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Right in the middle of Brexit, we have an announcement from MHCLG that Robert Jenrick as Housing Secretary plans to get government to act on the proposed reforms to residential leasehold. For those who have been following this story, this is the culmination of the journey that started with the commentary in the White Paper ‘Fixing our Broken Housing Market’ and then led to the paper ‘Tackling Unfair Practices in the Leasehold Market.’ After this we had the Law Commission’s extensive work on the proposed r

Health and safety standards are of paramount importance in the residential property management sector, so leading managing agent Rendall & Rittner is pleased to have retained the British Safety Council’s highest accreditation. The company was awarded the British Safety Council’s Five Star award for the second year running, scoring 96% in its latest audit. It also retained its ISO 45001 accreditation, which was assessed at the same time. The British Safety Council audit is the most comprehensive and detail

Places for People Group will welcome new Chair Richard Gregory OBE following the departure of longstanding incumbent Chris Phillips. Having served on the Group Board for 14 years, 10 of them as Chair, Phillips will stand down on January 31 2021.  Phillips oversaw progressive changes during his tenure, including welcoming Places Leisure to the Group and the expansion of its affordable homes businesses. Chris commented “I have found it a privilege to have been involved with the Group over the past 14 years

An early Victorian building with a fascinating history that’s since been converted into luxury apartments in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter is to be managed by Principle Estate Management. The Old Chapel was built in 1851 and fronts the desirable St Paul’s Square, overlooking the Grade I-listed St Paul’s Church, which itself dates to 1779. Yet despite this name and setting, the building was never actually a chapel but was instead built as an “electrical accumulator charging station” where heavy batteries

Bishop & Sewell, a leading full-service Central London law firm, is delighted to announce that Shelina Vaiya has become an Associate Solicitor. Please join us in congratulating Shelina from the Private Client team on her promotion to Associate which was effective from 1 January 2021. Shelina is four years qualified and has been with the firm for nearly eight years. We are delighted to be able to share news of this promotion notwithstanding the current economic climate and this is further testament to our

Bishop & Sewell, a leading full-service Central London law firm, announces the recent appointment of Jasmine Sudworth as a Solicitor in the Employment team. We are pleased to be able to share this news notwithstanding the current economic climate and this is further testament to our continued success and resilience as we implement our vision for growth. Jasmine joined Bishop & Sewell in January 2021 having qualified as a solicitor in September 2018. Jasmine has experience of advising both employers and em

Newly launched legal firm Property Management Legal Services Limited is delighted to announce that Faye Sahman has joined the business as Practice Manager.  In her new role, Faye will take on operational responsibilities. She will work closely with founder and senior partner Cassandra Zanelli, helping to deliver business strategy and take the practice forward. Faye and Cassandra are long-standing colleagues, and Faye is well known and liked among the firm’s client base.  Commenting on the new appointment,

Leading residential property bodies have today published an open letter to Robert Jenrick, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and copied to Thalia Baldwin, Director of the Geospatial Commission highlighting the potential benefits from a widely adopted Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN) and steps that Government need to take to make this happen. The signatories of the letter,  which includes leading bodies from across the residential property sector, believe that

Earl Kendrick Building Surveyors have opened a new office in Birmingham to help meet the growing demand for their services beyond London. Julian Davies, group CEO, explains: “We recognise the increased presence our clients have in England’s second city, and the surveying support they require. Our Birmingham base is our sixth regional office in the UK, allowing us to serve our clients wherever they are, without ever compromising on quality or the personal touch. We are delighted to be able to supplement ou

Expensive ground rents that are crippling homeowners will soon become a thing of the past after a change in property law. Leaseholders will be able to extend their leases to 990 years with no ground rent under new legislation. Costs for extending a lease, which can run into tens of thousands of pounds, are also set to come down under the new plans. Ground rents levied by investors who own the freehold to people’s homes have left many leaseholders with huge bills for nothing in return. Freeholders, who tec

Dangerous buildings with cladding like Grenfell Tower are costing homeowners millions of pounds per year, it has been revealed. About four million people in apartments with unsafe cladding are affected, figures show. And more than a million flat-owners are having to pay £2.2billion a year for safety measures and special insurance. The apartments have become unsellable and repair bills are costing families up to £115,000 to fix the fire traps, it has been claimed. The move has caused a newspaper campaign f

Government plans to reform the leasehold system by reducing costs of extending residential property leases have been cautiously welcomed by Principle Estate Management. The leading property management company was commenting after Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick announced that new laws would help those on shorter leases who often face bills of many thousands of pounds. The proposed legislation will include allowing houses and flats to extend leases by 990 years at zero ground rent, a ground rent ban exten