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As the country is increasingly developed and becomes covered by roads, pavements, and buildings, this increases the load we place on our struggling sewer network, treatment systems and watercourses from pollutants originating on the traditionally drained impermeable surfaces. At Albany Surveyors many of our Clients are striving to reduce their environmental impact. One way to achieve this is to lay permeable paving, patios and/or driveways. Permeable paving is a relatively recent introduction and is one o

Millstream Management Services (MMS), the leading provider of retirement housing management services in the UK, has appointed Wendy Martin as its new Area Manager for the South. Wendy will be responsible for MMS’ team of Lodge Managers across its Southern region, managing retirement properties for a mixture of large and small developers, Housing Associations, Right to Manage (RTM) companies, Residents Management companies (RMC's) and investors. Wendy is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Housing and h

Join Doyenne & YLP Summer Party on Tuesday 19th June at Jaks Mayfair for networking drinks until 9pm and then a DJ until 1am and yes, “Boyennes” are invited! When: 19 June 2018, 18:30 – 01:00 Where: Jaks Mayfair 43 S Molton St, Mayfair, London W1K 5RS, UK Follow the link below to secure your FREE ticket, these events sell out in record time so don’t miss out... https://www.leaseholdsocial.com/events

Ground rents have created quite the scandal, predominately focussed on leasehold houses, however attention has also shifted to the ground rent attributed to leasehold flats. The Communities Secretary announced new measures to crack down on what he coined abusive and unfair practices within the leasehold sector and it will be interesting to witness how, and if, these measures are implemented. In the interim the leasehold sector has continued seemingly unaffected. We must consider, that with the introducti

Property management and surveying firm Scanlans has strengthened its Leeds team with the appointment of Michael Willans as a senior property manager. Michael, 43, has more than 20 years’ experience of residential block management. He was previously a senior property manager at Hunters RBM in Elland, West Yorkshire. Before that he was a team leader at Eddisons in Leeds and then a director at Town & City Management in Darlington. He takes on a business development role at Scanlans as well as property manage

Right to acquire communal gardens and other appurtenant property The participating tenants in a collective claim are entitled to claim in addition to the freehold of the building, the freehold of property which at the relevant date the qualifying tenants are entitled under the terms of their flats leases to use in common. This property may comprise estate roads and paths, a communal garden, a swimming pool, a bin store etc. Landlord’s right to defeat the claim by offering rights in lieu However, by s. 1(4

Leaseholders who exercise their collective right to acquire the freehold of their block of flats often do so, at least in part, to rid themselves of their freeholder, with whom relations have deteriorated beyond the point of no return. In fact, it’s not necessarily the case that the freeholder’s influence will be removed entirely. For example, the freeholder may seek to exercise its right to acquire a 999 year leaseback of any unit which is not let to a qualifying tenant of a flat in the building. This mi

Short leases are an all too common problem for owners of flats when they come to sell their property. The root of the problem is that a lease is a wasting asset, which means that as time goes on it loses value. Even as prices in the property market rise, a flat with a shorter lease will be worth less than a comparable flat with a longer lease. This issue has come into sharp focus in recent years as the drive for leasehold reform has emerged from relative obscurity to become mainstream news. Gone are the d

Residential property management firm Block Management UK Ltd has doubled staff presence at its newest offices in Ipswich, Suffolk, as part of a focus on improving and expanding its services across East Anglia. The Sudbury-based firm believes that the region offers opportunities for growth.   Director David Collinson said;   “Across the region we see some exciting activity in residential building and infrastructure. Norfolk has a high rate of residential building completions. The East of England Co-op is c

Although there is greater awareness about leases with high ground rents and the effect these can have on values, many leaseholders still feel trapped in properties  with a lease worth less than they paid for it and they can’t sell on. If this applies to you, you should be aware of your options. If you purchased the property from the developer and are the original leaseholder, you may find that the landlord will be prepared to vary the terms of the lease and may have put aside funds in order to put this is

A common misconception when people purchase their freeholds is they believe it to be the end of the story. This is often not the case and steps should be taken to protect the position. Why do you need new leases if you have bought your freehold? Although you may own the freehold of your building, the original leases remain in place. They cannot be “cancelled” as they regulate the legal relationship between the flat owners and the freehold company. Taxation Issues The usual position when purchasing the fre

Since 2002, leaseholders have had the legal right to take responsibility for managing their block under the Right to Manage. They are free to engage the services of a property manager of their choice or to self-manage their development. So far so good, but as Urban Owners point out in their online guide to RTM, with control comes responsibility. Once the RTM company has been set up, the directors must take on a number of obligations on behalf of their fellow flat owners. These responsibilities include: -