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In these extraordinary times, there are clearly additional considerations that need to be made when appointing contractors to carry out essential maintenance works. If you are responsible for a block, it is vital that you review all of your contractor’s procedures and safe working methods in respect of risk management. Though it is, of course, highly important that you continue to take these precautions, Fire is not the only risk that contractors and Property Managers should consider when maintenance work

When a new-build residential development approaches completion, incoming Resident Directors may relish the prospect of managing a blank canvas of a development. However, the reality is that bringing the site to this point will have taken collaboration from a number of parties involved in the mobilisation process, often including a specialist property manager. Mobilisation of a residential development is the culmination of all parties buying into one vision – from the developer’s initial concept, which has

Housing supply rather than the private rented sector (PRS) made the headlines during the Conservative and Labour Party conferences this year as the main parties committed only to the basics – delivering more homes across the country. While Prime Minister Rishi Sunak did not mention housing at all during his keynote speech in Manchester, Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer promised to build 1.5m new homes and new towns by reforming planning laws and securing private finance. But while everyone can agree supply

The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill (“the Bill”) is making its way through the final stages of the legislative process, with the Lords’ amendments due to be considered on 17 October, before it proceeds to Royal Assent. This Bill presents an opportunity to fix the “lease extension problem” that has arisen out of the Building Safety Act. Clause 251 of the Bill is a noble effort to improve matters for leaseholders. But it poses the question whether rushing through a hurried amendment risks more unintended

It’s finally that time - the eagerly awaited shortlist for the PMAs 2023 is here!  News on the Block are excited to announce the shortlist for the Property Management Award 2023.  The awards recognise excellence in the property management industry, and the shortlist features some of the most innovative and successful companies from across our sector.  Our judges have spent a lot of time reviewing all entries and meeting to confirm the final shortlist for 2023. We would like to extend our thanks to all of

Abloy UK has supplied its SMARTair access control system to Your Apartment for its new aparthotel based in the centre of Milton Keynes. The system provides flexible and easy-to-use access for its 65 one-bed and studio apartments and gym. Your Apartment is a rapidly growing serviced apartment and aparthotel operator based in the UK. They champion a considered, tech driven and design-led approach with over 300 serviced apartments across Bristol, London and Milton Keynes. Your Apartment – Milton Keynes is th

Fifth Dimension AI, the company amplifying exceptional real estate professionals, today announces that it has raised £2.3 million in a pre seed round as it comes out of a pilot phase, ready to transform an industry which has struggled to embrace the digital age.   Ellie uses automated processes and machine learning to support document heavy and data-filled industries like real estate. The business believes that Large Language Models (LLMs) can unlock the exceptional in people, taking away the time consumi

As Keir Starmer addressed the Labour party conference today, Claire Petricca-Riding Head of Planning & Environment at Irwin Mitchell made the following comments : “What the country needs is a vision, a strategy showing a new direction after the cancelling of HS2 or what some have described as ‘cancelling the future’. What Labour says it will provide is the framework to build a new Britain and at the heart of it will be the increase in housing  - providing a safe home for all generations – to get Britain b

Research conducted by communications consultancy, Cavendish Consulting and YouGov, reveals that just 11% of UK MPs would prioritise the development of new Build-to-Rent (BTR) homes in their constituencies - despite the demand for rental properties being high. The research asked MPs across all parties about their constituency housing focuses and most strikingly, BTR homes ranked only 7th out of eight listed housing options in terms of priority. 63% of Conservative MPs prioritised private sale housing with

HMRC has warned landlords against a tax avoidance scheme that claims to reduce their tax liability. The scheme involves transferring properties to a limited liability partnership (LLP) with a corporate member. The LLP then allocates profits on a discretionary basis to members. HMRC says that the scheme does not work and that landlords who use it may have to pay more tax than they tried to avoid. The scheme is also caught by a number of anti-avoidance rules. HMRC is urging landlords who are using the schem

London law firm Bishop & Sewell LLP has promoted two talented lawyers, in a move which significantly strengthens the firms’ dispute resolution and residential property teams.   Associate Charles Jamieson has been promoted to Senior Associate in the firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution team. A highly experienced dispute resolution specialist, Charles handles a mixed Chancery practice focusing on business, property and contentious probate matters, including breaches of contract, partnership and share

The prospect of managing agents facing multiple group actions from leaseholders, resulting in their paying out significant, potentially ruinous damages, grows ever nearer, as new legislation outlaws the historic practices of managing agents in relation to insurance commissions.  opens the floodgates for historic claims. Indeed for some managing agents, the prospect of heading to court is already a reality. “We are already seeing some claims being pursued by leaseholders following Michael Gove’s recent foc