Featured Articles

A leaseholder has called for a change in the law after his flat was seized in a row about redecorating his home.   Charles McCadden, who says he has been left with nothing, bought the £600,000 apartment in Brent, north west London, with inheritance money.   He redecorated the flat soon after moving in and fitted a new kitchen and bathroom. But he failed to consult the freeholder about his plans, which is a requirement of the lease.   As a result the freeholder, Dr Afshan Malik, who lives in a downstairs f

Best-practice guides to encourage more talented young people to consider working in the property industry have been launched.   The British Property Federation (BPF) hopes they will help the industry increase its “brand recognition” and be considered as a viable career choice by those who have recently graduated or enjoyed exam success.   The first of the series of BPF guides was published last month, with a focus on socio-economic diversity. It identifies the most-effective ways property companies can pr

Plans for a new block of flats have been turned down over fears that terrorists could use them to attack cruise liners and Royal Navy ships.   The proposal for the development at North Shields Marina, which is near the Port of Tyne, were rejected after council chiefs heard about the concerns.   Andy Khan, head of estates at Port of Tyne, told councillors that the developer’s proposals for windows which are sealed shut would not thwart a terrorist planning an attack from the flat block.    He said: “This s

An interior designer who failed to pay up when a basement extension of her apartment damaged her neighbour's flat has been hit with another £6,000 in costs by a judge. Olivia Walton, 28, was ordered to pay nearly £120,000 to her upstairs neighbour Michele Napp after the building work left floors and walls cracked, a window subsided and caused her tenant to leave her Chelsea home.   The award was made in April by a surveyor under the Party Wall Act, but Miss Walton – whose property is worth £3.1million – f

New rules have come into force that require properties housing five or more people from two or more households to be have special licenses.   Until October 1, only properties with three or more floors needed a Houses in Multiple Occuptation (HMO) licence.   But new legislation, first announced last December, has changed the laws and also  updated minimum space requirements.   Minimum bedroom space is now 6.51 square metres for a single bedroom and 10.22 square metres for rooms occupied by two adults. Room

Plans by the Law Commission to make the process of buying or extending leaseholds easier, quicker and cheaper have been welcomed.   The proposals have been made as part of a government-commissioned review to strengthen the rights of leaseholders seeking to buy their freehold or extend their lease.   Leaseholds have made the headlines recently following anger over the leases for new-build homes being sold off by developers – which has left some householders with ground rents doubling every ten years.   Ni

‘Back to School’ conferences spearheaded by award-winning PM Legal Services to raise industry standards have scored highly with property managers. PM Legal Services, a division of Keebles, hosted and led the events in Yorkshire and London following the success of two sell-out best practice conferences earlier this year.     Almost 400 property managers and industry professionals have attended the four free of charge sessions featuring high-profile speakers. Aligned with the ‘Back to School’ theme, present

The ARMA Conference & Dinner is coming up fast on the 18th October at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel, London SE1, and in a packed programme we will be providing up-to-the-minute updates on the key issues facing the sector. 10 REASONS FOR ATTENDING THE CONFERENCE… Law Commissioner Prof Nick Hopkins will be giving the latest on commonhold and enfranchisement reform and the right to manage. Learn what’s coming up on the future of leasehold reform, including regulation of managing agents with Lakh

A window pane which fell 27 floors from a penthouse apartment of a luxury London development has killed coach driver Mick Ferris who was walking past. The pane of glass is believed to have fallen from the The Corniche Development penthouse apartment on the South Bank of the Thames, where apartments cost up to £6 million. A witness of the tragedy, said: “He came out of the Riverbank Plaza Hotel and was hit by the falling pane of glass - he had been using the toilet. It is a big shock, nobody expects this t

Property professionals in Manchester will have the chance to broaden their knowledge of the UK’s leasehold system at a free to attend event presented by the Association of Leasehold Property Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP), and hosted by law firm, Irwin Mitchell  This is the first regional event ALEP has presented, and the Association plans to roll out a programme of regional seminars throughout 2019. This event will be held on Wednesday 7th November 2018 at the offices of Irwin Mitchell at One St

Principle Estate Management has won the contract to manage a new block of apartments in Berkshire. Aragon House is on Hollow Lane in Shinfield village, near Reading, and was a part new-build and part-conversion of an existing residential building. Initially, the developer self-managed the property until selling the freehold, and Principle has now won the contract to manage the apartments. Brett Williams, managing director at Principle Estate Management, said: “It’s encouraging that freeholders are continu

Anushka Nicholas looks at the key things to look out for when buying a leasehold property. What is a leasehold interest in land? If you buy a leasehold property, as the leaseholder you will own and be able to enjoy use of the land, but only for a specific period of time; i.e. 99 years, 125 years or 999 years.  Once the lease term comes to an end, you are required to return the land to the landlord.  You pay a premium/price to the landlord upon the grant of the lease, and most leases further reserve an ann