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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

Property management firm Common Ground is continuing its rapid expansion after opening a London office. The business now manages more than 2,700 properties - a rise of more than 50 per cent over the last year - and that figure is set to continue to grow as it taps into the capital’s burgeoning market. Managing director Alan Draper said: “London is a huge market – the ten mile range around our new Ealing office is a bigger market alone than the work we have across the Thames Valley. “We noticed we were sta

National Trading Standards has announced that by the end of May 2022 all property listings will need to contain the property’s council tax band or rate and the property price and tenure information (for sales),  in a new effort to improve the availability of upfront information in the conveyancing process. Data fields for the information will start to appear on portals over the coming weeks. In a move generally welcomed by the industry, the announcement is in line with the government’s Levelling Up White

A new initiative by a Solihull-based estate agent is helping grow the supply of rental properties across the West Midlands and Warwickshire – attracting attention from investors as far as Hong Kong, Dubai and Switzerland. DM & Co. Homes launched The Landlords’ Club in December and already over 170 individuals have signed up, with more joining every day. Gabrielle Argue, lettings manager at DM & Co. Homes, who heads up the project, said they were attracting interest from all over the world as well as local

Nearly seven in 10 social housing residents surveyed (69%) aren’t hopeful for the future of their local community after lockdown, according to the latest output from the Resident Voice Index™ initiative. The Community Support & Life After Lockdown report is based on a survey of more than 4,100 respondents from across the UK, who expressed their views on how the pandemic impacted their levels of loneliness, resilience and optimism. Adults under 35 were the age group most affected, the survey revealed. Memb

Experts are warning businesses and employees to brace themselves for a major rise in National Insurance payments in April. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak have confirmed that the plans will see employees, employers and the self-employed pay 1.25p more in the pound for National Insurance for a year as they look to boost NHS coffers following the pandemic. Currently most workers pay 12 per cent of their income between £9,568 and £50,270 each year in National Insurance and two per cen

BauMont Real Estate Capital (BauMont) and its operating partner Addington Capital have acquired a residential portfolio from a private investor. The portfolio consists of 318 houses and apartments in East London, which are primarily leased to young professionals and families.  The portfolio has been acquired for £99 million. This deal is a follow-on for BauMont and Addington, who together acquired a portfolio of 182 apartments of mainly converted Victorian and Edwardian houses mostly in the borough of Cro

A contract to look after a Grade II-listed farmhouse in Solihull that has been converted into four luxury apartments has been awarded to MetroPM. The leading property management company, with offices in Birmingham and Cheltenham, will be managing Flats 1 to 4 at Hillfield Farmhouse on Libbards Way, a tee shot away from Widney Manor Golf Club. The farmhouse was converted into apartments in around 1987 and they were previously self-managed, but the residents wanted an experienced property management company

Adil Riaz, who joins the expanding property management company from HML Property, has previous experience at Centrick Property, Countrywide Estate Management, Scanlans and Mainstay. Mr Riaz, from Worcester, will look after a portfolio of freeholder and residential management company clients, as well as new-build and traditional blocks of flats. Andrew Winstanley, senior associate director at Principle, said: “We’re delighted to have appointed Adil who join us with over a decade’s experience in the industr

Mainstay, part of the UK’s leading residential services provider FirstPort Group, has won the operational management contract for Gasholders London, the iconic residential development on the King’s Cross Estate. Mainstay was selected for its high quality and innovative approach to management services, which will provide Gasholder residents with an exceptional level of service. The appointment follows an extensive, competitive pitch process for the open market tender.  Charles Lucas, Business Development D