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Mayo Wynne Baxter solicitors is pleased to announce the addition of Ricky Coleman to its established Enfranchisement Team. Ricky joins having practised in landlord and tenant matters for a number of years, achieving notable results for landlords, tenants and residents’ management companies. His work has a particular emphasis on enfranchisement matters. The firm is a member of the Association of Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP) and has a proven track record in advising on the Right to Manage, Tenants R

MetroPM has been appointed to manage one of the Midlands’ most impressive Grade II listed, 19th century country homes which is now converted into 16 luxury apartments and homes. Berkswell Hall is set within the Conservation Area of Berkswell, near Solihull, and the appointment of MetroPM comes through director Ian Smallman’s prior involvement with the property. He explained: “I was involved in the management of the estate some 20 years earlier when working at James & Lister Lee and this year I was contact

The events and uncertainties due to COVID-19 have confronted many about their own mortality and led a 'spike' in people looking to write their wills, as pointed out in this report from the BBC. So ALEP have put together a Complete Guide to Making a Will which explains why a will is important and how it can protect your loved ones. It offers practical tips and advice on how to write a will and what to include, whether you need a will writer or a solicitor, frequently asked questions (FAQs) and common mista

Neil Cobbold, Chief Sales Officer at PayProp, comments: Understandably, today's Spending Review focused on funding for public services in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, even if the property industry had hoped that the Chancellor would use the address to provide clarity on issues such as the stamp duty holiday and proposed changes to Capital Gains Tax (CGT). In recent weeks, there have been many calls for the stamp duty holiday to be extended. A longer period for property buyers to benefit from si

FirstPort, the leading residential property service provider, has today announced the acquisition of the residential management arm of Chamonix Estates.  This will see Chamonix’s property management division joining FirstPort. Nigel Howell, CEO of FirstPort, commented: “I am delighted to welcome Chamonix’s 54,000 customers and 100 employees to the FirstPort group.  FirstPort continues to grow as an experienced and trusted residential service provider, with our customers at the heart of what we do.  We are

Countryside, the UK’s leading mixed-tenure developer, and Places for People, the largest UK affordable homes led placemaker, today announces a national framework agreement to accelerate live and future projects through the delivery of mixed-tenure developments.  Under the agreement, Countryside and Places for People will work together to combine expertise in creating high quality homes and places that give opportunities for communities to thrive. It is envisaged that up to 10,000 mixed tenure homes will b

IPM is expanding the board of directors further with the appointment of Chris Peters as a new director of Inspired Property Management effective from the 1st December 2020. The appointment will expand the board of directors from four to five independent directors, bringing valuable experience and insight to the board. This appointment will enable the board of directors to enhance its commercial experience and operational insight, particularly within property industry. Chris has worked within the property

Two new staff were appointed on the same day in a move that saw Principle Estate Management’s customer service department grow from four to six team members. Sophie May has taken on the role of a customer services executive at the Birmingham-based company, while Kiera Hall has joined as a property apprentice. Ms May, from Sheldon in Birmingham, had spent 18 months as a senior property assistant with a competing estate management company, and before that had four years of customer-facing experience in chil

One of the Midlands’ leading estate management companies has moved into larger offices in a year that has seen staff numbers increase by 20%. But the directors and employees of MetroPM won’t have to travel any further to work – their new offices are in the same building. MetroPM has moved downstairs within St Marys House, Harborne Park Road, in Harborne, Birmingham, where the company has been for 12 years. The company has taken the larger, purpose-built, open ground floor office space after another strong

Award-winning leasehold lawyer Cassandra Zanelli announces today that she has established her own law firm. Property Management Legal Services Limited, launched on 1 December, will provide the full spectrum of legal services to the property management sector across the country.  Services include: Service charge and leaseholder disputes  Lease advice and interpretation Tribunal matters, including service charge disputes and dispensation from consultation  Advice for Residents’ Management Companies Ar

An article in News on the Block last month called for leasehold to be banned and replaced by commonhold, describing the system as “feudal”.  Whilst feudal systems may be ancient – it doesn’t mean they are wrong; crop rotation is alive and kicking and still very relevant in the modern farming environment. Similarly, a properly regulated system of leasehold ownership, with professional management of complex residential apartment blocks, has the potential to become a benchmark system for property ownership.

AM Surveying & Block Management have long passionately leveraged and integrated the use of technology into everyday processes to help ensure they provide a streamlined Block Management service to clients; providing residents an online facility to report repairs, managing such repairs via online management tools, GPS tracking of our Property Managers, Surveyors & tradespeople, using tablets/smartphones to conduct routine property inspections to yield value-adding concise reports, to name but a few. Even th