Mary-Anne Bowring

It's simple. If there are arrears on the service charge account, then this means no cash to spend on managing and maintaining the building. If there is no cash to spend on the property, then the managing agent cannot spend what the building does not have. If the property manager does not spend on management and maintenance, then this means more people do not pay. But the situation can get much worse than that. If the property manager has not incurred expenditure, there will be an accounting surplus when t

QUESTION  Our Landlord does not issue the AGM minutes once the AGM has taken place to residents at all. Are they obliged to send the minutes to the Leaseholders/Tenants? Can I request a copy of them? This is a private Company. Any advice would be appreciated. ANSWER The minutes must be available for inspection by a shareholder free of charge (section 358(3), CA 2006) and the shareholder is entitled to a copy of the minutes on payment of a fee prescribed by the company (section 358(4), CA 2006). Meaning as

According to Rightmove, people searching for a home in a village jumped by 126% in June and July compared with the same period last year.   Not surprising if you’ve been cooped up in a smaller flat, with less space because you thought most of your time would be spent at work, you may very well be looking to be moving to somewhere larger and more spacious.   However, for many thousands of flat-owners across the UK, there are hurdles, and these are not of their making!  For those living in a purpose bui

Following the recent parliamentary wrangling over who should pay for cladding remediation, it may have escaped leaseholders’ notice that the new Fire Safety Act includes new rules on front doors.  In the past, flat front doors were “demised” to the resident. Or in other words they were the responsibility of the flat owner and, for the purposes of the fire safety regulations, they weren’t included in the common parts of the building overseen by the property manager. That has now changed. The new Act has am

Service charges are the most contentious element of property ownership and it’s rare that property managers have raving fans. It’s no secret that leasehold laws are desperate for reform - the industry awaits more detail on what this might look like, but the next twelve months could well see some pivotal changes. Discontent around service charges is rampant and has been for many years – but the industry has carried on regardless and has failed to take heed, thereby forcing the government to take the lead,