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The head of a national trade body has called on the UK Government to clarify whether its new Social Housing Bill will provide protections for Armed Forces personnel and their families. Stephen Hodgson, Chief Executive of the Property Care Association, has written to Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove MP - who has championed the new Social Housing Bill - and to Tobias Ellwood MP, Chair of the Defence Select Committee. In the letter, Mr Hodgson asks whether the new Bi

Leading South East law firm Furley Page has promoted four lawyers to Senior Associate in its latest round of promotions.  From the start of May, Daniel Bridgland, Sarah Woolnough, Rachael Stibbe and Costs Lawyer Richard Waters have all been promoted to Senior Associate.  Daniel Bridgland joined Furley Page’s Real Estate team in April 2022 following almost a decade as the head of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs team at another Kent law firm. With more than 20 years’ experience advising clients in K

The Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Professionals (ALEP) has written to the Government to call for an urgent amendment to the Building Safety Act 2022 (‘BSA'), which it says is currently causing doubt and uncertainty for leaseholders and the professionals trying to advise them.  ALEP’s letter to Rachel Maclean, Minister of State (Housing and Planning) highlights a key concern over the definition of a ‘qualifying lease’ under Section 119 of the Building Safety Act, which states that the lease n

Have you or your staff ever felt scared, afraid or threatened when going out and about in their working day? I know I have and I know my team have too – and that’s a difficult thing to deal with. Did you know that I have invested in the safety of my team – and myself – using the Hollie Guard Extra app? Why? Because in our business sector, as with many, lone workers are often out late at night, and they can feel threatened when faced with aggressive or threatening clients or even random people as they try

Following the tragedy of the Grenfell Tower fire, Dame Judith Hackitt was appointed to carry out an independent review of building regulations and fire safety in England. In her ‘Building a Safer Future’ report, Dame Judith identified a range of areas that required reforming.    As part of the implementation of these reforms, the government introduced the Building Safety Act 2022 - paving the way for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to establish a new regulator for building safety: The Building Safet

Property management specialist Kingston has appointed Paul Carter as its new Managing Director to drive forward the continual growth of the business.  Paul took up his new role this month at the Newcastle-based company, firmly established as one of the North of England’s leading leasehold block and estate management firms. Kingston manages a wide range of developments across the North East, Cumbria and Yorkshire regions with further growth into other geographical areas anticipated in the future. It also h

Birmingham-based estate management firm MetroPM has integrated the block management portfolio of Nick Plotnek Associates. Matthew Arnold, managing director of MetroPM, said: “Nick Plotnek Associates specialises in lease extensions, purchase of freehold and acquisitions, along with block and estate management.  “Having managed several of the estates for some 30 years, Nick Plotnek has taken the decision to focus on lease extensions and freehold purchase, transferring the block management portfolio to Metro

The deverellsmith group, London based recruitment & talent solutions partner for the property industry, announced that it has acquired the entire issued share capital of Daisy Chain. Daisy Chain is an online platform where professionals can match + connect with flexible employers to enhance their careers and work-life balance. Originally, the platform focused on supporting returning parents (specifically mums) to find work whilst being able to balance childcare and employment. The platform now supports an

Principle Estate Management has won a prestigious contract to look after a world-famous skyscraper in London that was once named “The Lipstick” by former prime minister Boris Johnson. Strata SE1 is a 44-storey building which stands at Elephant and Castle, in the London Borough of Southwark, and has more than 1,000 residents living in its 408 apartments. At the time of its construction in 2010, the 147-metre property was London’s tallest residential building and the first building in the world to have thre

Startling new research, commissioned by Japanese Knotweed Specialists, part of the Grounds Care Group, has revealed that the majority of UK homeowners would consider concealing the presence of Knotweed when selling their property.  A survey of 3,000 homeowners, the largest of its kind in the UK, uncovered that only 49% of homeowners would disclose the presence of Knotweed on their property when selling.   Japanese Knotweed is the most invasive plant in Britain and one that can cause significant damage to

Roughly one in five people who request an online valuation go on to sell according to data from instant online valuation specialists, The ValPal Network. Data insights show that the average sales cycle from the point of requesting an online valuation (via ValPal), to completing on the Land Registry is 220 days, while properties in the W postcode sell the fastest in just 198 days. 62 days on the market according to Rightmove, and a whopping 135 days for the finance and conveyancing process according to dat

Birmingham-based MetroPM has been appointed to manage a mixed-use development in the Jewellery Quarter. The new appointment is to manage the historic The Million Pen Building which now houses 21 luxury apartments and four commercial units. Ian Smallman, director of MetroPM, said: “Million Pen is a Grade II listed building at 3-5 Legge Lane which was originally built in 1893 as a steel pen manufacturer. “This historic building has been sensitively developed to showcase its original features while bringing