Featured Articles

Get the answers to your questions and stay up to date about apartment building management with our featured articles and NOTB guides, on topics such as service charges, right to manage, buying your freehold, major works, building insurance and other issues about blocks of flats.

New IRPM white paper: how digitisation is impacting our residential buildings

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. The use of building technology is changing the way we live. In the last decade we have seen a revolution in technology; in particular the way in which data influences our daily lives. It is increasingly being used by stakeholders across the property sector to inform decision-making and digitise both information flow and

Video site inspections

Whilst I have amazing memories of life as a central London property manager, there were times when I needed to freeze time or clone myself. Talking to property managers daily in organising cleaning or maintenance work for them, I know that PMs are busier than ever, even though they have assistant property managers and on-site staff to delegate to.   One really important and contractual task often overlooked or postponed is the site inspection. The management agreement may state that you need to visit m

Mark Mansell joins Pennycuick residential service charge team

Pennycuick Collins are pleased to announce that Mark Mansell has joined the residential service charge team as a Senior Property Manager. Pennycuick Collins has continued to grow within the Property Sector and we have recently been appointed as managing agents on a significant number of new properties. Due to this this growth, we have added another talented property manager to our team. Mark joins as a Senior Proper Manager and will manage a number of new developments that have recently appointed Pennycui

Blocks in the Cloud

Ok so we all use software in our personal and work lives but are you maximising the benefits and the return on investment you get from the software you are utilising in the Block Management industry? I believe most people would agree that good software is designed to make the day to day life of those that use it easier and generally enable them to be more efficient and ultimately more productive and that great software is designed to provide a solution that addresses the pain points of the user in the spe

MRI Software collaborating with Viewber to provide flexible estate agency services

MRI Software has announced its collaboration with Viewber to provide sales agents, lettings agents and property managers with direct access to a national network of professionals that can be booked for a range of last-mile residential property services as and when they are required. Viewber’s intuitive online platform unlocks access to thousands of vetted ‘Viewbers’ across every UK postcode, with these individuals able to provide viewings, open houses, inspections, reports, 160 tours, meet and greets, hou

Effective communication between property managers and residents has never been more important

The impact of COVID-19 on property has been immediate and widespread – hitting everyone involved in the residential market. Indeed, whether you are a resident in a block or if you’re managing the property, you are seeing a whole new world in terms of how your communities operate.  The crisis has created major disruption, and managers are under greater-than-ever pressure to take the lead and communicate on how the crisis is impacting living conditions. For example, property managers will be expected to pro

Enrol in the IRPM's Level 2 Foundation Course in Build to Rent

Build to Rent is maturing into an established and proven sector that is now delivering on its promise of premium quality homes and services. Careers and roles are crystallising into clear pathways. IRPM works closely with the leading players in the sector, who confirmed the time is now right for a new entry level course to benefit on-site, leasing, FM and back-office teams, new entrants, and aspiring building managers. The IRPM Level 2 Foundation in Build to Rent is an introductory ONLINE course, with a r

Agility and Adaptability: Essential Qualities of PropTech in the Age of COVID-19

As the UK enters a new phase of national COVID-19 response and explores ways in which the country can come out of lockdown safely, it is evident that this exit is going to be a slow and considered process. Depending on any spike in infection brought about by an easing of lockdown measures, people in the UK can expect a transitional period of un-locking and re-locking, where the Government tries to lift quarantine rules without inducing a subsequent wave of coronavirus infection. While the epidemiological

Mediation an Alternative to Litigation in Lockdown and Beyond

Mediation, a meeting or meetings, joint and private between people in dispute chaired by a mediator to assist in reaching a joint resolution, manufactured and agreed by the participants. The trite saying that Mediation is a key form of Alternative Dispute Resolution is ever so relevant in these concerning times.  It appears that the court lists will be further stretched and cases will take even longer to be heard.  Mediation is and remains a quicker, more cost-effective approach to resolving disputes an

Putting plans in place for the technologies of tomorrow

In recent years broadband has often been referred to as the ‘4th utility’, but this suggestion has been met with scepticism as to whether it can truly be on a par with water, gas and electricity. At Hyperoptic we wanted to test the theory independently and see what might be driving this thought process. We worked with the experts at SAY Property Consulting to look at the issue from the perspective of 228 housing professionals and 2,000 homeowners or renters. We also worked with Applied Futurist, Tom Chees

Sigma’s Simple Life build to rent brand brings 298 apartments to Broughton

Sigma Capital Group plc, the leading provider in build to rent housing across the UK is developing 298 new apartments in Broughton Village, Salford, under its private rental brand Simple Life, in partnership with Countryside. The £40m project is a continuation of the area-wide Lower Broughton regeneration partnership between Salford City Council and Countryside and marks Simple Life’s first foray into apartments in the area. The scheme comprises a mix of one, two and three bedroom units built across 4.7 a

Residential property manager urbanbubble and app developer Padoq build interactive app

Residential property management specialist urbanbubble and mobile app developer Padoq have developed an interactive app to keep residents connected and engaged while living under COVID-19 lockdown. Designed to motivate and engage residents of apartments across Manchester managed by urbanbubble, the app provides a ‘cyber community’ tailored to the needs of people in specific residential developments. Described as a ‘place to connect with your community’, the app gives residents access to a wide range of li

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