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There have been a number of decisions around the question of whether flat owners’ rights operate on a block by block basis or in respect of a number of blocks via single claim in connection with collective enfranchisement, the enfranchisement of the freehold to a single house, the right to manage and the right of first refusal. In a recent county court decision the position in connection with a flat owners’ claim to collectively acquire the freehold to a “building” that comprised a number of blocks has be

A new government guide created for people living in or thinking of buying a leasehold property has been praised by experts at Principle Estate Management. The guide, entitled “How to lease”, is published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and explains leaseholders’ rights and responsibilities, what questions to ask, and how to get help if things go wrong. Ian Smallman, a director at Birmingham-based Principle, said: “We welcome the clarity and usefulness of this new guide which i

The Government has doubled funding for on-street electric vehicle (EV) charging, pledging an additional £2.5 million to fund the installation of over 1,000 new residential charging points. The scheme,  announced by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on 12 August aims to encourage even more people to choose an electric vehicle by making it easier to charge their cars near home, following a 158% increase in battery electric vehicle sales compared to July last year. Good news for householders but what about pe

JPC Law are delighted to welcome James Brice as a Consultant Solicitor to our Property Practice Group.   James has over 30 years of experience as a property lawyer advising clients in all areas of residential and commercial property law including lease extensions and enfranchisement, as well as private client work including wills, trusts and probate. James was originally the founding partner of Brice Droogleever & Co which merged with Cripps Pemberton Greenish.   James brings a wealth of expertise in all

Pennycuick Collins’ award winning block management team has been appointed to manage a prestigious residential scheme in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham.   81 Camden Village in the Jewellery Quarter was signed over to Pennycuick Collins on 13 August and its residential service charge team will be block managing the premises on behalf of its residents. The scheme was converted into apartments in 2006 by Sapcote Developments and comprises 38 private, residential apartments.   Commenting on the new appoint

The decision in the case of Kaye v Oxford House (Wimbledon) Management Company Ltd [2019] EWHC 2181 (Ch) is an important and interesting one exploring the operation of general meetings and, in particular, the role of the chairman in conducting the business and in closing the meeting. Judgment was handed down in this matter on Thursday 8th August 2019 by Deputy High Court Judge Lance Ashworth QC and it appears it may be one of the first case authorities to consider the operation of Section 303(5) of the Co

Issue 102 of News on the Block has now been published. This issues includes some of the following articles:  ARMA celebrates achievements with awards Calls for minimum levels of property management training: ARMA release White Paper  A review of the IRPM Seminar 2019   Lessons to be learned: Ground rent investors and enfranchising flat owners need to be sure that leases are not defective Build to Rent special feature including:  Build-to-rent management v

If you’re a leaseholder in the first stages of considering forming a Right To Manage (RTM) company, to take over the management of the block of flats that you live in, RTM comes with some important issues to consider, so we’ve put together a few ‘at a glance’ things to think about to help you decide whether to proceed. Set out what it is you want to achieve by setting up a RTM company. If the overall aim is to save money, it’s worth doing some homework to see if this can be achieved. For example, reduci

Klevio, the makers of Klevio One, a smart intercom which allows you to open doors from anywhere using your phone, has today announced a partnership with leading managed home rental service provider, Hostmaker. Hosts will be offered an exclusive rate to install Klevio, so future guests can gain access to the property via an app on their phone.  The Klevio team, based in London, is pioneering innovation in an action we all take for granted: opening doors. Physical keys have been around for thousands of year

We bring together experts in leasehold matters from across various disciplines within the firm. The specialism we all share is in the area of statutory rights for tenants of residential leases. These rights take various forms, from the ability for tenants to extend their existing lease terms or even purchase the freehold of their building, to the legislation which affects a landlord’s ability to dispose of its interest in a block of flats. This area of law is complex and it is vital to get it right. We wo

The government has now responded to the consultation around ground rents as alluded to in the community secretary, James Brokenshire MP’s speech to the Chartered Institute of Housing Conference recently. This flows from Sajid Javid’s announcement in December 2017 as secretary of state in this regard. Other measures will ban houses being sold on a leasehold basis in certain circumstances, give freehold house owners similar service charge protections to those enjoyed by flat owners and prescribe time limits

Liverpool based property solicitors JB Leitch continue to add to an already impressive pool of expertise with a series of new appointments.  The Legal 500 firm, which acts for some of the largest organisations in the property management sector, has further bolstered its compliment of 140 staff with new senior additions to both the Commercial & Marketing departments, as well as a number of account management and supporting roles across the firm.  Sarah Hall Sarah joins as a Senior Associate, with a focus o