Featured Articles

Our competition for Over Bonnet Shed has now ended and the lucky winners have been selected to win a over bonnet shed storage unit worth £995!!  The lucky winners this time were: Simon Hollingworth  Annika Blixt  Over Bonnet Shed will be in touch to arrange delivery of the units shortly. Congratulations to our three winners and thank you to everyone who entered. If you would like to find out more information on the units and how they can help with your storage space please click here.

Scanlans has expanded its property management operations in West Yorkshire with a contract for a block of luxury apartments in north Leeds.   The firm has been appointed by Sandmoorgate Man Co to manage a block of six three-bedroomed flats on Sandmoor Avenue, Alwoodley.   Sandmoor Gate was built by Amberstone Developments for Bramall Properties in 2015 and features electrically-controlled gates and underground parking. Each flat has en-suite bedrooms and a balcony.   Michael Willans, senior property manag

With international terrorism and domestic extremism continuing to be a real threat across the UK, it is important for Concierge Officers to remain on high alert and have the requisite training to deter, detect and aid counter terrorist activity. As part of the role, Concierge Officers should be encouraged to be vigilant as well as required to maintain a Daily Occurrence Log, which will be in continuous use and keep all relevant people updated of any occurrences or incidents on the site.  As part of the as

The tenant of a flat who put up CCTV cameras outside his London home to protect him against crime has been prosecuted by a council.   Len James was told by Wandsworth council he had breached his tenancy agreement when he installed two cameras at his flat in Dungeness House, Battersea.   Despite the cameras catching a burglar and car vandals, as well as discouraging drug dealers, he was ordered to pay £2,000 costs after a county court hearing.   The 77-year-old said: “I am worried because I don’t know wher

If  I  were  to  walk  along  the  street  and  ask  several  members  of  the  public ‘What  do  you  know  about  block  management?’  the  chances  are  they  would never  have  heard  of  it.   Unless  you  live  in  a  house  or  apartment  with  a service  charge  attached,  block management,  or leasehold management  is  a phrase  generally  unknown  to  those  who  do  not  work  in,  or  have  links  to,  the  property  industry.   A  quick  Google  search  tells  me  that  block  management  is

A brand-new pet-friendly apartment complex in Southampton could become a template for residential block design across the region, according to Weston-Super-Mare property consultants Mcilroy Smith.   Bow Square is a purpose-built apartment scheme catering for tenants with cats and dogs - and even offers a dog walking service.   Andrew Simmonds, Managing Director of the new property consultancy in Weston-super-Mare says the scheme could catch on.   Andrew commented: “Tenants with pets – particularly larger

A seaside property that was converted into residential apartments is undergoing improvement works after the appointment of Principle Estate Management. The company has won the contract to look after Dales View on the seafront at 340 Queens Promenade in the Bispham area of Blackpool. Principle’s contract only began in August, but the company had worked closely with the freeholder and previous managing agent before the handover so that leaseholders had already received the S20 documents informing them of th

QUESTION The directors of our Property Management Company refuse to let flat owners/ shareholders see a copy of the Fire Risk Assessment? (Private Block) Is this correct? ANSWER In the context of a private residential leasehold property there is no statutory requirement that obliges the person responsible for carrying out a building’s fire risk assessment to disclose it to a leaseholder/shareholder. Managing agents may have their own rules concerning disclosure of such reports and enquiries can always be

A shock report has revealed that following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, fewer than 20 per cent of UK landlords have made contact with their tenants regarding basic fire safety precautions. It also reports that a quarter of adults surveyed feel more anxious about living in an apartment since the fire – and half of those living in a flat do not feel fully prepared on what to do in the event of a fire in their building. Weston-super-Mare property consultancy Mcilroy Smith said the figures released in the run-

The Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP) has reviewed the Law Commission’s consultation paper ‘Leasehold home ownership: buying your freehold or extending your lease’ published on 20th September.    Mark Chick, ALEP Director, and Partner and Bishop & Sewell commented:  “Leasehold enfranchisement has been in the spotlight now for many months, and with the furore surrounding this issue it is crucial that leaseholders are well informed and educated. ALEP welcomes the oppor

Leading trade body, the Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA), has invited Cassandra Zanelli, head of PM Legal Services, to moderate at its national conference. Cassandra, who launched the award-winning firm - a division of Keebles LLP - from scratch in February 2017, is a recognised residential leasehold expert and the first UK lawyer to be appointed to ARMA’s advisory panel. ARMA’s ‘Agents for Change’ conference in London on October 18 will address key sector issues - the repercussions of th

QUESTION History I am a retired architect and I was resident director of the management company of a block of 8 flats for some 14 years and now assist the new directors with advice after my retirement as director 2 years ago. One of the residents acquired her one-bedroom flat some 20 years ago which included a loft space inserted by the previous owner. There is no record of request for or of approval by the directors at that time to the extension and the use of the loft as a bedroom has been allowed to ha