Featured Articles

One piece of information brokers need to know before quoting or renewing a policy is the Buildings Declared Value of the building. That is the sum on which your cover is based and even though it is an estimate of the cost of rebuilding in the unlikely event of a total loss, getting it wrong can affect even the smallest claim. Under-declaring is usually unintentional, because people don’t realise the importance of keeping their valuation up to date. If it is intentional, with a view to reducing premiums

The deadline for developers to sign the Building Safety Contract has now passed, and despite Government threats to block from the market those who don’t comply, only 11 developers are confirmed to have formally signed up to fix their unsafe buildings. This result will certainly be disappointing to Michael Gove, given that 49 developers signed a pledge in August 2022, committing to carry out critical safety works and to reimburse taxpayers.  developers who have signed confirmed the contract does not materi

Housebuilders want chancellor Jeremy Hunt to get cladding and insulation product manufacturers to contribute to the estimated £3bn bill to make hundreds of risky flats safe. The trade body, in its Spring budget representation, is arguing for a levy, or a corporation tax surcharge, so that they can contribute to the post Grenfell remediation bill. Home Builders Federation, HBF, executive chairman Stewart Baseley said: "It is only the private home building industry which has been repeatedly targeted for con

The historically high inflation rates of the last year continue to affect every corner of the economy. The cost-of-living crisis is clearly impacting the housebuilding sector, threatening to dampen property demand; pushing down on margins as construction costs increase and slowing the speed that new properties can be turned over. In the UK housing market as a whole, values are beginning to fall.  Allied to this, many analysts fear that interest rates – which have more than doubled in the last 6 months – a

Leading shared ownership provider SO Resi recently launched its latest development in the capital, SO Resi Whetstone, comprising 17 one and two-bedroom apartments. With the average first time buyer deposit in London now a staggering £125,000 according to research from Halifax, SO Resi Whetstone will offer a more accessible route to homeownership, with the new homes exclusively available to purchase through shared ownership. All homes have been designed with flexible living in mind, featuring open-plan kit

The nation’s biggest annual survey of Resident Directors has revealed that good financial planning is top on the agenda for resident management companies (RMCs) and right to manage companies (RTMs) who are navigating complex evolving requirements. With cost-of-living pressures and enhanced fire safety requirements as the backdrop, Resident Directors are prioritising tight control of service charge budgets more than ever, with 68% of Directors citing it as their top priority, up by a fifth in the last year

A prominent PropTech company boss has called for more funding to help the private rented sector in next week’s Spring Budget. Neil Cobbold, managing director of automated rental payment specialists PayProp UK, said that landlords feel under increasing pressure because of upcoming legislative changes, while tenants want to ensure complaints over ‘rogue’ landlords offering substandard homes are acted on by local authorities. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt should do all he can to encourage good landlords to remain i

Adam Brindle, MD of The Grounds Care Group, explains why the race to the bottom in grounds maintenance is bad for sites and bad for business. Time for a dirty secret. Years back when I was coming into the grounds maintenance business, I was told - “you make your money doing the work you don’t do”. You price the work into your contract and then work your hardest to avoid delivering it. From an ethical perspective, this never sat well with me or for many of us in the profession that work hard every day to d

Founder & Group MD - Julian Davies comments : I am excited to announce that Earl Kendrick Project and Building Consultancy is welcoming important new addition to the team this month. Dan Wade joins EK McQuade Limited - Neighbourly Matters Surveyors (EKM) as Director, Rights of Light, Daylight and Sunlight. This means EK McQuade will be able to offer a full range of natural light services in addition to dealing with Party Wall matters.  As well as welcoming Dan to the team, we have also updated and refresh

Following a year of unprecedented growth and success in 2022, leading innovators in offsite modular solutions - VOLUMETRIC™ are celebrating after being crowned ‘Innovation of the Year - Wellbeing' winners, at the 2023 CIBSE Building Performance Awards. The VOLUMETRIC™ team picked up the trophy for SOLOHAUS™ in the MODULHAUS™ range. Designed to help overcome the homelessness crisis, these single person modules offer a safe, independent and innovative interim housing solution which helps former rough sleepe

A leading campaigner for leasehold reform has welcomed Government plans to radically change the system this year. Housing Secretary Michael Gove says he wants to tackle “fundamentally unfair” leasehold schemes in England and bring forward legislation to change them in this Parliament. This important issue was highlighted on the BBC news on Friday. The move has been seen as a positive step by Alan Draper, Managing Director of property management firm Common Ground, who has campaigned for leasehold reform f

Now in its 48th year, International Women’s Day serves as an annual celebration of female equality and inclusion and will be taking place on the 8th March this year. This year’s theme is ‘Equity’, which highlights the importance of inclusivity in providing equal opportunities for all. Award-winning housebuilder The Hill Group, in collaboration with Women into Construction, has been taking steps to champion women and address the gender imbalance in the housebuilding sector, which is often perceived as a la