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Boris Johnson's announcement to insulate more homes to protect people from the cost-of-living crisis has added weight to adopting a national green retrofit strategy claims the building industry. They argue that a proper assessment of householders' homes first to decide what remedial action is appropriate should happen before insulating a property. "For example, there's no point rolling out Icynene spray foam Insulation in a property which has a cold roof as this would cause long-term damage and the produc

FSI, a UK-based provider of enterprise-class facilities management (FM) software, is now officially operating under the MRI Software brand to reflect the enhanced and extended solution set of the merged companies. MRI Software, a global leader in real estate solutions, acquired FSI in August 2021, and FSI’s widely used Concept Evolution software will be known as MRI Evolution moving forward. The combined team now provides an expanded FM offering, enabling real estate owners, operators and occupiers to imp

Long Harbour, the residential real estate investment manager, has today published its White Paper, Build-to-Rent: Helping the UK Build Back Better, which outlines how Build-to-Rent (BTR) can play a pivotal role in supporting the UK’s social and environmental challenges. The Paper sets out how the BTR sector is well-positioned to help rebuild the economy and fuel the housing market through the cost-of-living crisis and beyond. The method of funding BTR through long-term institutional investment ensures a l

We are living in the technological age. It doesn’t matter where you look, people around the world are using an abundance of gadgets in their daily lives. This has manifested into the concept of a house we can control completely and remotely – otherwise known as a smart home. Smart homes are taking the world by storm. In the UK alone, there are already 2.22 million smart homes leading the way for a technological future. Throughout Europe and North America, there are a staggering 105 million smart homes, an

OneDome has launched a new service called Lead Exchange (Lead X) that enables estate agents using OneDome’s platform to introduce their prospective clients to home moving services of their choice, such as mortgage advice, conveyancing, chain repair or part exchange service.   Once the lead is generated, the system automatically contacts the customer, tracks their progress, and nurtures them till the lead is converted into a paying client. Customers will also be able to login to an estate agency branded pl

Jackson Sims Recruitment would like to introduce Ben Sansom who has joined our booming build to rent team.   Ben comes from a residential lettings background and understands first hand the requirements for success on a residential portfolio.   The build to rent team headed by Daniel Williams has quickly grown to a team of four and has made some impressive high profile appointments.   If you would like to know more you can get in touch with Daniel Williams on Daniel Williams daniel@jacksonsimsrecruitment.c

If you are reading this, you have probably heard something about the new draft for fire risk assessments. But What is a PAS 9980 Fire Risk Assessment? It is a draft published by the British Standards Institute (BSI). It covers the fire risk appraisal and assessment of external wall construction and cladding of existing blocks of flats.  The draft consists of 183 pages so is quite lengthy to say the least. This guide aims to help you understand the main points of the document and what it will mean for futu

Leading residential property management company Rendall & Rittner is targeting expansion in South West England as part of the ongoing growth of the business. From its regional offices near Bournemouth, the business has a strong reputation in the Bournemouth and Poole areas but is now looking to expand its portfolio of sites across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Bristol. Rendall & Rittner recently won the mandate to manage the new development at West Cliff Mansions in Bournemouth built by The Bournemouth De

MIA Property Group, the established Birmingham-based family property firm, has appointed MetroPM to collect and manage the leases of circa 1,500 ground rent units. MetroPM, which has offices in Birmingham and Cheltenham, has worked with MIA Property Group for several weeks to facilitate a smooth and seamless handover. Ian Smallman, director of MetroPM, said: “I have worked with MIA for many years and we are very pleased to have been instructed to collect the group’s ground rent portfolio. The contract als

Richard Coles, a senior buildings surveyor at Principle, explained that the conservation of listed buildings was a crucial requirement to preserve the integrity and history of such properties. Mr Coles said: “Listed building restoration not only preserves high-value buildings for future generations, but it also preserves our past. “But a lack of maintenance can alter the significance and character of the building and can therefore have a detrimental impact on the future value of the property. “With all li

Issue 119 of News on the Block has now been published and is available to read online. This issue includes a special Health and Safety feature.  This issue includes some of the following articles:  Rising inflation and property prices tax warning Commercial property partner Richard Moxton who has spent 43 years in the industry has retired With recent evacuations at swimming pools, Andy Kay looks at what managing agents can do to prevent a major incident Are you ready for changes to fire door inspecti

PBM Property Management has been selected by Bellway Homes Limited North London to take over the management of 110 units at The Foundry, a collection of 1 and 2 bedroom apartments set within a gated development in the town of Hemel Hempstead. The development has an excellent location, with the town’s railway station being under two miles from home. The M1 is a short drive away, whilst the picturesque Gadebridge Park is just around the corner, offering the perfect place to escape. The area has plenty of