Featured Articles

Get the answers to your questions and stay up to date about apartment building management with our featured articles and NOTB guides, on topics such as service charges, right to manage, buying your freehold, major works, building insurance and other issues about blocks of flats.

Winners announced for The NOTB Footy Championship 2023!

We would like to extend a huge thank you to all the teams who participated in the NOTB Football Championship 2023 at Powerleague Shoreditch on 17 May 2023.  We had a fantastic day with lots of fierce competition in all of our groups throughout the day.  The final results were as follows.  Winner - JM2 Group  Runner Up - EV Chargers Ltd  Plate Winner - Jackson Sims Recruitment  Plate Runner Up - Urang Property Management    You can download the full fixtures and results via the link at the bottom of the

Whitley Stimpson shortlisted for major national award

Accountancy specialist firm Whitley Stimpson has been shortlisted for a top property industry award. The company, with offices in Banbury, Bicester, High Wycombe and Witney, made the cut in the Service Charge Accountancy Firm of the Year category of the 2023 ACE awards organised by the Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA). The awards, which are aimed at companies achieving best practice in their field, attracted a record number of entries this year with judges describing the quality of submis

ELM Group celebrates the 50th anniversary of its founding estate

This month, property management company ELM Group is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its very first retirement estate Vicarage Close - a grade II listed building steeped in history and now the home of retired residents in the East Sussex village of Ringmer. Starting out as the old Flint Vicarage, Vicarage Close soon became the UK’s first leasehold retirement independent living estate, offering a new concept for people of retirement age who valued owning their own property and saw the benefits of a pur

ALEP responds to news of delay in proposed abolition of Leasehold

The Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP) has said that the complexities of leasehold ownership made it impossible for the Government to abolish the leasehold system this year.  The Housing Secretary, Michael Gove had recently stated that the Government’s intention remained the abolition of the leasehold system, telling MPs in January that the Government would "bring forward legislation shortly". The King’s Speech later this year is expected to include a Bill outlining further l

Anger as Government ‘waters down’ leasehold reform

The Government has taken a backward step after climbing down on a commitment to end the leasehold system this year. That is the view of Alan Draper, a leading campaigner for leasehold reform, after it was revealed the radical move would not now be happening due to a lack of parliamentary time. That is despite repeated promises from Housing Secretary Michael Gove to push through legislation to scrap leasehold schemes in 2023. Alan, Managing Director of property management firm Common Ground, said: “Despite

‘Loophole’ helps prevent families falling into inheritance tax trap

With more and more people becoming liable for inheritance tax (IHT), experts at Whitley Stimpson are urging families to consider using a little used loophole to reduce its impact. Under the “normal expenditure out of income exemption” rules, individuals can donate sums of any size if they can be considered part of “normal expenditure.” This means the amount donated should be in line with the individual’s general outgoings and made on a regular basis from their income which could consist of pensions, divid

Brits urged to save despite zero-deposit mortgages

Brits are being urged to continue to save cash they were putting aside for a new home despite the recent announcement of zero-deposit mortgages. The frugal experts at NetVoucherCodes.co.uk are warning those thinking of taking advantage of zero-deposit mortgages to do their homework and if they can afford to put a deposit down, to keep repayments and interest lower. They’re also urging them to be realistic about monthly repayments and not to get carried away by not needing a deposit. Zero-deposit sch

FOLK announces the launch of third property: Florence Dock in Battersea, as co-living popularity soars

Folk, the co-living brand on a mission to set a new standard for renting, is launching its third site in the capital, Florence Dock, in Battersea. The building, which already has a waiting list of 2000 people, is expected to be completed in April and open for renters to move in from June, and is located riverside in SW11, just a ten-minute walk from both Clapham Junction and Wandsworth Town Stations. Florence Dock will feature multiple roof terraces with views of London, a huge co-working space, high spec

Award-winning later living operator Inspired Villages announces Chief Development & Property Officer and Chief Customer Officer roles

Inspired Villages, UK leader in the later living space, has bolstered its leadership team as two of the company’s originators join the C suite. Neal Dale (pictured left) takes on the role of Chief Development and Property Officer and James Cobb (pictured right) will become Chief Customer Officer. Reporting into the CEO, the roles will be at the forefront of delivering Inspired Villages’ growth ambitions through its pillars of buying sites well, building on time and budget whilst driving an unerring focus

Building Centre hosts Retrofit 23 exhibition, showcasing the need for tangible action to UK housing stock

On May 10th, the Building Centre is launching a new thought-provoking exhibition, Retrofit 23, to spotlight the challenges and benefits of the deep retrofit of residential buildings. The exhibition is inspired by the urgent need to address residential retrofitting following the government’s urgent commitment to reduce the UK’s energy demand by 15% by 2030, as well as the long-term goal of becoming a net zero economy by 2050. Retrofit refers to the process of making alterations on an existing building to r

Inventories key to fire safety

Inventories play a vital role in protecting tenants from the dangers of house fires, according to a leading industry figure. Rescue services attended 33,390 domestic fires last year in Great Britain. Daniel Evans, chair of the Association of Independent Inventory Clerks believes running through safety protocols at check-in and conscientious monitoring during tenancies can prevent fires and, potentially, save lives. He said: “As far as fire safety is concerned, there are two things at play for landlords. O

Duo return to support expansion

McCarthy Stone, the UK’s leading developer and manager of retirement communities, has welcomed back two senior directors. Brendon O’Neill has returned to the business as Divisional Managing Director (DMD) for McCarthy Stone’s Southern region. The appointment comes as former DMD Shane Paull became the company’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) on 3 April. Brendon was previously DMD for McCarthy Stone’s South East division and is hugely experienced in the housebuilding sector, having held similar roles at B

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