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A recent Supreme Court decision has the potential to have wide-reaching consequences for property owners. In the case of UKI (Kingsway) Limited (Respondent) v Westminster City Council (Appellant) the Supreme Court (“the Court”) was asked to determine whether a completion notice had been served under the Local Government Finance Act 1988 (“the Act”).  Background UKI (Kingsway) Limited (“UKI”) was responsible for the redevelopment of 1 Kingsway.  Westminster City Council (“the Council”) asked UKI’s agents t

LevelUP is a new property management company recently launched and looking to take the industry by storm in 2019. Quoted on Property TV as one of the 19 companies to watch in 2019 and as having a a modern mind-set & refreshing approach, it will be an interesting journey for them during this period of time.

Most people are aware of freehold and leasehold tenures and how they work in principle.  But commonhold, on the other hand, is a tenure that is not as common as it sounds, and it appears to be less known despite being introduced in 2002.  However, with the recent discussions and consultations taking place, could Commonhold potentially be considered again by developers in the near future? Although commonhold was initially expected to be used for residential flats instead of leasehold, it can also be used f

When a new property management company launches, the overall response it is met with is “Another one? Why?”. Closely followed, by the second response “How is this one going to be different to the existing companies?”. Whilst others would see these remarks as limiting and negative, LevelUP Property Management grasp them as incentives to stand out and provide a unique service. Change in the industry has been long-overdue. The government, professional bodies and property managers agree, with legislation and

The effects of Brexit will be felt far and wide and across the border. As a business that is classed in the ‘at the border exposure sector’, concerned primarily with disruptions to supply chains, exchange rates and any introduction of duties that may impact any service delivery, it is important for us to be proactive rather than reactive in our planning and logistical management. We are constantly reviewing our company ‘Business Risk Register’ which enables us to identify and prepare for any major impact

2019 is the time of new beginnings for Deverell Smith Senior Consultant, Will Kirby, who has made the move from our Estate Agency team to the Block & Estate Management team. Before joining Deverell Smith, Will sold connectivity solutions into hotels all over Europe including the Hilton, Marriot, Hyatt, Sheraton, Crowne Plaza and IHG. Since joining Deverell Smith nearly 3 years ago, Will has played a pivotal role in the estate agency team placing key negotiators and game changing directors into some of the

With diesel and petrol cars being phased out by 2040, electric cars are becoming a common sight on our roads. This month, Essex-based Future Group is responding to the growth in plug-in vehicles by launching a new company, Future Fuel, which is partnering with Wallbox to deliver a simple charging solution to the block management sector. Wallbox manufactures innovative, intelligent and inexpensive charging points for electric and hybrid cars. One simple wall-mounted control panel in the car park will feed

We always bring Trace and Access cover to the attention of our customers.  Some policies - not those provided by Deacon - do not include it, but we think it can be essential for a shared building like a block of flats. In any property, the apparent damage from a leak or breakage may be some distance from the cause. A small wear-and-tear leak from a drain pipe or appliance hose, for instance, may insidiously drip for years and work its way through the fabric of the building. Then one day, maybe years later

Property management hasn’t always been considered the most exciting part of the residential sector. It is often associated with routine work: changing lightbulbs; tending to communal gardens; managing the car park. We have always known that our role is about much more than this. While we often work in the background, what we do is fundamentally important, certainly to the residents of the 185,000 homes across the UK that we oversee. The changing role of property management is likely to be brought into sha

QUESTION I am a leaseholder of a property with a total of 7 leaseholders. 5 of the leaseholders are also freeholder as they bought the property 5 years ago. We were unable to raise funds to join in with the enfranchisement. I have noticed on companies house they have taken out 2 bank loans using the property as security. Within the printed document it states the bank can take each leasehold as security. Can my freeholder take out this type of loan without consulting us? ANSWER Obviously, in order to give

I have often been asked, “so what do you do?”. This has been a tricky question to answer due to the diverse scope of services that we offer. Whilst it remains a Building Surveyors bread and butter to diagnose defects and identify potential problems, project work has driven the need to bridge a gap. Very simply, an Architect’s expertise is to design, a Quantity Surveyor controls cost, a Clerk of Works reports on quality and a Project Manager will make sure the team is cohesive. So, where does the Building

The enjoyment of flat roof areas as a roof terrace by flat owners can be a thorny issue. Where a flat is built by a reputable builder with the benefit of a roof terrace you would usually expect to see that all necessary statutory consents were obtained before the flat was sold off on a long lease and that the lease grants the flat owner the entitlement to use it. In this case there should be no problem leaving aside the risk that the builder may erect other blocks in the vicinity that then affect the enjo