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Over the last 18 months, brands have felt the pressures of the pandemic to ensure customer safety, while providing a similar service virtually. Build-to-rent provider, Sigma Capital Group plc is no exception and has been working hard to offer innovative ways to keep its customers happy. Sigma’s rental brand, Simple Life, has introduced its own manufactured and managed ‘My Simple Life’ mobile app, available to residents across all of its developments in the UK. Within its first month, over 1,100 customers

Block living can throw up a plethora of nightmares, below are our tips for dealing with those horrors often found close to home. Noisy neighbours Noisy neighbours are an inevitability at some stage in life, but block living can often bring this to the fore front.  A nuisance can arise in many forms, but the most common one for leaseholders to contend with, quite unsurprisingly, is a noise nuisance. If a leaseholder is causing a nuisance on a consistent basis and all attempts to approach them in a neighbou

One of Birmingham’s most historic gun making industrial sites is set to have a new lease of life after a multi-million pound sale brokered by commercial property agents Siddall Jones. Birmingham developers Elevate Property Group has purchased the 0.79 acre site in Price Street for an undisclosed sum with the intention of redeveloping 51-61 Price street into 84 apartments. The property was on the market for £2.5 million. Ed Siddall-Jones, managing director of Siddall Jones, said: “The site includes the loc

National law firm Irwin Mitchell is expanding its national property practice with the appointment of two new partners. The appointments take the practice to 27 partners and 147 qualified lawyers. Ben Rogers will join Irwin Mitchell’s Sheffield office as a transactional property partner, joining from DLA Piper where he was a Legal Director, having joined the firm in 2008. He acts for a diverse range of clients including developers, funders, insolvency practitioners, telecoms operators, leisure operators an

Specialist property solicitors JB Leitch are pleased to report they have retained Tier 3 status in the new Legal 500 rankings for property litigation for the second consecutive year.   Acknowledged as the world’s largest independent legal referral guide, the rankings for 2022 are based on a broad series of criteria, including strong technical ability available for the most complex and innovative work, client recommendation and results.   Legal Director Phil Parkinson has also been awarded Rising Star st

Associate Jennifer Hollyoak at specialist property solicitors JB Leitch, provides insight and analysis on a recent Court of Appeal decision addressing whether a tenant gives vacant possession in the event that it removes too much from the property, including fixtures and property belonging to the landlord. Vacant possession is a common condition of a break clause. This case addresses whether a tenant gives vacant possession in the event that it removes too much from the property, including fixtures and pr

The Fire Safety Act 2021 amends the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 to extend the duties of ‘Responsible Persons’ to ‘all doors between the domestic premises and common parts’.     We were asked at a recent seminar whether landlords could force people to replace their front doors as part of work required to satisfy the (ever increasing) requirements in relation to fire safety and building safety.  To answer this question landlords and their managing agents will need to determine whether the r

QUESTION    I live in a 4 storey block of flats rented through a housing association. The neighbour above me has a dog which is constantly on the balcony either barking or urinating which then comes down onto my balcony and furniture.    I have reported this to the housing association on numerous occasions but nothing has been done. Is there anything else I can do without approaching the neighbours directly as they have been aggressive and unapproachable when doing so in the past?     ANSWER    I would re

This evening, developer Hill Group scooped a prestigious 2021 Housing Design Award for its unique scheme, Knights Park in Cambridge.  The awards, which took place at Storey's Field in Eddington, are the longest running award programme in the country [1948] and the only one that sends a multidisciplinary set of judges to the shortlisted developments.Knights Park is the first ever completed Housing Design Award entry to be recognised by Building with Nature for providing an outstanding habitat to support bi

Horizon Management has expanded its property portfolio by taking over the management of three newly developed luxury apartments in the Northwest.  27-unit Eden Place and 22-unit The Pointe are both in Cheadle and 15-unit Sovereign House in Poynton have all been developed to a high standard by a local developer.Historically part of Cheshire, the village of Cheadle is vibrant leafy suburb ideal for commuters. Horizon Management’s Co-Director Nisha Thomas says: ‘These new blocks have further expanded our exi

Principle Estate Management has rewarded a top science graduate with a full-time position after she excelled when she first worked with them on a temporary contract.Esme Williams was initially employed at the UK’s fastest growing residential management company for just a fortnight to fill in for an apprentice who was off work after a horse-riding accident.However, she impressed management at Principle with her sharp analytical skills and was kept on to help in a number of areas, which has now resulted in

Michael Gove has been named the new minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government. The sometimes controversial MP replaces Robert Jenrick, who was removed from the role in Boris Johnson's Cabinet reshuffle yesterday. As the new housing secretary, Mr Gove will decide where and how new housing should be approved and oversee a new building safety regime and a shake-up of the planning system.  Mr Gove is the fourth to hold the housing secretary of state Cabinet post since it was introduced in 2018. H