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QUESTION  I am director of a leasehold property of 44 flats in Putney London. We are managed by a large, local management agent. Recently my fellow Director and I discovered that the previous building manager made payments to contractors without informing the directors.  He also arranged an insurance claim from our block policy for an extraordinary amount for a leakage into another flat. He paid the excess from our funds, once again without informing the directors.  The manager left the company in Februar

Keeping major projects moving forward during the Covid-19 pandemic needs careful planning, according to experts at MetroPM, the residential estate property managers.   Director Ian Smallman said that when lockdown was first announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson back in March, it was difficult to see how construction and maintenance projects could continue.   “We have now moved a long way forward and the Government was keen to get the construction industry back to work as early as possible,” he said.  

Richard Lane, formerly managing partner and latterly senior partner of Leamington Spa-based Wright Hassall, is advising MetroPM founder and managing director Matthew Arnold on governance and complex estate issues.   He will also advise the board as MetroPm embarks on the next phase of its expansion programme.   Matthew Arnold said: “In over 20 years at Wright Hassall in leading management roles, Richard has overseen the running of a major legal practice and understands the dynamics of growth.   “He is the

The ExCeL Exhibition Centre in East London has undergone a major transformation from a world leading events venue into the NHS Nightingale hospital to help towards the fight of the COVID-19 pandemic. Best known for its events such as Grand Designs and Britain’s Got Talent the venue has undergone its biggest change in its history. As the incumbent Fire Safety Company of the ExCeL Centre for the last 10 years, we were asked to install additional fire alarm components to the existing system to cover the new

The distinction between a “house” and a “flat” is an important one. Subject to satisfying a variety of complex qualifying conditions, leaseholders of houses have the right to acquire the freehold of their house and/or a 50 year lease extension; while leaseholders of flats have (again, subject to certain qualifying conditions) an individual right to a 90 year lease extension, and a collective right to acquire the freehold of their block and/or the right to manage, among other things (the right of first ref

QUESTION I write to ask for guidance on how to proceed with a problem relating to the Covid-19 precautions in my residential blocks of flats in Dorset and in particular the use of lifts. I complained to the managing agents that as a leaseholder in occupation, mine and my wife’s safe distance was being compromised when we use the lifts to enter and leave the building . My wife is on the shielding list which has been recently relaxed allowing her to leave the building. I requested that the managing agent po

Whether you are buying a property for the first time or looking to move house, it is important you understand what leasehold houses are. In this guide, we explain everything you need to know about leasehold houses and answer frequently asked questions about leasehold houses. 1. What are leasehold houses? A leasehold is a form of tenure. According to guidelines from the UK Government, a legal agreement is required from a landlord, also referred to as a freeholder, to allow a tenant to live in a leasehold p

MRI Software (“MRI”), a global leader in real estate software solutions, has appointed two technology veterans to lead key initiatives at the firm:  The new joiners are Scott Bartlett, Vice President of Occupier Solutions; and Sean Slack, Vice President of Partnerships.   Bartlett is responsible for developing and managing the company’s suite of integrated workplace management solutions (IWMS), which help corporate occupiers manage their real estate leases and optimize their workplace. Slack is refining M

Two large and established apartment blocks in the West Midlands are to be looked after by Principle Estate Management. The commission has come a new freeholder which recently acquired Cobham Court, on Corbett Avenue in Droitwich, and Monksfield Avenue, just off the Newton Road in Great Barr. Principle was appointed following a full tender process to find the right estate manager for the 1960s developments that house a total of 57 apartments. Joe Jobson, a director at Principle, said: “We’re delighted to h

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 in this way leaseholders, acting via an RTM company, take control of services, repairs, maintenance, improvements, and insurance in

With the plethora of restrictions on remedies against defaulting tenants introduced in the wake of the pandemic, it is fair to say that residential landlords are not having a good year. However there is a crumb of comfort. The Court of Appeal has overturned a county court ruling to find, with a 2-1 majority, that a landlord who obtained a Gas Safety Record (“GSR”) before the tenancy began but failed to give it to the tenant before they took up occupation, can still serve a Section 21 Notice, as long as th

Part 2 of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 makes provision for qualifying tenants to acquire and exercise rights of management of premises through the medium of a  company (known as an 'RTM company') established for that purpose.  The appointment of a statutory manager in relation to residential leasehold premises under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 is sometimes, wrongly, thought of as purely a tenant’s remedy and an alternative to establishing an RTM but, as is apparent from the legislatio