Featured Articles

Get the answers to your questions and stay up to date about apartment building management with our featured articles and NOTB guides, on topics such as service charges, right to manage, buying your freehold, major works, building insurance and other issues about blocks of flats.

PfP Capital appoints Catherine Webster as its new CEO: Catherine will take up post in January 2023

PfP Capital, the Social Value and ESG-focused real estate fund manager, part of the UK’s leading social enterprise Places for People, has appointed Catherine Webster as its new Chief Executive Officer. Catherine, who starts at PfP Capital in January 2023, joins from property development and investment specialist Quintain where she is Executive Director for Strategy and Investment, leading on business strategy, financing and investment initiatives. Catherine has worked in real estate investment and finance

New apartments in Bristol city centre to be managed by Principle

Castle Park View is a collection of one and two-bedroomed residences next to a park of the same name located between Queen Street and Tower Hill, close to Bristol Temple Meads railway station. The contract to manage the properties has come from Abri Homes, part of the Abri Group, one of the south’s largest housing providers. This is the third development in Bristol that Abri has commissioned Principle to manage, following on from a development on Dean Street and another on the site of the former Speedwell

Stamp Duty Explained Following the Mini Budget Announcement

On 23 September, the newly appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kwasi Kwarteng, presented parliament with details of his mini budget, which put a strong new emphasis on economic growth, and the element of fear amongst many of us.  The new policies – which include a reduction in income tax, reversing plans for tax-rises and important changes to stamp duty thresholds – represent something of a gamble for the new chancellor.  They are intended to kickstart a new era of economic growth, working towards an a

The European lessons we need to help UK buildings cope with future heatwaves

Shawn Galliers, the new Director of Sustainability at property and construction consultancy Ingleton Wood, examines what we can learn from our European neighbours – and some forgotten tips from history – to shape long-term building strategies that handle extreme heat. As a northern hemisphere nation that’s closer to the North Pole than the equator, Britain was built to deal with (and moan about) the cold – not the heat. But perhaps the summer of 2022, when temperatures soared above 40C and droughts were d

FAST GROWING BLOCK MANAGEMENT TEAM ADD TO THEIR PORTFOLIO

Benjamin Stevens Block Management have just announced that they have acquired two further management companies to add to their fast-growing portfolio.  The independent Block Management company, which falls under the award-winning Benjamin Stevens Estate Agents brand, will be taking over ‘My Estate Manager’ and ‘Herts Property Management Ltd’. Both are small independently run firms, like Benjamin Stevens, and are based in Hatfield, with blocks across Hatfield, Harpenden, St Albans and Welwyn Garden City. T

Centrick Chooses MRI Software to Streamline and Scale Operations

MRI Software, a global leader in real estate solutions, announced that Centrick, a leading midlands-based managing agent, has selected the MRI Qube PM platform to drive operational efficiencies and streamline accounting processes. Centrick currently manages more than 15,000 units and began searching for a technology solution that could accommodate its rapid growth strategy. In choosing MRI’s leading block management software, Centrick will benefit from a holistic, flexible and scalable platform that suppo

Potato Wharf 3 and 4 management appointment

Livingcity Asset Management Ltd are delighted to have been appointed as managing agent to two stunning apartment buildings in Castlefield; Potato Wharf 3 and 4. Boasting 191 units across both blocks, this picturesque, canal-side development includes private terraces and balconies, electrical vehicle charging points, and the well-known colourful external frames, mirroring that of Potato Wharf 1 and 2.  Our involvement with Potato Wharf commenced in 2006 when we advised our client, Lendlease Residential Lim

How to handle noisy neighbours

Noise can be an enormous problem in blocks of flats or where houses are converted into flats. The question is what do you do about it? However difficult your neighbour is, the best thing to try first is talking to your neighbour. Sometimes people do not realise that they are causing a problem to others and raising the issue with them may resolve things. If this does not get you anywhere, then check your lease (and ideally check your neighbour’s lease as well, as occasionally, they are different). The leas

Latimer Prioritises Lower Energy Bills for Homebuyers at Colina Mews

As energy bills continue to rise, developer Latimer marks the launch of Colina Mews by revealing that buyers here could benefit from a staggering price difference of over £4,000 a year on their energy bills if they opt for one of the development’s exclusive three-bedroom duplexes, compared to a typical second-hand property of the same size in the same Zone 3 location*.  A collection of just 18 modern duplexes, Colina Mews showcases an unmissable opportunity for London’s homebuyers looking for a contempora

Why digital twins are a landlord’s best friend (and help keep tenants happy too)

James Morris-Manuel, MD and VP of EMEA at Matterport, explains how digital twins of properties offer an easy way for landlords to win tenants using virtual tours - and help to keep tenants smiling with predictive maintenance Britain's rental market is booming, despite these troubling economic times, with more than 8.7 million buy-to-let properties worth an estimated £1.7trn a year. Britain is now the fourth-largest residential rental market in the world and as it becomes more competitive landlords are tur

MRI Software Announces Acquisition of Springboard, a Leading Provider of Retail Footfall Counting and AI-Powered Analytics

MRI Software, a global leader in real estate software solutions, today announced the acquisition of UK-based Springboard, a leading provider of footfall counting and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered analytics to retailers, landlords, and government bodies. In acquiring Springboard, MRI will expand its MRI@Work™ for Retail solutions suite, which currently serves more than 500 retailers and retail property owners and operators globally. Leveraging plug-and-play software, existing camera networks, and pr

Quality counts when it comes to listings, says FocalAgent boss

With mortgage interest rates rising and lenders becoming ever more cautious, estate agents need to concentrate on quality marketing, according to the UK’s leading visual content partner, FocalAgent.   Some analysts fear a house price drop of 10% over the next 12 months as well as a market slowdown. Potential buyers with access to finance will therefore have plenty of choice when it comes to purchasing their new home. “Sellers are going to have to stand out from the crowd,” said FocalAgent CEO Lee Wainwrig

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