Featured Articles

Places for People would like to announce that after 24 years as CEO, David Cowans, Group Chief Executive, has decided to retire on 31st March 2022. David will continue to lead the Group and support a planned transition process. As CEO, David has been responsible for the expansion and growth of Places for People which now manages c200,000 homes across the country and is one of the largest developers of affordable housing through its Placemaking approach. The Group continues its focus to create affordable h

Landlords have the right to forfeit the lease of tenants who fail to pay their service charge. Liz Rowen, Legal Director and Head of the Residential Property Management team at UK-top 200 Yorkshire law firm Keebles LLP, explains why a recent forfeiture case ruled in favour of the tenant and what lessons landlords can learn.   In dealing with the collection of service charges from defaulting leaseholders or indeed any breach of lease, one of the strongest tools in the armoury of any landlord is their right

A business development specialist with nearly nine years of experience has been recruited to a key new role at Principle Estate Management. Stephanie Jobson will join the UK’s fastest growing residential management company as business operations manager, taking its headcount to 35 within just three years of its launch. Mrs Jobson will be analysing business systems to improve customer experience, looking at internal processes to streamline tasks for staff, and working with various teams to help refine cust

Hometree - a UK-wide boiler, heating and home cover specialist - has reported a 12% increase in year-on-year boiler breakdowns from landlords, tenants and owners over the winter.    The most common complaints were a lack of heating, low boiler press and leaks. During colder snaps frozen condensate pipe issues peaked.    More than 50%¹ of boiler breakdowns occur in the winter, which usually equates to just over 2.5m² UK households suffering a heating failure. But if the Hometree increase was representat

Landlords must give their consent to leaseholders in certain circumstances, such as the keeping of pets and making alterations to the property. Liz Rowen, Legal Director and Head of the Residential Property Management team at UK-top 200 Yorkshire law firm Keebles LLP, explains how to deal with consent and why it should be given promptly. In certain circumstances the leaseholder may have to obtain the consent of their landlord or management company before they carry out a certain activity. These are often

Phil Parkinson and Katie Edwards, building safety experts at specialist property solicitors JB Leitch, provide insight and comment on the ongoing drive to remediate unsafe cladding and the implications surrounding government support and industry measures on waking watches. It has been nearly four years since the tragedy at Grenfell Tower, and despite the disruption of Covid-19 over the last year, the focus on resolving the cladding crisis has maintained momentum. There has already been significant co

Hindwoods Chartered Surveyors has recently completed the acquisition of Stuart Edwards Fullermoon Property Management, based in Croydon, which will now operate under the Hindwoods brand.   They have taken over existing staff, and Director, Jennifer Hawkins, has moved from the Head Office in Greenwich to lead the team.   The Portfolio comprises a mix of commercial and residential properties predominately in south London, Kent, Sussex and Surrey.   Kevin Bright, Director, said:  This is a natural ext

Issue 112 has now been published and is available to read online. This issue includes the following: Cladding crisis ‘unlikely to reduce cost of freeholds’ Developer’s £15.5m boost for ambitious growth plans Landlords reminded about electrical safety standards How to access government’s £1bn Building Safety Fund Sub-18 meter buildings represent big challenges The key to access Building Safety Fund Going green is the goal!  Health & Safety feature, guest edited by Jonathan Channing The best ti

Home-workers are being urged to act now to avoid future problems with condensation. The Property Care Association (PCA) is advising people to consider making changes in spring and summer to their properties as many adapt to remote working for the long-term. People who have found themselves working or spending longer at home and have experienced, mould, damp and condensation problems this winter could see the same issues emerge again later this year. Water from the air that forms as condensation is the mos

Estate management specialist MetroPM has been appointed to improve and look after 20 apartments in a popular Birmingham suburb. The new contract has been commissioned by Yewdale (Harborne) Ltd to manage the Yewdale apartment blocks at 196 Harborne Park Road, which need a number of repairs and renovations. Henry Arnold, property manager at MetroPM, which has offices in Birmingham and Cheltenham, said: “We’re delighted to have been asked to look after the Yewdale apartments. “We have already reviewed all ne

A property manager with eight years of experience in looking after large apartment blocks has been recruited to a new role at Principle Estate Management. Tom Tracy has joined the UK’s fastest growing residential management company as a senior property manager, and his first assignments will include helping some clients to solve cladding issues. Andrew Winstanley, property operations manager at Principle, said: “We are pleased to welcome Tom to the team, after being impressed by his calm, professional app

People working from home have had to get creative with workspace solutions, and you may have decided that your new office would be better placed in a garage, shed or summerhouse than at the kitchen table where, in the battle for space, you’re competing with children and food prep. According to recent studies, there’s been an upsurge of 73% in office furniture sales for the home, and that 1 in 10 people now work from their garage or garden premises. No surprise really, given the year we’ve just had, with W