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Letting agents should prepare to disclose the third-party referral fees they receive to landlords and tenants, according to PayProp. The leading rental payment automation platform says that although the referral fees recommendations made to the government by Trading Standards focused on sales, guidance for the lettings sector is likely to follow. Trading Standards calls for greater transparency Earlier this month, the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT) published proposals

The helping hand, in the form of a contribution of up to £15,000 towards a new home, was launched earlier in the year as a thank you to the country’s 1.5 million NHS workers caring for people during the Covid-19 crisis.  Available until the end of December 2020, the scheme can be used at David Wilson Homes’ developments Romans’ Quarter in Bingham, Berry Hill in Mansfield and Fernwood Village in Newark. With excellent commuter links from both communities, there are opportunities available for employees at

Clive Winton, Senior Property Manager within the Crabtree brand talks about why he’s been so successful with client retention over the last 10 years – and it comes down to solid communication skills. Here are his words of wisdom.  Property Management primarily focuses on communication and understanding with both the Client Directors, Lessees, and Residents at site. There are different methods of carrying this out, with the most common being via email. The pitfall of miscommunicating This method though has

The UKAA Festival of Build To Rent is billing itself as being the most valuable online experience of 2020. Big claims indeed until you look at the programme running from Monday 16th to Friday 20th November.  Two very different speakers headline the event, Tim Heatley star of Manctopia, will talk about how BTR is helping transform Manchester and Luke Chadwick, premiership winner with Man Utd explains about how mental health issues stopped him “Living The Dream”.  Four virtual study tours of BTR schemes in

QUESTION  I am thinking about going travelling for a year and letting out my leasehold flat which I have owned for 8 years.  Can I do this or are there any particular procedures I need to follow? ANSWER Many thanks for your query. Your ability to sublet should be outlined in your lease, there will likely be a clause stating that you are not to part with part of the demised but can part with the whole of the demised, subject to certain conditions being met. These conditions could be something like needing

A campaign aimed at building a better understanding of the responsibilities that come with being the director of a flat management company is being launched by Companies House. Every year, Companies House receives complaints from residents living in shared buildings or properties such as flats, a significant number of which it has no powers to deal with. These can range from disputes between residents to the poor condition of carpets or paintwork in shared areas such as stairways. Such properties are comm

More than 50% of the 64 apartments at Sheldon Court have sold within weeks of the public launch of the smart new development just off the A45 Coventry Road, just 100 metres from the Solihull boundary. The specification and quality of fixtures and fittings is surprising many potential buyers viewing the recently opened show apartment at Sheldon Court, according to David Hofton, sales and marketing director at Elevate Property Group. “We have one bedroom apartments starting at £130,000 but we haven’t cut an

White House Green, a 24-unit 1960s property near Tudor Grange Park in Solihull, will be the third instruction in this much sought-after town that Principle has received from the same freeholder. Joe Jobson, a director at Principle, explained the company had been invited to inspect the development and to put management proposals forward, and that they held an initial meeting with the residents’ association. Mr Jobson said: “It’s great to be recognised by our existing client, but to also to win the instruct

In continuing to encourage more women into the construction industry, Barratt and David Wilson Homes has appointed a new female Trainee Quantity Surveyor at its Northampton based office. Sarah Cartlidge, 36, joins the Commercial team and is completing the Sponsored Degree Programme over the next four years. She chose the developer in particular as she saw that its views aligned with her own: to get more females into senior roles within the sector. Having previously worked in Commercial Property Law, th

The sales and site team at the Drayton Meadows development on Blandford Way dressed to impress by switching out their usual hard hats and high visibility jackets for bright pink hats and vests to do their bit for the wear it pink campaign. The homebuilder has also donated £200 to Breast Cancer Now on behalf of the sales and site team at the development. Over £35 million has been raised by wear it pink supporters since it began in 2002. The charity helps fund vital research across the UK and Ireland to hel

Nygel Scourfield, former Managing Director of Firstport and non-executive director of ARMA, has joined Fixflo as an Industry Advisor. Nygel will be working closely with the Fixflo team to help to develop their repairs, maintenance and compliance management software with a particular focus on resident safety and the resident experience.   Commenting on his appointment, Nygel said “Whether from increased expectations of customer service, new impending legislation such as the Building Safety Bill or operatio

HYELM, a not-for-profit landlord seeking to address the shortage of affordable housing for young people, has appointed a new Board Chair, CEO and Finance Director to lead the next phase of its strategic vision. Vanessa James, who has previously served as a governor on the board for Westminster University and on the Board of Riversmead Housing Association (part of the Network Housing Group), has joined as Chair of the charity’s board. With 20 years of practice in law, Vanessa has built a reputation for her