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A new industry pledge to stop leaseholders being trapped in unfair and costly deals has been unveiled by the Communities Secretary, Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, today (28 March).    More than forty leading property developers and freeholders - including big names such as Taylor Wimpey and Barratt Homes - have already signed the government-backed pledge, which commits them to doing away with onerous ‘doubling clauses’ that can result in ground rents soaring exponentially over a short period of time.   The

Principle Estate Management has won the contract to manage a flagship collection of mansion flats considered to be the finest pre-World War II apartment blocks in Birmingham. The head-leaseholder has appointed Principle to look after the 162 flats at Viceroy Close, which vary from one to five bedrooms across eight buildings on an eight acre site in Edgbaston, built in 1937 to a design by Mitchell and Bridgwater in conjunction with Gollins and Smeeton. The development has individual sculptures by O'Connor

Legal & General announces that its plans to develop the Longley Industrial Estate into Brighton’s first Build To Rent (BTR) scheme have been approved. Legal & General, which entered the BTR sector in 2016, now have eleven schemes in operation or development across the UK, delivering 3,700 homes for elective renters. Committed to improving standards across the rental market, Legal & General is delivering high quality, well managed and specifically designed accommodation in urban locations.  As Brighton con

Tenant Shop, an Inchora company is delighted to announce that it has entered into a new partnership with Reposit in order to provide a security deposit alternative product within its portfolio for agents, landlords and tenants. Tenancy deposits have traditionally comprised six weeks rent and despite the cap in the Tenant Fee Bill bringing this to five weeks, a lump sum of this amount can be difficult for some renters to find. Reposit’s security deposit alternative provides a new way to rent property, with

Residential gyms are becoming an increasingly popular consideration in a developer's mind when it comes to designing state-of-the-art accommodation. In a highly competitive property market, a residential gym helps to set your development apart, and show future clients that you're keen to help them live a better quality of life. Of course, if you want to get the most out of your gym investment, then you need a strategy. Here, we've put a few tips together to help you get the best possible "Return on Invest

Millstream Management Services (MMS), the leading provider of retirement housing management services in the UK, has appointed Tammie Dunford as its new Operations Director. Tammie will take responsibility for all day to day Customer and development facing activity for MMS, and head up the team of Regional, Area and Lodge Managers looking after its 179 developments around the country. Having spent the last six years at MMS’ sister company Churchill Retirement Living (CRL), most recently as Head of Customer

ARMA (the Association of Residential Managing Agents) is one of 15 cross industry trade and representative bodies to have come together to create and endorse a new Freehold Management Enquiries form (FME1).   Those involved in the creation of the FME1 form are urging all conveyancers to use this new standardised questionnaire to secure the necessary information if a property being sold is managed freehold. This is where a freehold property has a shared amenity requiring a maintenance either through an est

Setting an industry--event first for the male-dominated property sector, FUTURE: PropTech has today unveiled its roster of speakers - with the gender split being exactly 50 percent. Taking place on May 14th at the Business Design Centre in London, the event promises to be the most comprehensive PropTech conference to date, with a theme focused on ‘Open Collaboration’. Themes that will be tackled by an expansive roster of more than 80 speakers include : Solving the Housing Crisis – What role can i

The importance of a clear and definitive brief at the start of any major works project should never be underestimated. Briefs that are lacking in detail can lead to implications and assumptions on both sides later on and subsequent changes can often lead to delays, increased costs and dissatisfied freeholder and leaseholders. All of this can be avoided by having a clear brief that all parties are signed up to from the start. What makes a good brief? By way of an example, if a programme of external/intern

The Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP) has held its first regional training event in Bath.   The half-day session was organised by ALEP and hosted by law firm and ALEP member, Royds Withy King at its Midlands Bridge House office in Bath. The free event brought together 50 professionals from Bath’s property scene including enfranchisement solicitors and valuers, managing agents, estate and letting agents, portfolio owners and developers.   The common aim for all who attende

In its 20th year, the RICS and Macdonald & Co. Rewards and Attitudes Survey has found that professionals in the industry are mostly positive about the outlook for the real estate and built environment in 2019. More than half of respondents to the survey expect their companies’ revenues to increase as they benefit from new business opportunities. However, Brexit is casting a shadow and tainting the optimism, with more respondents expecting negative effects on their personal situation, their employer, secto

Reposit, the company changing the way landlords, agents and tenants handle deposits, has announced its latest partnership with property management company Way of Life, providing all customers with an alternative to the tenancy deposit schemes. The InsurTech firm operating in the PropTech space, has also unveiled an extension of its cover from six to eight weeks, covering all bases from rent arrears to cleaning and damages costs. Founded in 2015, Reposit is the creator of the growing deposit replacement se