Featured Articles

Leading managing agent, Rendall & Rittner has appointed Sarah Williams as Area Director to oversee property management across one of their London divisions. An experienced residential property management professional, Sarah has specialised in the block management sector for over 16 years. She joins the company from Warwick Estates where she was an Associate Director responsible for five regional offices. Prior to that she worked for RMG, where she worked her way up gaining experience across the business.

Award winning housebuilder and one of the leading developers in London and the South East, Hill Group has appointed PR and communications company The Oracle Group, to help them drive their business forward.  With an ambitious five-year plan which seeks to establish the business in the top five construction companies in the UK, Hill has chosen the Surrey based property specialist to deliver corporate and sales PR and communications. Hill Group is the UK’s third largest privately owned housebuilder, with an

Directors at residential property management firm MetroPM have welcomed a government decision to extend the deadline for applications to the Building Safety Fund for 31 December 2020 to 30 June 2021. Similarly, the deadline for a start on site for remedial works has been extended from 31 March 2021 to 30 September 2021. MetroPM director Ian Smallman said: “The Building Safety Fund is intended to meet the costs of remediating cladding systems which do not adequately resist the spread of fire. “It requires

The updated Heat Network require that Operators of all unmetered shared heating system must, where possible, charge Residents for their measured heat use.  So, what does this change do for Fuel Poverty? It is proven in numerous studies across the World that the introduction of consumption-based charges reduces energy use by an average of 20%.  So, while this seems like a further Compliance demand in a property sector, that is already burdened with legislation, it could offer tangible benefits if a suitabl

The percentage of tenants in rent arrears decreased during October and November, according to research from PayProp. Payment data from the rental payment platform also shows that the typical percentage of rent in arrears fell consistently from August to November. However, with strict COVID-19 restrictions across large parts of the country set to remain in place for the foreseeable future, PayProp says letting agents and landlords should prepare themselves for arrears increasing again in the first few mont

The Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP) has released details of its upcoming Spring Lecture. The online event to be held on 3rd and 4th March 2021 will focus on the key issues around cladding and building safety and its relevance for enfranchisement professionals. The Lecture will look at both the technical aspects underlying the cladding issue and also consider from a legal and valuation point of view its impact when buying the freehold. ALEP Director, Mark Chick, explains: “The

This time last year, if you’d asked me what would be the biggest issue for the property sector in 2020, I might have said Brexit. That’s still a concern, of course, with questions to be answered as the transition period runs out. I might also have predicted severe issues around cladding and fire safety which proved to be devastating for many leaseholders unable to sell up and move on, and in the meantime feeling unsafe in their own homes. It’s been estimated that replacing unsafe cladding in London alone

MetroPM has been appointed to manage Heritage Court, a prestigious development of 116 apartments and four ground floor commercial units in the heart of Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. Located in George Street, Heritage Court was completed by Barratt Homes in 2003. Services for occupiers include a concierge service on site and it has under croft parking. Ian Smallman, director of MetroPM which has offices in Birmingham and Cheltenham, said: “The directors of the Heritage Court management company felt it wa

Directors at residential property management firm MetroPM have welcomed a government decision to extend the deadline for applications to the Building Safety Fund for 31 December 2020 to 30 June 2021. Similarly, the deadline for a start on site for remedial works has been extended from 31 March 2021 to 30 September 2021. MetroPM director Ian Smallman said: “The Building Safety Fund is intended to meet the costs of remediating cladding systems which do not adequately resist the spread of fire. “It requires

If you have a repair or maintenance job that needs carrying out at height, your first thought is going to be ‘how are we going to get up there?’. Particularly if the job is on the top half of the building. But hold on, what if you approached it from another perspective – the roof. Many people, even those in the property management industry, still believe that traditional methods of access – scaffolding, cranes and lifts are the only solution when it comes to working in hard-to-reach locations. However, th

The government’s latest support for owners and leaseholders of high rise apartment buildings has been welcomed by experts at Birmingham-based Principle Estate Management. The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government is to provide a £30 million fund to encourage and incentivise the installation of fire alarms in high rise buildings that are awaiting remedial work on external cladding which has come under the spotlight following the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Joe Jobson, a director of Principle Esta

Elouise Hinton has joined residential service charge management firm MetroPM as customer service and compliance manager in its Birmingham office. She has worked within the industry for over ten years, starting out as a property administrator dealing with maintenance issues and lease inquiries, supporting both leaseholders and clients. She made a successful transition to business integration co-ordinator, taking new and previously managed scheme into management and liaising with contractors and contract te