Featured Articles

With the rising cost of living in the spotlight, the UK’s leading property management company is looking at how green roofs can help to save on energy bills and benefit the environment. A green roof, which is also referred to as a living roof, is a partially or fully covered layer of self-sustaining vegetation, often containing a mix of grass, moss, sedum, or small flowers. They’re most likely to be spotted on large residential developments across UK cities as a way of promoting wildlife, improving the en

Eight two- and three-bedroom apartments will be constructed in the airspace above a residential block in Camden, North London, in a project being delivered by leading rooftop development contractor, BRAC Contracts.  Work on site commences this month and completion is anticipated by June 2023. BRAC Contracts has been appointed by Oakley Square Developments Ltd to add the two-storey extension to the existing purpose-built structure which is currently comprised of 35 residential units. Redshell Consulting is

Leading residential property services provider, FirstPort, has bolstered its HR senior leadership team with two new appointments. Natalie Lewis has joined the business as Head of Resourcing and Joanne Wilkes as Head of People Experience. FirstPort’s 4,000 employees look after developments totalling over 310,000 homes across England, Scotland and Wales. The appointments of Natalie and Joanne will ensure that FirstPort continues to recruit, engage and develop talent, focused on providing the best possible s

We held our Annual Seminar at the Queen Elizabeth ll Centre in Westminster on 12th May 2022. The event was a resounding success, not only commemorating IRPM’s 20th anniversary, but there was also more than 600 members in attendance on the day. IRPM seminars are now widely accepted as the leading knowledge and networking events in our sector, and it was great to see so many of you there.  The day began with an address from Minister of State for Building Safety and Fire, Lord Greenhalgh. He noted that there

MRI Software, a global leader in real estate solutions, announces that heylo housing, the UK’s leading part buy-part rent provider, has selected the MRI LivingTM software suite to manage its portfolio. The deployment of MRI Living allows heylo housing to leverage a comprehensive and flexible set of tools that encompass property management, sales and lettings, and resident portals, as well as MRI’s Fixed Asset Accounting and Strategic Planning solutions. Heylo, which has more than doubled its portfolio of

Together, Fortus and CLAWS Consultants provide specialist Service Charge and accounting advice to the housing sector, and collaborate on a number of large-scale conferences, seminars, and training events for those involved in managing property. Commenting on the new partnership, Alan Wake AssocRICS FIRPM, CEO of the NLG and Managing Director at CLAWS Consultants said, “We’re very much ‘singing to the same tune’ – our purpose is aligned and we’re working to the same outcomes for our clients. Both Fortus an

Residential property management company MetroPM has been appointed to look after 66 apartments on a site in the heart of Leamington Spa where lawn tennis was first played. Ian Smallman, director of MetroPM, said: “The Manor House is a wonderful development which we understand was built in circa 1840 and additional apartments were constructed to the rear of the development in 1960.” The original Manor House Hotel is renowned as the hotel where lawn tennis was first played. The game was originally called “P

Construction deals worth more than £32m have been signed in the Midlands after a trio of contractors were selected on behalf of Elevate Property Group. The Midlands’ leading independent developer, led by property entrepreneur Steve Dodd, has selected Kings Heath-based Kavanagh Construction to start work on the transformation of Imperial House in Solihull next month. It marks the start of construction on the final phase of Princes Gate project, with the development of ‘Imperial House’ comprising 60 luxury

Today, proptech neolender, Proportunity, announces it will be added to the lender panel of mortgage club, Brilliant Solutions. Proportunity joining the panel means Brilliant Solutions’ members will now have access to Proportunity’s equity loan product, through which homebuyers can increase overall loan to income up to six times on a 5% deposit.   Rising interest rates, the current cost of living crisis and cautious lending from mortgage providers means getting access to the finance needed to get on the pr

We are pleased to introduce Franki Drummond and Scirin Razi, our two latest hires to our Concierge and Site Staff team, headed by James Brewer. Both Franki and Scirin have backgrounds in hospitality, which has allowed them to hit the ground running and make an impactful start in a team focused on customer service. The now five-strong Concierge and Site Staff team at Jackson Sims are arguably our busiest. If you need any help with staffing a property, holiday cover or emergency shifts, we are available 24/

Key insights into the challenges of installing electric vehicle charging points into leasehold properties were presented at a top industry seminar.   The presentation, EV Charging Points, Legal and Practical Problems, was made by Alan Draper, Technical Director of start-up business EV Solutions Group and Roger Hardwick of Brethertons Solicitors at the Institute of Residential Property Management  (IRPM) event  attended by over 600 delegates.   It drew on a white paper Alan has written - Electric Vehicle C

Training is too often neglected or an after-thought, with property professionals sometimes considering it demeaning and trivial. However, the Association of Independent Inventory Clerks claims it’s vitally important for personal development, building a reputation, and giving the industry a better name.   “In times of uncertainty like what we’ve experienced in the light of the global Covid-19 pandemic, training can be one of the first things that businesses cut back on because it’s deemed unnecessary to cu