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.

Jennings and Barrett plan exciting new London office opening.

Kent based managing agent Jennings and Barrett have announced taking on the lease for a new office in Mill Street, SE1, due to open October 2022. The move brings them closer to their Shad Thames and Central London Management portfolio and provides extra office space for their growing Block Management team.   Director Joanna Bould said “ We are looking forward to working from our offices located in this exciting part of London and to delivering our boutique style property management services to a growing n

What is a drone survey?

Drones are powerful tools and have become widely used within the construction and surveying industry in the past few years. As technology advances so too do the capabilities of our team of experts, utilising the drones to perform 3D mapping, land surveys, photogrammetry and topographic surveys with a birds-eye view. There are many benefits of surveying with a drone so it’s no wonder it’s been harnessed by the industry, but what do you need to know about the tool?  Surveying is the science of determining

Principle advises property managers to take note of new guidance on post-Grenfell building law

Property managers need to take note of the latest guidance on the new Building Safety Act following the Grenfell fire disaster, according to experts at Principle Estate Management. Trade body the Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA) has produced useful guidance on new information that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) acting as the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) is likely to need. Andrew Winstanley, senior associate director at Principle, explained that although the Building Safety Act h

Principle advises property managers to take note of new guidance on post-Grenfell building law

Trade body the Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA) has produced useful guidance on new information that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) acting as the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) is likely to need. Andrew Winstanley, senior associate director at Principle, explained that although the Building Safety Act has become law, the duties it describes for existing occupied high-rise residential buildings have not yet come into force. He said registration of existing buildings is expected to

Symple powers up with major recruitment drive and £600k investment

Proptech business Symple is ramping up its expansion by doubling its pool of specialist contractors to 2,000 and investing £600,000 in technology to meet increasing demand for its services. Symple is seeking to recruit 1,000 accredited and strictly vetted service providers – gas safety engineers, electricians and energy assessors – across the UK over the next 12 months. The company, which was launched in May 2021, is an online platform for residential landlords, estate and letting agents and homeowners. S

Over half of social housing residents have turned to credit or buy-now-pay-later services for essential expenses, survey reveals

Over half (53%) of social housing residents surveyed say they have used credit or a buy-now-pay-later service to cover an essential household cost such as a food shop or a bill in the last 12 months, according to the latest output from the Resident Voice Index™  (RVI) initiative. The survey of over 5,200 social housing residents on the impact of the cost of living crisis also reveals that nearly seven in 10 respondents (68%) worry all or most of the time about meeting normal monthly living expenses. “The

An update on talent and recruitment within the Leasehold sector

There is no doubt that 2022 has seen several changes in hiring within the Leasehold sector, ranging from flexible working to candidate demands. With this in mind we asked Will Kirby, Principal Consultant in Leasehold Management at deverellsmith some questions on the transformations he has been seeing, along with how this has altered the way we attract top talent. With the undoubtable increase in flexible working, how has this altered the way you attract top talent? Flexible working has truly made its mark

Property managers must start planning for expensive electrical vehicle charging systems

Electric vehicle (EV) charging points in rental properties are going to be expensive and should be planned and saved for now, according to residential management experts at MetroPM. Matthew Arnold, managing director of MetroPM, which has offices in Birmingham and Cheltenham, explained that emerging EV technology was complex and would need urgent attention. The advice comes on the back of a new paper issued by the Institute of Residential Property Management (IRPM) entitled Electric Vehicle Charging Infras

Future Group Successfully Secure Two OZEV-Funded ChargePoint Projects

Future Group have been awarded two OZEV-funded projects, just seven days after the delayed funding finally went live. The long-awaited Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) funding replaced the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) as of the 1st April 2022. Following the funding launch, Future Group (ARMA Ace Awards Partner of the Year) have secured two ChargePoint projects; one in Brighton & Hove and one at Holland Park, London. Jamie Willsdon, Group Director, shared the news on LinkedIn: Brighton

Partner of the Year: A Huge Win for Future Group

Future Group have been awarded ‘Partner of the Year’ by the ARMA Ace Awards at a fun-filled ceremony on the 17th June 2022. Having won Industry Supplier of the Year in 2017, the Customer Service Award in 2018 and an Unsung Hero Award in 2019, this is now their fourth recognition in consecutive years, following ARMA’s break during the pandemic. Jamie Willsdon (Group Director) was delighted to accept, and shared his appreciation for his team and his respect for their fellow nominees in a heartfelt LinkedIn

What to do with your utility bills and council tax when you move home

People looking to move home are being urged to take expert advice to avoid unwanted charges and financial penalties. The moving experts at LOVESPACE have given some top tips on what to do with their bills when they move home. Moving house can be a stressful process and managing utility bills as well as council tax can make for a complicated move. There are a few important steps to take once occupants leave a property and when they move into a new property. Taking meter readings, communicating wit

20 reasons for residential leaseholders to welcome Leasehold Reform around Lease extension and freehold enfranchisement

Background The Government has recently reconfirmed its proposal to implement reforms around Lease extension and freehold enfranchisement in the current term of Parliament.  This follows the Government asking the Law Commission to review the law on enfranchisement with a view to making it simpler, easier, quicker and more cost effective and, controversially, to look at ways in which the price payable by leaseholders to acquire their freehold or a longer lease of their flat or house might be reduced. The La

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