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The Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP) welcomed more than 160 leasehold sector professionals to its Annual Lecture, which returned to an in-person format in central London following last year’s virtual presentations.  The topic of this year’s lecture was the ‘deferment rate’; a key component of the calculation used to determine the cost of leasehold enfranchisement. The discussion looked in detail at the Upper Tribunal decision in Llangewydd Court, and the possibility of a fu

Now in its 47th year, International Women’s Day 2022 is taking place on Tuesday 8th March, promoting a world of gender equality and less discrimination. One industry that is still perceived as largely male-dominated is the construction sector. Tackling this stigma, Exeter based developer Burrington Estates employs a number of women in dominant roles, encouraging women into the industry. Here, Katie Wells, Michelle Mitchell and Natalie Tucker explain more about their roles at Burrington Estates, and why mo

Mainstay, part of UK leading residential services provider FirstPort, has further boosted its foothold in the Midlands region by winning the operational management contract for The Waterside, an exclusive development in Worcester.   The buildings and estate, situated on the original site of the former Royal Worcester porcelain factory, constitutes an eclectic mix of private and affordable houses and apartments, together with additional commercial space, and secure car parking facilities.   Mainstay won th

Will the New Home Quality Code drive a buyer’s decision when purchasing a new property? Will it become an industry standard or will the administrative burden on developers prove impractical to implement? What is the New Homes Quality Code? In 2021 an independent body was set up and named New Homes Quality Board (“NHQB”) this board issued the New Homes Quality Code (“Code”) which replaced the existing consumer code. The Code has been introduced to address the gaps in existing protections for new build buye

Jackson Sims Recruitment are pleased to announce another hire to cover the booming North West residential property market. Introducing Danielle Hill, who is now our third consultant covering Liverpool, Manchester and the surrounding areas.    Danielle is a personable, flexible and highly-focused individual with a passion for Property. From previous experience within the Recruitment industry, she possesses the ability and confidence to maintain successful client / candidate relationships. This, partnered

Leading upfront information specialists Gazeal have secured an exclusive webinar with the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT), which will include a live Q&A with agents.  The webinar, taking place on Wednesday March 2 at 10am, comes on the back of the announcement earlier this week that Trading Standards and the government have jointly announced compulsory new data which must appear on all property listings.  It will feature guests from NTSELAT, Boomin (to represent the por

New regulations could make the lettings industry fairer, more transparent and ultimately more rewarding for all concerned, but this must not come at the cost of alienating landlords and letting agents.  That’s according to specialist rental payment platform PayProp, which argues that politicians drafting new rules should give all sides of the lettings sector a fair hearing.  “It makes sense on many levels,” Neil Cobbold, PayProp’s Managing Director, said. “Landlords and agents are far more likely to be on

Legal expenses cover in household insurance policies is driving a sharp rise in domestic property disputes, says building surveyor Tony Mancini. He said householders are ‘no longer frightened of falling out’ with neighbours or contractors because their legal bills are increasingly being met by insurers. Mr Mancini is a partner at national surveying and property management firm Scanlans and most of his work nowadays involves acting as an expert witness in property-related wrangles. The firm has seen a 30 p

Fortem Property was founded in 2021 by merging two already successful real estate businesses – DCBM and Fortem Property Management. Both companies provided different things to the market so today they unite as one strong, multi-disciplinary service.  Here’s why they are leading the way for women to break boundaries in the real estate world… Fortem Property was established early last year when a gap was spotted in the market for bespoke property management services. Fortem Property not only looks after pro

Law firm Bishop & Sewell LLP has reported a large rise in the volume of contentious probate work, with the firm attributing the increase to the exponential growth in London property prices over recent decades, which it says may have made it more attractive for claimants to contest probate.  As a result of the increase, Bishop & Sewell has established a team under Partner Rachel Waller and appointed solicitor Tiggy Hawkesworth. Both specialise in contentious probate and Court of Protection disputes, and

Earl Kendrick has announced the launch of a new surveying and safety service, EK Rope Access Surveys. This is the latest innovative addition to the EK Building Surveying Group, offering a complete building surveying service to residential and commercial property owners and managers. EK Group MD Julian Davies explains: “We are always looking at ways to develop our surveying offering, because we know that by giving our clients more solutions, we will drive our business forward; this new service is an excell

A PropTech platform which has been a leader in the fight against property fraud has launched a new service to help agents get fully compliant.  The Portfolio Review, from fast-growing tech platform Checkboard, is all about helping agents who are not compliant, get compliant.   “We are offering this as a way to improve the industry against fraud and lend a helping hand to the hardworking agents who, through no fault of their own, may be at risk of costly fines,” Yazad Bajina, sales and partnership director