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The Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners’ (ALEP) Annual Conference saw a record-breaking 280 sector influencers attend the event.   Held at No 11 Cavendish Square and hosted by ALEP Honorary President, Damian Greenish, the Conference tackled issues impacting professionals in the leasehold enfranchisement sector with Commonhold and regional relativity emerging as topical themes of the day.   Mark Chick, ALEP Director, said: “The ALEP Conference is one of the sector’s biggest events

Worcester based Mainstay Group has appointed a new Managing Director, following a period of planned and sustained growth.   The full-service property management company has brought on Andy Billson to head up its residential property management arm of the business.   Andy joins the Group from residential giant Barratt Homes, where as Managing Director, he was responsible for introducing an in-house property management service – Barratt Residential Asset Management – from 2012, until its successful sale in

A partner at property management and surveying firm Scanlans has raised nearly £2,500 for Parkinson’s UK by cycling the length of Britain.   Tony Mancini completed the 980-mile Deloitte Ride Across Britain from Land’s End to John O’Groats in nine days.   The 53-year-old undertook the marathon ride for Parkinson’s UK because his sister Raffaela suffers from the disease.   He said: “Seeing my sister gradually deteriorate and being helpess to prevent it spurred me to raise money for Parkinson’s UK as my way

Twenty-two members of Stiles Harold Williams London office donned wellies to take part in a regional volunteer day on the River Thames. The surveyors turned conservationists spent the day on Chiswick Eyot, a small tidal island, cleaning up the banks, clearing invasive vegetation and shoring river defences.  The even was facilitated by environmental charity Thames21 as part of SHW's corporate social responsibility programme.

UK’s leading property maintenance software provider, Fixflo, conducted an industry survey with an aim to understand the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for property professionals in the sector. The survey ran over the summer and the results will be released in The Fixflo Leasehold and Block Management Report 2019 in October 2019. Supported by ARMA, MRI Software, News On The Block and Flat Living, The Fixflo Leasehold and Block Management Survey was completed by 207 individuals representing 170

As reform of the residential sector continues to gather pace in Westminster, policymakers would do well to look north of the border for some important lessons. In FirstPort’s own work across England, Scotland and Wales we manage homes across a range of different types and tenures.  In the English system, it is freeholders who typically appoint an agent to undertake responsibilities for structural maintenance and the management of communal areas in shared developments.  However, in Scotland the role of a s

QUESTION   I have lived in my private rented flat for 5 years. My landlord has now advised there will be a new no pets policy meaning I will have to re-home my dog who I have had for 6 years and was agreed with the landlord that I would move in with my dog. Is this correct? I do not want to move home but I also cannot imagine having to lose my dog!  ANSWER There are two contractual areas for consideration here when providing a response. Your Landlord and the Freeholder will have contractual obligations wi

Government plans to close legal loopholes that force leaseholders to pay unjustified legal fees and wait too long for information have been welcomed by Thursfields Solicitors. The leading Midlands law firm was commenting after the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government made a series of announcements on leasehold reform. The changes will cap the cost of securing leasehold information to not more than £200 and will limit the gathering process to within 15 working days. Louise Jones, a senior

Jackson Sims Recruitment have announced a new appointment with Daniel Williams joining the team.  Stuart Jackson, MD of Jackson Sims Recruitment said: "Daniel Williams has joined Jackson Sims Recruitment as Associate Director. Daniel has been one of the most successful recruitment consultants in property management over the last five years. This is the third time I have had the pleasure of working with Daniel Williams. I am really excited to once again have access to his knowledge and enthusiasm. He will

Mainstay Group has announced the acquisition of a national property management portfolio, spanning London, Nottingham and Wallasey.   The portfolio, formerly managed by Keith Perry Chartered Surveyors, officially transitioned to Mainstay on 1 July 2019 and will continue to be overseen jointly by Mainstay and Keith for the next 12 months.   It comprises substantial apartment blocks in Stoke Newington, Bloomsbury, and Bethnal Green, London, together with three smaller schemes in Nottingham, and the iconic P

Residents at a modern block of flats near RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire have appointed Principle Estate Management to look after their property. Wilkinson Place in Witney, built in 2006, houses a mixture of owner-occupiers and rental tenants, and they have awarded the contract through their own Tower Hill Management Company. Principle will commence management from December, also delivering administration services for the management company, acting as its company secretary and providing it with a registe

Should you make your CV stand out from the crowd with colours and graphics?In a day and age with social media, and creativity, where people are told to celebrate individuality, should this transpire to your CV as well? When it comes to applying for job roles, you may be tempted to ‘sex up’ your CV in order for it to stand out from all the other applicants or to catch the employer’s eye, but is this a good idea and will it help? It was a question posed by Jaclyn Thornburn from ARMA last week on Linkedin af