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Back in 2017, Mayor Sadiq Khan highlighted the housing crisis of England’s capital when he called for the pace of new home construction to increase from 29,000 homes a year to 66,000. He also reiterated, that at least 65% of these homes needed to be affordable. The fact that before this only 38% of developments were considered affordable housing may show where London developers got off on the wrong foot.  One way to combat this issue in an already built-up area of the country is to approach rooftop develo

As cyber security continues to be a threat facing individuals and businesses, property management company FirstPort has joined Bedfordshire Police to reveal the top steps to prevent fraud and cyber-attacks.   FirstPort, which is headquartered at Marlborough House in Luton, Bedfordshire, launched a cyber security webinar in partnership with Bedforshire Police last month to educate retirement residents and staff on best practice for staying safe online. Its top online safety tips are:    Set your social m

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

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

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

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

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 (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

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

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 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

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