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The Building Safety Act 2022 is steadily coming into force, moving the responsibility of build and fire safety to the Health and Safety Executive and bringing new and detailed directives into effect in order to correct the previously poor regulation of the UK construction industry. For freeholders, landlords and others who might have a financial or ownership interest in an occupied residential higher-risk building, this means new obligations. Dorian Lawrence, Managing Director of RSK Group company FR Cons

Introduction: With regard to building safety, readers will no doubt be aware that the first few months of the year have introduced some notable updates to be aware of, and that will have a material impact for ensuring compliant property management under the new regime. In this article, Trainee Solicitor Katie Orr of specialist property solicitors JB Leitch, takes an in depth look at the topic of Remediation Orders and Remediation Contribution Orders as the first case law in this area begins to emerge. Rem

Earlier this year, News on the Block, Jen Lemen BSc Hons (FRICS) of Property Elite and Annie McGrandles, FIRPM MRICS, Head of Portfolio and Block Management of 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 this article, running with the overall edition theme of health & safety, we will be taking a look at wh

In a move to promote energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact, the government has announced a ban on the sale of fluorescent lamps by the end of 2023. Fluorescent lamps, which have been commonly used in homes, offices, and public spaces for decades, have come under scrutiny due to their high energy consumption and hazardous waste. According to the Ministry of Energy, fluorescent lamps are responsible for a significant portion of electricity consumption in the country, contributing to high carbon

Block management isn't for everyone. The real estate industry faces unique challenges in hiring and retaining staff, resulting in an annual turnover of 27.8%. Nearly three in ten block managers will leave their jobs in the next year alone. And it's no surprise when many suffer from demanding workloads and low compensation. How can we combat this? We spoke to Nigel Glen, Non-Executive Director, Emeria, Shelley Jacobs, Operations Director, Michael Laurie Magar, and Martin Perry, Director, West of England Es

Jackson Sims Recruitment are very happy to welcome Regan Moore to the team as a Senior Recruitment Consultant and member of the Real Estate team at JSR.  Having led large teams and managed complex operations across multiple demanding industries: Regan has a proven track record of delivering best-in-class customer service in the UK and overseas. Drawing upon professional and personal experience, he always puts people at the heart of the recruitment process to closely match the unique wants and needs of h

Maintaining the highest standards of health and safety practices, against a backdrop of legislative change, requires an organisation to maximise its resources, in order to keep colleagues engaged and provide confidence to our customers. Here, Stephen Carbery, Director of Health & Safety at FirstPort Group Limited, explains how communication with colleagues is vital at a time of regulatory change. The fire safety landscape has never been so evolving. With new responsibilities placed on individuals, develop

Housing association Peabody held an open day event at its independent living scheme Greenfields in Leighton Buzzard to give potential residents a flavour of its high-quality facilities.  Together with residents and the local MP, Andrew Selous, the Greenfields team took visitors on a tour of the new facilities and talked them through the on-site support available, while encouraging people to apply for a home through the council - who manage applications for all extra care schemes.   Peabody’s partners, inc

ARMA and IRPM have today published their 2023 Wellbeing Survey report which has been shaped by responses from over 700 property professionals working across the United Kingdom. Now in its third year, the report reveals that property managers continue to face a range of complex and difficult challenges on a daily basis, many of which are impacting on their mental health. The 2023 survey highlights the negative impact of high workload pressures on the wellbeing of individuals. Survey data also shows that th

hereSAY publish its Lead to Lease BTR Mystery Shopping Benchmark Report 22/23: •      28 per cent of shoppers received no response to their enquiries •      36 per cent of shoppers received no follow-up in the seven days after their viewing •      78 per cent of tours included no reference to sustainability credentials   hereSAY’s Build-to-Rent (BTR) Mystery Shopping Benchmark Report reveals that although the developments still present high-quality amenities, apartments and communal areas,  a drop in cust

“The Renters (Reform) Bill is the biggest worry facing agents today.” That’s the word from HF Assist, a dedicated support service for agents (and part of the HFIS group), at a recent Q&A webinar it co-hosted with PayProp, a leading client accounting platform. Representatives of HF Assist told viewers uncertainty over the bill and its impact on the industry was the top reason agents have been calling the hotline. It trumped worries over current notice periods for Section 8 and Section 21 evictions, company

The Building Safety Act 2022 (the Act) came into force on 28 June 2022. It created new financial protections around the cost of remediation of historical safety defects for leaseholders of buildings at or above 11 metres or five storeys with historical safety defects. While flat owners who benefit from this protection will welcome this unfortunately there are problems around the conveyancing process as it adjusts to the effect of the complex new rules which may adversely affect the sales process and the G