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If you ask a thousand landlords what happens to service charges when a property is sold, the odds are that the vast majority will be of the view that the arrears pass to the new purchaser.   This is not necessarily the case.   The Landlord and Tenant (Covenants) Act 1995 has fundamentally changed the law regarding rights and liabilities of parties to a lease following an assignment but those provisions are not retrospective.   It is therefore necessary to consider the position for: Old tenancies (those

The Government’s recent reform of the leasehold system has understandably focussed on ground rents, with new legislation introduced in June 2022 through the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act having effectively put an end to ground rents for most new long residential leases. However, widespread problems with service charges also need to be urgently addressed if the Government is to fulfil its pledge to make the system fairer for leaseholders. Leaseholders across the country routinely engage in battles ove

Work has begun to develop the next phase of St Basils’ innovative live and work project in Sandwell, with the refurbishment of former doctors and nurses’ residences to create an aspirational young workers’ ‘village’. The live and work concept, launched by St Basils in 2015, delivers a truly affordable housing option to young workers, many of whom have experienced homelessness.  The scheme enables young workers to pay rent from their earned income without the need to rely on welfare benefits for additional

Leading build-to-rent provider Sigma Capital Group Limited has announced plans to deliver 865 new homes across 11 sites around the UK, in partnership with housebuilder Countryside Partnerships, one of the country’s leading mixed-tenure developers, The homes will be marketed under Sigma’s private build-to-rent brand Simple Life and these latest acquisitions will significantly accelerate the growth of Sigma Capital’s UK portfolio.  Under Simple Life, Sigma has delivered over 5,000 rental homes, and has over

Leading property management agent, Rendall & Rittner, is expanding its portfolio through its work with bespoke housebuilder, Esquire Developments. With Rendall & Rittner already managing four of the developer’s schemes, this latest appointment will also see the company work on three of Esquire’s newest Medway developments. With Medway currently undergoing a period of vigorous regeneration, the area is set to benefit from 30,000 new homes, new transport infrastructure and 17,000 new jobs to support the loc

South West block management firm, Fraser Allen Estate Management, are sponsoring an International Women's Day Afternoon Tea & Networking Event on Wednesday 8th March. The three-hour event, which aims to recognise and celebrate women female leaders in the local community, will be held at Basset Down Complex,  off j16 of the M4, from from 11am - 2pm.  The women-only networking session provides a valuable opportunity to make new connections while enjoying a buffet style afternoon tea with fizz. Attendees wil

There are many species of Bamboo. Bamboo has over 1,200 species, which to an untrained eye makes it difficult to correctly identify what’s what. As we are aware, both the clumping and running kind, are non-native species to Europe. If not kept under control, bamboo can quickly transition from being a beautiful ornamental plant to an invasive problem. Like Japanese knotweed, bamboo is spread through a rhizome system. Clumping bamboo remains as a large root ball, whereas running bamboo creates a long networ

Residential property services provider, FirstPort, has teamed up with The Turing Trust to give students in Malawi access to 1,300 laptops. The Turing Trust was formed by the family of Alan Turing, the legendary mathematician and computer scientist, best known for his work on breaking the German Enigma codes during the Second World War Today, the charity honours his contribution to the early years of computing, by providing quality IT resources and training to schools in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in t

It’s widely accepted that Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) is an invasive plant species that can lead to structural problems, prosecutions, and in some cases inability to secure a mortgage. But where have we got to with controlling knotweed since it first became a national problem? Since Japanese knotweed was introduced to the UK in the 19th century it has spread rapidly throughout the country, causing millions of pounds in damage and claims each year. With its ability to grow up to 20cm in a single

Last week, Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, declared that in this parliament, perhaps even this calendar year, legislation intending to abolish leasehold will be introduced. What is the problem with leasehold ownership? Fundamentally a freeholder owns their property and the land on which it stands. There is no time limit for the period of ownership. A leaseholder owns a property which is derived from the freehold. Normally this would be of a smaller unit, such as

Just three months after becoming an independent estate agency, North Residential has opened a second branch in Pocklington, East Riding of Yorkshire.  The opening forms part of ambitious plans to drive growth for the Harrogate based practice, which rebranded away from national chain, Knight Frank after 15 years. In September last year business leaders Harlan Pollitt and Daniel Rigg announced the breakaway while launching the North Residential rebrand and have since been able to invest more autonomously wh

An award-winning property management solicitor has been granted a prestigious fellowship which recognises her exceptional contribution to the industry. Leasehold specialist Cassandra Zanelli now holds Fellow membership status at The Institute of Residential Property Management (IRPM), which is the recognised professional body for the property management sector.  Cassandra, who is the founder of boutique law firm Property Management Legal Services, is well known for her vast experience and expertise, parti