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This article looks at the status of the reforms announced so far around the sale of houses of a leasehold basis, ground rents in new leases, the fees payable by leaseholders for essential information needed on sale and the potential changes to the premium payable for a lease extension or freehold. Leasehold house sales ban, Zero ground rent & sale information – partially implemented In 2018 the then secretary of state for housing communities and local Government Sashid Javid announced a “crack down on unf

Background  The Right to Manage (RTM) was introduced in 2002 giving flat owners a no fault right to collectively take over the management functions in respect of their building. No premium is payable.  Leaseholders, acting via an RTM company, can take control of services, repairs, maintenance, improvements, and insurance in respect of their building. It has provided a very useful alternative to collectively acquiring the freehold. A premium is payable for the freehold and the process is much longer. That

An historical site on the canalside in the Black Country with plans submitted to build 50 apartments has come on the market for £1,250,000. Top Midlands property agents Bond Wolfe is marketing the scheme which includes the refurbishment and conversion of the Grade II-listed Boat Gauging House in Tipton, dating back to 1873. This key building will house four exclusive two-bedroomed dwellings in a way that maintains the historic character of the listed property. The remainder of the 1.1-acre site has alread

A national trade body is raising awareness of the key issues surrounding the structural repair of homes. Issues including ground movement, subsidence, failed lintels or buildings materials, as well as inadequately restrained or tied walls, can all take their toll on a property. Movement fatigue and mechanical impact or disturbance can present similar concerns too. Fortunately, although the situation can seem daunting, the message from the Property Care Association is that the majority of structural issues

A company providing end to end bespoke charging solutions to the leasehold property market has opened for business. EV Solutions Group has been created to overcome the multitude of obstacles associated with providing Electric Vehicle charging capabilities to leasehold developments. The company designs a complete, end-to-end solution, then fully project manages the process to ensure a total solution is delivered. This involves working with specialists such as distribution network operators, electrical desi

Background The Government has recently reconfirmed its proposal to implement reforms in this regard 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 Law Commission consulted around various

MRI Software, a global leader in real estate solutions, has named three experienced technology leaders to key senior vice president roles in sales, services and revenue operations – in addition to broadening company President John Ensign’s role to Executive Managing Director of North America. The company announces that it has appointed Sherry Lautenbach as Senior Vice President (SVP) of North America Sales, Eric Walsh as SVP of Global Services, and Jamie Brown as SVP of Global Revenue Operations. “I’m thr

Background The Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Bill received Royal Assent on 8 February 2022. The main elements of it, i.e. the ground rent restrictions themselves, remained to be brought into force by regulations. This has now taken place; The Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022 (The Act) will come into force on 30 June 2022.  For retirement home leases, the provisions will not take effect before 1 April 2023 to allow the retirement sector time to adjust. The government announcement around this said t

As a landlord, you will know and recognise that your inventory is one of the most important pieces of documentation that you will have in your arsenal. As chair of the Association of Independent Clerks (AIIC), I’ve seen first-hand for many years how important it is to get inventories right to ensure you can prevent deposit issues with your tenants, as well as protect your property.  However, it is becoming a problematic issue within the industry that landlords are now suffering from poor inventories due t

There is a lot to say on the content, or lack of it, of the Queen’s Speech.  The Planning Bill is officially dead. In its place we are promised a Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill, which ‘refocuses’ the Government’s Planning Reform Agenda to support the Levelling-Up Agenda. What does this actually mean? From what we have heard today (and over the weekend), it means a doubling down on Localism, with ‘Street Votes’ and local input into national design codes being the idea of the day. We have also been prom

Hugh Lambourne has been appointed Managing Director of retirement property management specialist Millstream Management Services. An independent arm of the Churchill Retirement Group, Millstream manages over 200 developments across the country, providing management services to over 10,000 retired people daily. With over 30 years’ experience in the sector, most recently as Operations Director for a national housing association, Hugh has a wealth of expertise in property construction, maintenance and managem

The right technology can help to provide out-of-office support that reduces the stress and fatigue experienced by agents.     That is according to The ValPal Network, following recent research suggesting that blurred lines between work and home life increase stress and fatigue for property professionals.    Although agents nominally log off and leave work after a particular time, new enquiries are frequently made outside of office hours and agents often feel obliged to react to these.    But researc