shrinkable clay soils. These soils swell when wet (heave) and shrink as they dry out (desiccation).

Britain’s councils received 7,899 complaints about Japanese knotweed, Giant hogweed, bamboo and Himalayan balsam over the past five years, with knotweed accounting for almost three quarters of the total. 

The Association for Rental Living has appointed Merilee Karr, Founder and CEO of UnderTheDoormat Group, as its Short Stay Rental Special Advisor. 

The lettings experts at Beresfords Group have released advice to help landlords navigate Making Tax Digital (MTD) and understand the role that lettings agents can play in supporting this change. As of April 2026, unincorporated landlords with a gross qualifying income over £50,000 based on the 2024-2025 tax year, will be required to keep digital records and submit quarterly updates to HMRC. This income threshold will gradually decrease over the next two years: £30,000 in April 2027, and £20,000 in April 2028, replacing the traditional annual Self-Assessment system with a more structured, digi

L&Q is holding an open day at Barking Riverside for Londoners who want to find out about London Living Rent (LLR), a more affordable way to rent in the capital. The free event runs on Saturday 3rd October from 10am to 4pm. Visitors can learn about the Government-backed scheme and view the last few one-bedroom apartments still available.

Private landlords could play a greater role in helping councils reduce their reliance on expensive temporary accommodation, says a letting agency expanding its homelessness prevention work across the South Coast.   The call follows new figures from homelessness charity Crisis showing English councils spent a record £2.9 billion on temporary accommodation in the year to March 2026 – almost double the £1.6 billion spent five years earlier.

In 2024, I wrote about the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill and the significant changes it could bring for leaseholders, freeholders and the wider property industry. Even then, it was clear that reform was about more than lease extensions and ground rents. Transparency around charges and standards of property management were also becoming increasingly important.

Autumn 2026 will see significant changes to the UK’s illegal working civil penalty regime. The reforms will take effect on 1 October 2026. They arise from provisions contained within the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025, and will widen the circumstances in which illegal working civil penalties can arise. With penalties being up to £60,000 per illegal worker, the changes are extremely important to businesses who engage workers. 

Expectations around residential amenities have changed significantly over the past few years. Previously, having a good quality gym, swimming pool or spa was regarded as a premium, stand out development. Today, these facilities remain hugely important to support a generation rapidly driven by the importance of health and fitness … but with growth comes a shift in resident expectation. “Health and Fitness” has evolved into “Health, Fitness and Well-being” elevating our responsibility to enhance the mind and body. 

Faced with a lengthy chain of resident correspondence before a Resident Management Company (RMC) meeting, a property manager finds an AI tool that could summarise it in minutes. But before they can use it, they need approval, and if that process takes six weeks, they are unlikely to wait. Instead, they may open a free account, paste in the correspondence, and complete the task, leaving the business unaware of where that resident data has gone.