Featured Articles

“People research more when buying a car than they do when they buy a house” according to Emma Cooke, Policy & Information Manager at National Trading Standards, who joins Jeremy Raj, Irwin Mitchell’s Head of Residential Property and Kate Faulkner, owner of Propertychecklists.co.uk and well-known commentator on residential property, in an Irwin Mitchell podcast just launched. The three experts discuss the implications of recent announcements from NTSELAT as it  strives to improve the availability of upfron

Principle Estate Management, the national property business based in Birmingham, has made its first acquisition – acquiring a London firm and opening an office in the capital. The purchase of Myhill Newman for an undisclosed sum increases Principle’s properties under management by 10% and brings a further 24 residential developments totalling 861 units into the business established by founder Brett Williams in April 2018. Brett Williams said: “Bob Myhill was looking for a route to retirement in the coming

Established on 1 May 1997, JB Leitch has evolved into the market leader in leasehold and property management law. The success of the business reflects the vision and commitment of Principal Solicitor Jonathan Leitch, who has developed the firm to become a niche legal specialist in supporting property managers, institutional landlords and asset managers. From a small office with a desk and a phone in Liverpool’s Cotton Exchange, Jonathan started the firm with a little part time help from his wife, Michelle

Alec Guthrie is the CEO of the Vegner Group, which owns HML, Faraday Property Management, Dauntons Soar, Shaw & Co Surveyors and over the last few years has successfully acquired more than 50 businesses. I've worked in the property sector for 35 years and in the block management world for 28 years. I believe that leasehold is not broken but the future of how we service our customers is evolving.  As the CEO of a business that manages in excess of 3,000 developments, with some 100,000 units under manage

It’s not enough for property managers to say that they are professional. Professionalism in our industry needs to be felt across what we do, and how we do it. From health and safety, where it is our duty to uphold the highest standards to keep our residents safe, to areas of accountability such as accounting and transparency of fees.  With customer choice being at the forefront to industry reform, it’s more important now than ever before for those property managers at the higher end of the quality scale t

Soaring house prices and inflation are causing a growing number of people to be left with a large tax bill when a family member dies. A new Government report shows the amount of inheritance tax (IHT) collected by HMRC could spiral by £37bn over the next five years. The situation has been worsened by the nil rate threshold having been frozen at £325,000 since 2009 – a figure set to remain until 2026.  As a result, experts at financial advisers Whitley Stimpson are urging middle income families to examine w

Budgeting for the future management of residential property is becoming ever more complex, according to Bob Simonds, director at Principle Estate Management. “If we look purely at the post-Grenfell increased requirements for fire safety work in buildings of all shapes and sizes, then the scale of the issue becomes clear,” he said. “This is an area that is only likely to become more demanding in years to come and needs to be accounted for at the budget preparation stage.” He said that accurate and realisti

The day after Grenfell, a client asked me what I thought had happened and who was responsible.  My answer was “collective failure by committee”.  What I meant by that was that it would seem likely that no one entity or group would be found solely guilty.   My explanation to my client was that there would likely have been multiple failures by multiple parties stretching across design, product choice, quality control, workmanship, oversight, interpretation of standards, contractual ambiguities and matters p

HomeSwapper, MRI Software’s sector-leading mutual exchange platform for social housing, is marking its 15th year of helping residents switch properties to homes that better fit their current needs. The anniversary of the HomeSwapper service comes as its website is used by participants in the new Channel 5 series, Council House Swap, which follows social housing residents across the United Kingdom looking to swap their homes. HomeSwapper has helped over 250,000 households find new homes since it first laun

Status Quo The role of Landlords Surveyor regarding Licences to Alter when considering a Leaseholder’s intention to carry out alteration works are understood by all involved. The surveyor will follow the same processes of assessment, reporting and monitoring which is a very efficient and proven approach to service delivery. But is there room for improvement? Surveyors thrive on process and structure which serves all parties very well. Having a structure and process in place is a very effective way of mai

London, UK – April 2022: deverellsmith, the London based recruitment and talent solutions partner for the property industry, announced that it has launched a survey which aims to uncover property professionals’ opinions and attitudes towards remuneration, employee benefits and career opportunities. The industry is experiencing one of the biggest talent shortages in a generation, counteroffers are more prominent than ever, employers are battling to recruit talent and reduce attrition and wage inflation is

A recent local government event highlighted the sector’s steady digital transformation – evidence that authorities at all levels are increasingly willing to consider and adopt tech solutions.  That’s according to PayProp, whose MD Neil Cobbold was invited to speak at the event in question at the end of March (the Institute of Government and Public Policy’s Second Annual National Local Government Event).   The day-long event included speakers and exhibitors from local councils, tech firms, suppliers and ot