Featured Articles

Get the answers to your questions and stay up to date about apartment building management with our featured articles and NOTB guides, on topics such as service charges, right to manage, buying your freehold, major works, building insurance and other issues about blocks of flats.

Hindwoods complete Croydon acquisition

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 Online Now

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

National trade body urges home-workers to act on condensation

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

MetroPM to look after apartments in popular Birmingham suburb

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

Experienced property manager joins Principle as company’s expansion continues

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

Home office workspaces and Capital Gains Tax

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

Fexco Property Services announces three pivotal new appointments to expand the group resources

Stevie joins as group Recruitment Manager. Stevie's expertise in sourcing the best candidates for the business will ensure business growth for all our brands. Jane joins the Group as Customer Experience Manager and will be helping all our brands to deliver a superior customer service. This is a new role for Fexco Property Services, aimed at providing excellence in all customer service matters which we see as a vital role for our business. Abbi joins our Crabtree brand as Operations Manager. She brings a w

Thursfields welcomes new rules for converting commercial high street premises into homes

New rules making it easier for commercial premises to be converted into homes to help revitalise England’s high streets and town centres have been welcomed by Thursfields Solicitors. The package of government measures, announced by housing secretary Robert Jenrick, is aimed at providing more homes and transforming unused buildings to give high streets a new lease of life. Robert Pettigrew, a director in the Commercial Property department at Thursfields, explained the conversion of commercial properties to

PLACES FOR PEOPLE ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT OF DAVID COWANS, GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE

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

Moda Living announces 13 new hires to support its growth in 2021

13 new hires onboarded over the last month at Moda to supercharge growth.  4 Senior Hires include 3 Project Directors and 1 General Manager.  Recruitment drive focused on operations, marketing, and development.  Moda continues to strategically hire from the hospitality sector to best serve its customers  Moda, the vertically integrated rental-housing brand has made thirteen appointments in the last month to support its growth. Moda is bringing in recruits from across some of the UK’s leading property

Communal Energy Partners investment set to revolutionise the provision of communal energy services

Communal Energy Partners, formerly known as SW Energy,  has announced a significant investment in the business which promises to enhance its services to clients in the property facilities management, building and housing association sectors, as well as residents themselves. With more than 35 years in the industry, the leadership team at Communal Energy Partners has worked closely with customers to gain unique insights into the challenges faced by the sector. With an increased focus on energy efficiency

A Clear Responsibility

In this article Associate Katie Edwards and Legal Director Phil Parkinson consider recent case law and the need for clarity and accuracy in insurance certification, notably where there is potentially error, assumption or a clear disconnect in the liability of named parties. One could be forgiven for providing a robust challenge to the adage of “what’s in a name?” when considering the ramifications for those named on insurance certification, specifically in regard to property transactions and instances whe

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