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.

Why use a recruitment company?

If your company has prospective employees queuing around the block to work for you, then great! However, perhaps your industry is more niche, you’re after something specific or you could be spending your time more productively, instead of shortlisting and sorting through applications? Working within the block management industry, candidates can often be in short supply. We have spoken previously about how it can be hard to meet the demand for placing candidates that meet clients’ specific needs.  TemplePM

How fun leads to a healthier workforce

Retention, motivation, productivity and the success of a business are all factors that are impacted by employee happiness. They decline when employees are disengaged and unhappy and improve when morale is high.  One study found only 12% of UK employees are completely happy in their job, with 8% of those strongly disagreeing with the statement “my job makes me happy”.  Happiness has a huge impact on engagement, and it’s the engaged employees that show up every day with passion, purpose and energy.  A healt

Issue 106 - Online Now

Issue 106 of News on the Block has now been published. This issues includes some of the following articles:  - Industry coalition demands cladding emergency fund - Make sure your lift doesn't let you down  - Is home ownership still the millennial milestone? - Preview of the annual IRPM Seminar  - and more... Recruitment Feature including: - Finders keepers -  It’s not just about recruiting the right people, it’s about creating the right environment  - What does your social media profile say about yo

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Implications for Conveyancing

This announcement was first published on the Winckworth Sherwood website.  These are challenging times and we are all adapting to the current crisis seeking to ensure the best interests of our clients are protected and that their transactions are conducted during this troubling and restricted period.  Challenges include getting documents executed and ensuring arrangements can be put in place to ensure planned completions and other stages of the conveyancing procedure can go ahead with certainty, restricte

Tenants and Landlords: How to work together during the Covid-19 crisis

Leading law firm Aaron & Partners has put together a list of four tips aimed at business owners and managers to help them maintain relationships with landlords whilst navigating the current coronavirus crisis. Joseph Fletcher-Hunt, a Solicitor in the firm’s renowned Real Estate team, works closely with clients across the UK to provide straightforward and pragmatic advice on a wide range of real estate and property matters. Joseph said: “The coronavirus has caused issues in all areas of business, and many

Coronavirus amendment to Tribunal Rules

Ibraheem Dulmeer discusses changes to The Tribunal Procedure as part of emergency measures against Covid-19. The Tribunal Procedure (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Rules 2020 (“Statutory Instrument”) have bought about some changes to various Tribunals. In particular, to the leasehold sector the Statutory Instrument makes changes to the Tribunal Procedure (First-tier Tribunal) (Property Chamber) Rules 2013 and Tribunal Procedure (Upper Tribunal) (Lands Chamber) Rules 2010.  These changes have been made as par

Can demands and notices be served by email during Covid-19 lockdown?

We are receiving numerous questions from agents along the above lines.  Those contacting us are saying that access to their offices is currently restricted and they have no facility (remotely) undertake the task of printing and sending physical demands to property owners.  Accordingly, they are asking that “given the special circumstances and the guidance from the Government not to travel unless absolutely necessary, surely it is sensible to email demands during this period instead of posting them?” Whils

Service Charges - Case review

Associate Katie Edwards of specialist property solicitors JB Leitch, asks that where a management order is made in respect of a property and service charge arrears accrued whilst the order is in place, can the arrears be assigned to a maintenance trustee and that trustee then take steps to recover arrears from lessees? The background In Chaun-Hui and others v K Group Holdings Inc [2019], units in a mixed-use block were held by tripartite leases, the parties to which were the head lessor, a maintenance tru

Right to Manage - Case review

Katie Orr of JB Leitch's litigation department looks at recent case law to ask that where an RTM Company serves notice of its intention to acquire rights to manage, will its claim survive a failure to follow specific elements of procedure? The background In Lexham House RTM Company Ltd v European Investments & Development (Properties) Ltd [2019], the RTM Company served notice to acquire the right to manage a block comprising 24 flats, each of which is held under a long lease. Three flats on the top floor

COVID-19 Legal Update: Employers and Employees

Employment Partner Daniel Isaac at Wallace LLP outlines some of the support measures in place for Employers and Employees during the Covid-19 pandemic. The government has proposed a package of measures to protect public services during the period of disruption caused by Covid-19. Support for employers The “Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme” seeks to protect employees who would otherwise have been laid off during this period. Businesses can receive government grants worth up to 80% of their employee’s wa

COVID-19 Legal Update: Leasehold Enfranchisement

Samantha Bone, Leasehold Enfranchisement partner at Wallace LLP highlights some important considerations for Landlords and Tenants during the lockdown. ‘Lockdown’ measures introduced by the government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted the enfranchisement sector in a number of ways. Tenants and landlords should obtain advice on their options and the action required because statutory rights and timetables in enfranchisement continue to apply. Tenants’ considerations Tenants must note  th

MRI Software enters agreement to acquire Castleton Technology PLC

MRI Software, a global leader in real estate software solutions, announces that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Castleton Technology Plc, a leading provider of specialist software and services to the social housing sector. MRI expects that, upon close, the acquisition will extend its residential market offering and accelerate the development of Castleton’s cloud-based technologies to serve the needs of social housing providers. “The acquisition of Castleton is a significant development for our

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