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The Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP) welcomes Her Majesty’s announcement - within the Queen’s Speech - of measures to end the practice of ground rents for new leasehold properties. This reaffirms the government’s commitment to abolish ground rents for most new leasehold properties. John Midgley, ALEP Director, said: “As with any potential changes to legislation, the devil is likely to be in the detail of the Bill. It does not look as though it will affect existing lease

Constant changing laws have always been something landlords and tenants alike have had to keep on top of in the private lettings market but during a pandemic this is truer than ever. The last 12 months have seen a number of challenges for many people with less job security, complicated mortgage holiday processes and the unknown of Brexit to name a few. Lee Pearce, Partner at Ellisons Solicitors, looks at how landlord and tenant rights changed as a result of the pandemic. The Covid-19 crisis brought with i

We are delighted to announce that JPC has today reached an agreement with Leasehold Law LLP and Liquidator, Begbies Traynor, to assist it by providing its former clients with continuity of service in respect of their leasehold matters.  Unfortunately, Leasehold Law LLP was placed into a creditor’s voluntary liquidation earlier today and as such has ceased operations.  The agreement we have entered into with the Leasehold Law LLP cements JPC as one of the leading advisors in leasehold matters and we hope w

Letting agents are failing to carry out vital identity checks on new landlords, according to Blinc UK. It has found that when speaking to new customers, the uptake from sales agents is fantastic. However, many lettings agencies are not checking the ID of new landlords, failing to carry out a Land Registry check to confirm ownership of the property being let and, in many instances, carrying out no Anti-Money Laundering (AML) or Know Your Customer (KYC) checks. The lettings supplier says that agents should

The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee has urged the Government to re-commit to the principle that leaseholders should not have to pay for the removal of unsafe cladding from their homes and calls on the Government to establish a Comprehensive Building Safety Fund that addresses the true scale of fire safety issues. Finance for the fund should be provided by Government and the building industry. In a report published today, the Committee finds that existing arrangements for remediation of

A leaseholder is suing a legal company that represented her when she bought her apartment over a ‘ridiculous’ ground rent clause. Carole Patterson said she was unaware that the ground rent for her one-bedroom flat in South London would double every five years. As a result, her bill of £1,050 this year will rise to £4,200 a year by 2031 and will increase to more than £1m in 50 years’ time Now the administrator is suing FBC Manby Bowdler – the firm that represented when she bought the apartment in 2011 – fo

An experienced finance specialist has joined Principle Estate Management, the UK’s fastest growing residential management company, as a service charge accountant. Kirsty Clinton joins Principle from global real estate specialists Savills, when she looked after the finances for a large commercial and mixed-use property portfolio. Ms Clinton has spent nearly eight years in the finance sector and has previously worked at a number of established companies, including electrical supplies distributor Rexel UK. S

Forty people, including four children, needed treatment after a fire at a London apartment block with Grenfell-style cladding. A total of 125 firefighters rushed to the blaze after it broke out at the flats in Poplar. Reports say that people were trapped on their balconies and shouted for help, while others were able to evacuate. Those affected by shock and smoke inhalation were treated at the scene, while two people were taken to hospital. Some 20 per cent of the building’s facade features ACM PE claddin

Alliance Managing Agents in Canary Wharf has appointed Kirsty Taylor as Associate Director to oversee Service Delivery for Key Clients and also Managing a portfolio of Bespoke properties in London. Kirsty has specialized in the private residential property sector for over  12 years.   She joins the company from First Port where she was an Associate Director responsible for a portfolio of high end buildings and also oversaw Service Delivery for the Luxury Brand. Miss Taylor said “Alliance Managing Agents f

In order to provide best value and service for its clients and residents, residential managing agent Rendall & Rittner has been developing a range of innovative, market leading procurement practices. With energy being one of the biggest regular costs in property management, the company has created a dedicated in-house utilities management team to work within the existing procurement division. Leading the new team, Chris Massingham has recently been appointed Utilities Procurement Manager. With ten years’

Property management and surveying firm Scanlans has been appointed to manage a listed apartment block in Bradford which is frequently used as a film set for a variety of popular TV programmes.   Law Russell House, on Vicar Lane in the Little Germany area of the city, was built in 1873 as a textile warehouse as Bradford’s woollen industry boomed. The seven-storey, grade II listed building later became offices and then lay empty for several years before being converted by Trajan Estates into 71 apartments f

Investing the time and effort to consult with residents when starting to look after a development is crucial for high quality property management. That’s the view of Principle Estate Management who say they are always determined to review how residents feel about existing services so they can analyse whether any improvements or cost savings can be made. Adam Jones, integration and compliance manager at Principle, explained how this reaped dividends when the company took on the management of a large city c