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.

The need-to-knows about leasehold houses

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 Appoints Technology Veterans to Address Demand For Occupier Solutions and to Expand Partnership Program

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

Principle wins contract to manage established West Midlands apartment blocks

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

Law Commission recommendations to reform the Right to Manage

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

It’s a gas: Section 21 Notices after Trecarrell House Limited v Patricia Rouncefield ([2020] EWCA Civ 760)

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

The Appointment of a Manager to take over from a Right to Manage Company

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

Surge of tenant moves predicted – why agents and landlords must be prepared

There is likely to be a continued surge of tenant moves in the coming weeks as lockdown measures are eased and the rental market's recent recovery continues. Letting agents and landlords are therefore being advised by No Letting Go to prepare for granting a wave of new tenancies while also managing the ongoing impact of Covid-19. The UK's largest provider of inventory services says that an efficiently executed pre-tenancy process can pave the way for a smooth tenancy and increase satisfaction for all stak

Commission Announces Wide-Ranging Proposals For Leasehold Properties

A ground-breaking new intervention from the Law Commission has set out sweeping reforms to leasehold laws, affecting millions of leaseholders across the UK. Making leases easier to extend and freeholds easier to buy, making commonhold workable, and taking control of a block of flats are all included in the review, which was published on 21 July. Spread across three reports, the proposals have been met with mixed reviews from experts after years of increasingly troubling practices from rogue landlords and

Planning is key to getting maintenance schedules back on track

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. “Clea

Law Commission’s blueprint for future of home ownership welcomed by Thursfields

Recommendations for a new and clear direction for the future of home ownership have been welcomed by Thursfields Solicitors. The leading Midlands law firm was commenting after the Law Commission unveiled a plan that included a commonhold regime described as “fit for purpose”, plus a reform of leasehold enfranchisement and the right to manage. Nick O’Hara, managing director at Thursfields, said: “Put simply, the leasehold system is just not working properly for millions of homeowners in England and Wales,

The Oracle Group strengthens its senior team

One of the UK’s leading property marketing and communications companies, The Oracle Group, has strengthened its senior management team by promoting Senior Account Manager, Alice McCutcheon.  Alice joins the Executive Team as Creative Director and will be focused on driving campaign management and digital PR, to deliver strategic campaigns for their broad client base. The Oracle Group is building for its future and working towards expansion plans as it enters its 10th year of operations.   Founder and CEO

Places for People named as one of the best workplaces for Women

Places for People is one of 19 super large organisations in the country to be recognised as one of the 2020 Best Workplaces for Women by Great Place to Work. This is the first time Places for People has entered the award. The award celebrates organisations that promote a fully inclusive work culture, as well as strong representation of women across the workforce and in senior positions. Places for People was named 17 in the super-large workplace (1000+) category alongside the likes of Hilton, Gap, and Hom

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