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Sweeping changes to property law which will see the abolition of charges for leaseholders have been welcomed by an industry expert. Alan Draper, managing director of Common Ground Estate & Property Management, described the Government move as a “brilliant step forward.” Under the current law, many people face high ground rents which can add thousands of pounds to the costs of a mortgage. The ultimate owner or freeholder of the building can randomly increase charges making a leasehold unpredictably expensi

The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government have announced reforms are to be introduced within the current term of Parliament that will make it easier and cheaper for leaseholders to buy their homes. While the detail around this is awaited it is clear from this press announcement that some major changes may be made.  These include: New leases are to be extended by 990 years rather than the current 90 years for flats (less for houses). Marriage value is to be scrapped. This is currently pay

National Law firm Irwin Mitchell has advised Anthology, the London Real Estate residential developer on a financing deal which refinances 150 apartments that remain for sale at Anthology’s 195-home Wembley Parade and its 316-home Deptford Foundry developments. Both schemes were completed in early 2020 and most of the homes have been sold; the majority qualifying for the government’s Help to Buy scheme. Simon Owen, Head of Banking and Finance at Irwin Mitchell said, “Anthology develops award winning and hi

2020 cast a spotlight on the Private Rental Sector (PRS), as the pandemic prompted people to question their ties to central urban locations and the UK’s national pre-occupation with stepping onto the housing ladder.  Undeniably, there are challenges ahead as PRS continues to navigate the impacts of Covid-19, but as the appeal of renting is further cemented as a lifestyle choice rather than simply a financial necessity, a number of trends are set to characterise promising developments in resi-rental sector

A property finance specialist has joined Principle Estate Management, the UK’s fastest growing residential management company, as a service charge accountant. The appointment of Paul Sparkes takes the finance team numbers up to six at Principle, where the total staffing now stands at 29. Mr Sparkes joins Principle from Sanctuary Housing, where he worked as a finance officer, and he has more than seven years of experience in the property sector. Most of that time was spent with Mainstay Property Management

On 7th January 2021 the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, via Robert Jenrick (the Housing Secretary), confirmed that they would be giving all leaseholders the right to extend their lease by a maximum of 990 years at a zero ground rent. This announcement was the Government accepting part of the recommendations on leasehold reform put forward by the Law Commission in their reports from January 2020 and July 2020. Existing Rights At present the right already exists for leaseholders of f

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