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I am frequently asked by clients whether they should go ahead and extend terms on their existing leasehold flat at present or whether to wait until the government makes long anticipated reforms to the existing leasehold law to make lease extension process “easier, faster, fairer and cheaper” as it is promised to be.  The current law The Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 (as amended) sets out a framework under which flat owners can ask a “competent landlord” (not always but often the

‘If England win the Euros, we will sell or let your property for free!’ – Living in London  An independent London estate agent has pledged to sell or let properties for free if England win Euro 2020.  The tournament, which was delayed for a year by the pandemic, kicked off in Rome on June 11 – where Italy beat Turkey 3-0 – and will come to an end in a showpiece final at Wembley on July 11.  Hopes are high for Gareth Southgate’s promising young side, who got off to a good start in their opening group game

While many estate agents have integrated technology within their business practices, Rex Software has identified that more time could be invested in underused software and PropTech to heighten success rates and cut unnecessary costs.  PropTech has helped agencies conduct their businesses remotely throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, the recent increased demand in the property industry, due to the stamp duty holiday, led to many estate agents making greater use of software to help speed up otherw

Global city living specialists, Scape, is defining a new way to live with the launch of the first property in its expansion concept, Living by Scape. The first property, that aims to provide quality accommodation to city dwellers, has launched in the heart of Guildford, less than an hour from central London. The design-led property has launched with everything that residents need to feel at home. Thoughtfully designed and created in collaboration with residents, Living by Scape puts personal space first w

Burrington Estates has recently appointed Derek Hudson in the newly created role, Head of Digital Transformation, as the up-and-coming housebuilder focuses on exploiting new technologies to improve its product, customer experience and internal business processes. It is the vision of the company’s co-founder Mark Edworthy to grow the Exeter-based housebuilder into the ‘Tesla of housebuilding’ by maximising digital technology across all areas of the business. Derek joins Burrington Estates having previously

Automated processes could be the best solution to meeting increased demand in the housing industry, according to property software company Openview – Powered by VTUK.  The Covid-19 pandemic, the stamp duty holiday, and the 95% mortgage scheme have contributed to the increased housing demand across the UK. The surge in activity continues to put pressure on those working within the property industry.   Working quickly to meet deadlines and avoid delays with larger volumes of clients, paperwork to complete,

MRI Software, a global leader in real estate solutions, announces the launch of MRI Workplace Central, a comprehensive solution that empowers businesses to manage the return of their workforce to the office and other workspaces. The workplace management offering allows property and facility managers to gain visibility across all facets of the commercial sites they operate to ensure they are well-run and safe. “We are proud to bring MRI Workplace Central to market as a comprehensive solution to drive the s

The Association of Leasehold Enfranchisment Practitioners (ALEP) has announced that its annual Autumn Conference will be held from Monday 4 – Thursday 7 October 2021. Following the success of last year’s virtual event – and given the continuing uncertainty of the pandemic - the conference will be held online. The event will follow a similar format to last year, which was attended by more than 200 delegates across four days. There will be a combination of seminars, talks and panel discussions for delegates

Robert Jenrick’s much anticipated announcement on 10 February 2021, which explained how the Government is to respond to the cladding crisis within the construction industry, largely disappointed rather than reassured leaseholders, building owners and the construction industry at large. It was therefore disappointing to see the Government miss another opportunity to address serious injustices when passing the Fire Safety Bill for Royal Assent on 29 April 2021 without including a prohibition on building own

In any normal year, Earl Kendrick would have been celebrating our tenth anniversary this past January. But of course, the past year or so has been anything but normal. It’s been a tough time for us all, and I’m in awe of how people have risen to the occasion – from making such a success of the vaccine rollout to simply keeping the supermarket shelves stocked. Like everyone else, we had to make some changes to how we work at Earl Kendrick – some temporary and some more lasting – and I have to say I’m humbl

Estate management specialist MetroPM has been appointed to look after a residential development in a commuter town just 20 miles from London. The new contract is to manage 19 flats in Acorn Close and Ashwood Place, in Slough, Berkshire on behalf of a national freeholder client. The development, which was constructed in 2007 by Countryside Properties, needed swift action from a property management specialist to tackle outstanding maintenance issues. Henry Arnold, the property manager at MetroPM dealing wit

Following the government’s introduction of the traffic light system for foreign travel, much uncertainty still remains about which countries are likely to appear on which list and how long they will stay on a particular list.  At the time of writing, anyone travelling to a green list country is not required to quarantine on their return, but anyone travelling to an amber or red list country (which the government advises against unless it is essential), has to quarantine either at home or in a quarantine h