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On 25th July 2023, the Ministry of Justice announced that mediation will become a compulsory step for specified money claims of up to £10,000 in value, which covers approximately 80% of all small claims, and plans to introduce the legislation for this in this Parliament. This is higher than the Civil Justice Council’s report in January 2021, which recommended mandating mediation for cases up to £500. The Government anticipates extending the scheme to personal injury and unspecified money claims in the fut

New figures show the top five locations where properties are currently selling quicker than anywhere else in the UK. Homes in Paddington, West London are selling fastest at three weeks under the national average. According to a report by The ValPal Network, transactions for homes in West Paddington postcodes are now completed in, on average,198 days - 21 days quicker than the UK average. The ValPal Network, which works with 800 estate and letting agency brands across the country, found a number of areas c

Every Japanese knotweed plant in the UK derives from one single plant that was brought here from Japan by Philip von Siebold in 1850. He was unaware of the environmental impact this plant would go on to have. The rest as they say – is history! So here are the main reasons this plant is now a huge problem for residents and property management across the UK: 1. Cost Japanese knotweed treatment and management costs the economy millions of pounds every year. A DEFRA analysis estimated an astonishing country-

Which Fire Risk Assessment is suitable for your needs? What are the misconceptions around FRA’s? We have created a 12 page e-document on this subject alone which is available to download at the end of this page.     Who are we? Fire Safety Consult Limited, A trusted partner in the field of fire safety, gaining steady traction with managing agents in and around London.  We are a female led dynamic and innovative company, bringing a fresh perspective and expert advice to clients who are in need of top

The latest research by London lettings and estate agent, Benham and Reeves, reveals that homebuyers who want a room with a view in London are facing house price premium of up to 140%. Benham and Reeves has analysed asking prices for London properties listed with the allure of a ‘good view’ to see how they compare to the wider price of purchasing a property across the capital. A ‘good view’ might entail cityscapes, riversides or, in more suburban boroughs, green space.  The data shows that a property liste

Living in a happy home can extend beyond the front door as more people seek the benefits of living within a thriving community or neighbourhood.  As a property manager, each development we manage presents an opportunity to work at the very heart of communities.  This starts on-site and extends to the wider local communities that our developments are part of. It involves property managers engaging with RMCs and working collaboratively with them so that we can respond quicker and more effectively to custome

Fire safety compliance has featured high on the agenda for property providers since Grenfell and the subsequent changes to the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022. Whilst the impetus may have come from older building stock, build-to-rent property providers must also mitigate fire risk for their tenants. Fire door safety One area in focus is fire doors, which play an essential part in the fire safety of multi-occupied residential buildings (HMOs). In residential buildings over 11 metres, whoever is desi

The Building Safety Act 2023 came into force in April this year and requires all high-rise residential buildings to be registered with the Building Safety Regulator by 30 September 2023.  It will be an offence to allow residents to occupy an unregistered building after this date.  Fundamentally, once a high-rise residential building is registered, the Key Building Information must be submitted to the Regulator within 28 days of registration.  THIS MEANS THE ABSOLUTE DEADLINE FOR THE SUBMISSION OF KEY BU

London law firm Bishop & Sewell LLP has seen a significant rise in enquiries from landlords seeking to sell their buy-to-let properties ahead of the eventual introduction of the Renters Reform Bill, which outlines the Government’s plans to outlaw ‘no fault’ evictions and bring an end to fixed term tenancies.    Under Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 landlords are currently allowed to evict tenants on periodic tenancies without providing a reason. However, the Renters Reform Bill will fulfil the Governme

Principle Estate Management has continued to grow its presence in London with the start of a major recruitment campaign after moving to larger offices. Rachael Hornby has joined Principle as associate director to lead the London office and look after some of the company’s prime central London developments. Ms Hornby has joined from D&G Block Management, where she spent more than seven years looking after very similar types of properties to those managed by Principle’s London office. Before that, she worke

Affordable housing provider Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH) has ventured into the rent to buy sector for the first time, with the launch of its dedicated ‘SO Flexi’ brand, operating as an offshoot of MTVH’s existing shared ownership arm, SO Resi. The very first scheme, SO Flexi Slough, will launch in August 2023, offering a selection of 55 one and two-bedroom apartments, all available to purchase with rent to buy. All brand-new apartments at SO Flexi Slough will be available to rent on a two-yea

Most economists think the Bank of England will raise the base rate for the fourteenth consecutive time on Thursday, by 0.25 percentage points. Fingers crossed that a less aggressive rate rise will fuel better mortgage rates being made available to homeowners needing to remortgage. This trend has already started following better-than-expected inflation figures for June which led to some lenders reducing their fixed rate mortgages. We'd like to see more follow suit in offering homeowners better options for