Featured Articles

A national trade body is urging householders to take steps to prevent rats seeking refuge in their homes from flooding. Areas across the UK have been hit by localised flooding, some very severe in parts, following the arrival of Storm Babet.  British Pest Control Association (BPCA), is urging householders to take preventative steps now to avoid the risk of an infestation. Dee Ward-Thompson, BPCA Head of Technical, said: “Each year winter weather forces some rats to seek warmer, indoor spaces near a source

A national trade body has drawn up a list of measures householders can take to protect their homes against flooding. The Property Care Association says that unsettled weather patterns being seen year on year – including Storm Babet – mean flood resilience is becoming paramount for many householders across the UK. Flood resilience measures are solutions that can make properties better withstand flood events. James Berry, Deputy CEO of the Property Care Association, said: “Our tips suggest some measures tha

The highly successful team at accountants and business advisors Whitley Stimpson are continuing to receive national recognition. Staff have been selected as finalists in the Service Provider Team Award category of The Rewards, a prestigious industry competition for payroll professionals. It is the fourth time the company, which has offices in Banbury, Bicester, High Wycombe and Witney, has made the finals of an awards scheme in the last year showing how highly regarded it is by its peers. Director Jonatha

No article on selling a leasehold property can go without a mention of the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA) and the immense difficulties it has now caused on any leasehold flat being sold.  There is a lot more terminology for sellers (and their solicitors) to wrap their heads around and it is important to familiarise yourself and anticipate issues so that you can save time and cut down on the number of questions once the conveyancing process does get going.  Many solicitors are now declining instructions wh

The new UK Government funded Property Advice Service has launched to support SMEs with commercial property related issues, across all London boroughs until March 2025. The free ‘one stop shop’ service is providing in-person and online advice for small and medium size enterprises, micro-businesses and solopreneurs who are struggling with issues such as re-negotiating leases, paying rent arrears, the new energy efficiency rating and business rate relief schemes. For the next 18 months ventures across Greate

Last Wednesday, The BBC’s Rip-Off Britain covered the story of Daniel Bruce and his neighbours. Having bought flats in a new building in Camden in 2019, they have been battling the developers, the building inspector and warranty provider to fix their structurally unsound home. Things are so bad, independent surveyors have recommended the demolition of the building. It’s a shocking but not unfamiliar tale of “nightmare new builds”. The Secretary of State for Housing, Michael Gove, who was interviewed for t

Leading property management firm Rendall & Rittner has been appointed to manage New South Quarter in Croydon, a residential development of over 800 apartments. Providing a dedicated team to look after residents’ needs, Rendall & Rittner took over management services at the beginning of October. The development joins the company’s growing portfolio of over 80,000 homes under management nationwide. New South Quarter is a contemporary urban village built by Barratt Homes conveniently located less than a mile

Hopefully the Principle Accountable Person (PAP) will have now registered their high risk buildings, and they and/or their agents will be working towards creating a building safety case and safety case report in advance of 1st April 2024. From that date the Building Safety Regulator will start calling in Tranche One buildings (those over 30m, with more than 150 units or buildings where the Regulator is aware of existing safety issues) for assessment. Clearing the registration and safety case report hurdle

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