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South West block management firm, Fraser Allen Estate Management, are sponsoring an International Women's Day Afternoon Tea & Networking Event on Wednesday 8th March. The three-hour event, which aims to recognise and celebrate women female leaders in the local community, will be held at Basset Down Complex,  off j16 of the M4, from from 11am - 2pm.  The women-only networking session provides a valuable opportunity to make new connections while enjoying a buffet style afternoon tea with fizz. Attendees wil

There are many species of Bamboo. Bamboo has over 1,200 species, which to an untrained eye makes it difficult to correctly identify what’s what. As we are aware, both the clumping and running kind, are non-native species to Europe. If not kept under control, bamboo can quickly transition from being a beautiful ornamental plant to an invasive problem. Like Japanese knotweed, bamboo is spread through a rhizome system. Clumping bamboo remains as a large root ball, whereas running bamboo creates a long networ

Residential property services provider, FirstPort, has teamed up with The Turing Trust to give students in Malawi access to 1,300 laptops. The Turing Trust was formed by the family of Alan Turing, the legendary mathematician and computer scientist, best known for his work on breaking the German Enigma codes during the Second World War Today, the charity honours his contribution to the early years of computing, by providing quality IT resources and training to schools in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in t

It’s widely accepted that Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) is an invasive plant species that can lead to structural problems, prosecutions, and in some cases inability to secure a mortgage. But where have we got to with controlling knotweed since it first became a national problem? Since Japanese knotweed was introduced to the UK in the 19th century it has spread rapidly throughout the country, causing millions of pounds in damage and claims each year. With its ability to grow up to 20cm in a single

Last week, Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, declared that in this parliament, perhaps even this calendar year, legislation intending to abolish leasehold will be introduced. What is the problem with leasehold ownership? Fundamentally a freeholder owns their property and the land on which it stands. There is no time limit for the period of ownership. A leaseholder owns a property which is derived from the freehold. Normally this would be of a smaller unit, such as

Just three months after becoming an independent estate agency, North Residential has opened a second branch in Pocklington, East Riding of Yorkshire.  The opening forms part of ambitious plans to drive growth for the Harrogate based practice, which rebranded away from national chain, Knight Frank after 15 years. In September last year business leaders Harlan Pollitt and Daniel Rigg announced the breakaway while launching the North Residential rebrand and have since been able to invest more autonomously wh

An award-winning property management solicitor has been granted a prestigious fellowship which recognises her exceptional contribution to the industry. Leasehold specialist Cassandra Zanelli now holds Fellow membership status at The Institute of Residential Property Management (IRPM), which is the recognised professional body for the property management sector.  Cassandra, who is the founder of boutique law firm Property Management Legal Services, is well known for her vast experience and expertise, parti

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