Featured Articles

Like all UK industries, property is impacted by COVID-19 and the effect of the lockdown on the way it works. But despite this ‘new normal’, we cannot ignore our sector’s other key issues. For property managers the lockdown has shone a light on the way we use technology as never before. This exponential growth is driving the ethical issues around privacy, data harvesting and function creep further up the agenda. In response, today the Institute of Residential Property Management (IRPM) publishes the third

FirstPort, the UK’s largest residential property manager, has announced a transaction which will see it combining with leading property and asset manager, Mainstay Group. For FirstPort and Mainstay customers, clients, employees, management, and supply partners day-to-day operations will remain unchanged. Completion of the transaction only remains subject to approval by the Financial Conduct Authority. Last year FirstPort welcomed Equistone Partners Europe as its new majority investors to support its conti

The EV revolution is unstoppable but some older charge points are already becoming obsolete. Jamie Willsdon from Future Fuel has the solution. In the new build sector developers of residential blocks, particularly in the build-to-rent market, have been installing electric vehicle (EV) charge points as standard for several years.  Early solutions specified and installed by developers in the last five years are now typically being overseen by property managers who are increasingly coming to us with their pr

Cambridgeshire is full of areas of natural beauty ranging from small villages nestled into undulating hills to the wildlife-rich landscape of the fens, so why not bring the flora and the fauna to your home with a balcony garden. Annette Hurst, Sales Director at Barratt Homes Eastern Counties, said: “Having a balcony is an asset that is not only aesthetically pleasing, it can also be a great space to get creative with nature and bring the outside in.” Barratt Homes has shared five top tips for creating a b

With all four brands in the Fexco Property Services group relying on the services of external suppliers and contractors, we knew that for many, maintaining operations during COVID19 was never going to be simple or easy. We spoke to one of our approved contractors to get their perspective on how life has changed for their business, and what predictions they had for ‘business as usual’ in the future. Stephen Day  and Tom Lloyd are Directors of Dayco, a property maintenance services company who supply a wi

The Leasehold Group was devastated to hear about the sudden death of its Managing Director, colleague and friend Louie Burns in the early hours of Sunday 21 June 2020. Louie, who joined Leasehold Solutions in 2009, was passionate about fighting the injustices of leasehold. He steered the company’s crusade for changes to the system and, continuing the legacy of the late Alex Greenslade, actively campaigned to empower and level the playing field for leaseholders, often against vociferous opposition.  Louie,

The bounce back of the rental market following the Covid-19 crisis combined with incoming electrical checks legislation, is a perfect storm which could lead to a backlog of administration for letting agents and landlords, according to PropCert. The national provider of property certificates says that with more moves expected to take place in the coming weeks, around the same time the new legislation is introduced, transactions could be delayed unless property professionals have the necessary processes in

Leading managing agent Rendall & Rittner has appointed Charlie Crawley as Key Client Manager, a new role where she will focus on overseeing the company’s largest freehold clients. Bringing extensive experience of the sector, Charlie joins the company from Warwick Estates where she headed up freehold client relations and prior to that worked for a national freeholder working within their portfolio management team. She will be the dedicated point of contact for Rendall & Rittner’s clients, focusing on devel

As Covid-19 continues to affect tenants’ finances, more landlords are facing rent arrears – a problem expected to worsen over the coming weeks. A new report by rental payment automation platform PayProp, compiled using payment data from letting agencies across the UK, shows that four in five agencies have seen the share of tenants in arrears grow since March. Landlords will need the support of letting agencies to ensure they have a comprehensive record of all arrears and communications with tenants, accor

This article was first published on the Winckworth Sherwood website.  The Right to Manage (RTM) was introduced in 2002 giving flat owners the ability to collectively take over the management functions in respect of their building without having to prove fault on the part of those responsible for management under their lease (usually their landlord) or paying a premium. So it provided a very useful alternative to collectively claiming the freehold at cost for those flat owners who do not have lease appoint

A government move to allow additional floors to be built on residential blocks of flats without planning permission has received a cautious welcome from Principle Estate Management. The UK’s fastest growing residential estate management business was commenting after housing secretary Robert Jenrick said he would allow up to two storeys to be added to blocks from this summer. Building upwards currently requires planning consent, which involves checks on how well designs fit with nearby homes and the potent

MRI Software, a global leader in real estate software solutions, announces that CLS Holdings plc (CLS), a FTSE 250 commercial property investment company, will deploy MRI’s property management technology platform across its operations in the UK, Germany and France. CLS will leverage the MRI solution to rationalise its property and finance processes and systems to improve business agility and overall efficiency, and to enable its business growth strategy to be achieved in a cost-effective manner. “MRI was