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The Hackitt Review of 2018 following the Grenfell Tower disaster identified a need for increased resident engagement when it comes to building safety. It recommended that those in charge of a building’s safety have a resident engagement strategy in place, which outlines how information will be shared with residents and how they can be involved in decision making regarding changes that impact the building’s safety.  The Building Safety Bill, drafted in 2020, expands on these requirements. It provides resid

This article was first published on the Winckworth Sherwood website.  The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government has disclosed its position on a few of the potential reforms it has been consulting around in recent years as regards the relationship between leaseholders and their landlords. This article looks at the reforms announced so far around enfranchisement, the limits to be introduced to the level of ground rents in new leases, the restrictions imposed on the sale of houses of a leaseho

Birmingham-based Principle Estate Management has welcomed guidance from the chartered surveyor’s trade body, the RICS, on how to value apartments in buildings with cladding. Joe Jobson a Director at Principle and a Member of the RICS described the guidance as “another helpful step along the road” rather than a total solution to the ongoing cladding controversy. “The RICS’ guidance is intended to help valuers undertaking valuations for secured lending purposes on domestic residential flats in the UK. “It i

Amstone Ventures has completed on a 3.28 acre (1.33 ha) site in Stockport town centre for a build to rent led residential development.  The site is situated on Warren Street close to the old town market hall and square. The Sainsbury’s supermarket which has occupied the site since 1984 has now closed its doors. Architect, Leach Rhodes Walker, is drawing up a plan for a landmark scheme of circa 550 high quality residential homes. There will be a mix of apartments and town houses together with a large commu

Planning and Housing location data, independent review published  Summary New independent location data review across housing and planning sectors published today  Whether you are an individual searching for your new home, a developer preparing a planning application or a government official updating a local plan, planning and housing location data plays a critical role in addressing the national challenge of providing housing that meets different needs. We know that location data alone cannot tackle t

Top property management operators MetroPM today welcomed a new valuation process issued by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) over valuing high-rise properties with cladding. The industry-wide guidance is titled ‘Valuation of properties in multi-storey, multi-occupancy residential buildings with cladding’, and follows consultation with valuers, leaseholders, lenders, fire safety experts and government. Matthew Arnold, managing director of MetroPM, explained that the paper had been agreed

As tenant demand for pets rises and the government aims to stop landlords from banning renters keeping animals, letting agents and landlords need to be vigilant in identifying property damage caused by pets. According to No Letting Go, the UK's largest provider of inventory services, by knowing what damage to look for, property professionals can ensure repairs are made before problems escalate while making relevant deductions from tenants' deposits. What are the most common types of pet property damage? A

The Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP) welcomed more than 180 leasehold sector professionals to its virtual Annual Spring Lecture. The online lecture built upon the success of ALEP’s virtual conference in October 2020 to offer both insight and practical advice to professionals working in the leasehold sector over the course of two days. The discussion was centred on the cladding and fire safety crisis that has emerged in the wake of the fire at Grenfell Tower and the subsequent

The UKAA are excited to present our 2021 Sustainability Summit on Friday 12th March. This virtual event runs from 8.45am – 4pm & is open to both UKAA members & non members. The Summit aim's to challenge the BTR industry to address sustainability issues now as well as prepare for the future.The keynote conversation, hosted by James Pargeter & Dan Batterton of Legal & General, will explore L&G’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investment strategy and how it relates to trends and responses across

A property expert has backed calls by an MP to protect leaseholders from being forced to pay for the costs of replacing dangerous cladding on buildings. Alan Draper, managing director of Common Ground Estate & Property Management, attended a meeting of an all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on 25 February where Stephen McPartland MP was arguing against changes made in the House of Commons to the Fire Safety Bill. The previous day, the Commons voted 340 to 225 to remove changes made by peers to the Bill w

Ahead of the changes to Electrical Safety Standards next month, property specialists, Bramleys has shared guidance with landlords in the UK. From 1 April 2021, all existing specified private tenancies will need to comply with the new Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020. The Regulations, which were first introduced in June 2020, aim to ensure all electrical wiring and fixed electrical installations are signed off by a qualified electrician, including wiring,

FirstPort has appointed a Director of Supply Chain Operations to ensure that customers and clients are at the centre of its strategy. Derren Chamberlain has joined FirstPort from ISS where he was Chief Procurement Officer for just over four years, as well as being part of the senior leadership team for UK and Ireland. Whilst there, he led a full-scale transformation of the function, including policy, processes, people, and systems. Prior to this, he was Supply Chain Director for the Maritime Services at B