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Issue 123 of News on the Block has now been published and is available for subscribers to read online.  This issue includes a special Service Charge feature and includes some of the following articles.  Leaseholders win tribunal fight over service charges Tenants to access better broadband with new law The alliance that’s aiming to tackle domestic abuse What you need to know about asbestos Why RMC directors need to be compliant The search is on! We’re looking for your Unsung Heroes of 2023 A guide

We often hear how important the working environment is to a business but how do we achieve this?  Particularly, in Block Management with the moving parts of legislation, leaseholders expectations and of course, Michael Gove’s statements! A positive work environment is crucial for employee satisfaction, engagement, and productivity. In Block Management, which require frequent interaction with customers, fostering a positive work environment is even more important. In this article, we will discuss some tips

In a milestone decision today the Supreme Court has allowed the appeal and found in favour of the flat owners overlooked by the Tate Modern’s public viewing gallery, putting an end to this long running case. The claim concerns the Tate’s public viewing gallery on the top floor of the Blavatnik Building.  The viewing gallery attracts between 500,000 – 600,000 visitors per year and can hold up to 300 people at once.  The distance between the viewing gallery and the flats is some 34 metres and the flats have

Two drones have been purchased by Principle Estate Management to help provide more detailed and cost-efficient building surveys for the properties it looks after. Principle has now trained three of its staff to become qualified drone pilots so that the new in-house service can be offered to its clients across the UK. Joe Jobson, joint managing director at Principle, explained that the drones would give the company the ability to review complex areas of buildings that were previously inaccessible any other

In the wake of the Grenfell Tower blaze, the government has given property developers six weeks to sign up to an industry-funded £2bn repair scheme aimed at protecting thousands of tenants in England, or face “significant consequences” but a specialist property litigator has cautioned that such action could result in the government policy facing a judicial review and for the process of repairing affected buildings to be delayed further. Richard Glover, specialist property litigator and partner with law fi

Property management and surveying firm Scanlans, which is the managing agent for numerous apartment blocks around the UK, has given a cautious welcome to the government’s decision to issue legally binding contracts to developers requiring them to pay to repair unsafe buildings. Scanlans has consistently worked in partnership with campaigners, residents, leaseholders and property owners to secure a better deal for them on the issue of meeting the costs of building safety defects. Scanlans partner Ian Magen

The Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP) has responded to comments made by Michael Gove at the weekend which suggest the Government may introduce further reforms to the leasehold system before the end of the current Parliament.  In an interview with Sophy Ridge on Sunday on Sky, he was asked a follow up question on his interview with The Times newspaper on 29 January 2023. Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, said that he wanted to introduce l

Earlier this month, News on the Block, Jen Lemen BSc Hons (FRICS) of Property Elite and Annie McGrandles, FIRPM MRICS, Head of Portfolio and Block Management at Property Management Recruitment, held a webinar for over 150 block managers on how to become RICS qualified. As a follow up to this webinar, we will be running a series of articles on how you can become qualified either as AssocRICS or MRICS. In today’s article, we will be looking at how to decide which level of RICS membership is right for your s

Landmark Chambers’ Yaaser Vanderman has produced a book on Protest Injunctions entitled: Manual on Protest Injunctions: Practice, Procedure and Persons Unknown.  The book is a practical, hands-on guide to all parties involved in claims seeking protest injunctions. With a foreword from Lord Carnwath, it deals with all of the fundamental issues, including notice, service, interim injunctions, persons unknown, human rights and committal applications. To release this new free resource, Landmark chambers pr

Addington Capital, the property investment and asset management specialist and its joint venture partners have sold 1-27 Station Parade Elm Park, Hornchurch, East London to Property Development Solutions Europe for £12 million. Elm Park is a mixed-use scheme comprising 20 retail units, anchored by a 7,000 sq ft Co-op store, and 31 residential units.  The property has been actively asset managed by Addington Capital since the property was purchased in 2014*. Through a reconfiguration of the site and rollin

Celebrating International Women's Day, join Doyenne in the India Room at the KIA Oval in Kennington for the first ever 'Doyenne debates' conference. A day of inspiration, empowerment and celebration, we're bringing together the women and men of the property industry to share our knowledge and mutual appreciation. For more information and to book tickets please click here.

New figures reported by the Home Builders Federation (HBF) have revealed that, on average, new build properties will cost £1,500.43 to run a year, which is just 42% of the cost of a typical existing dwelling. In a comparison between new build houses and existing homes, the average savings to be made are £2,630.80 per year. This brings positive news to those who are concerned about energy efficiency which, according to research by property maintenance solution provider Help me Fix, covers 78% of UK homeown