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Realty Management have been voted as the highly commended winner of Larger sized Managing Agent of the Year 2019 in the UK at the annual Association of Residential Managing Agents' (ARMA) ACE awards. The winners of the awards were revealed at a glittering ceremony on Friday 5th July 2019 at Tobacco Dock in London’s east end.  Attended by 500 industry professionals, the Awards celebrate excellence and exceptional achievement by the UK's leading residential managing agents, partners and suppliers, and the w

The great news is that if you had bought a flat in a development run by a Residents Management Company, you arguably have the most control over the future management of your property. Given the current discussion regarding freeholders, ground rents and government regulation, this can only be a positive for you. In this article, we are going to explain what a residents management company is and 5 ways for you to get the most from yours. Let’s start with the basics, what is a Residents Management Company? A

The term 'leasehold reform' is most commonly being used to refer to the government's current proposals to rework enfranchisement and commonhold legislation. However, in fact the proposed changes go even deeper into the leasehold system than might first be apparent, with the most recent consultation focusing upon the private rented sector in particular. Firstly, and to understand why the current proposals may seem unprogressive, it helps to remind ourselves of some key dates in the evolution of private sec

Industry-leading repairs and maintenance management software provider, Fixflo, launched an annual leasehold and block management survey on 22 July, 2019, amidst the controversial discussions about commonhold and the overall leasehold reform.   The Fixflo Leasehold and Block Management Market Report 2019 aims to understand the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for property professionals in the sector. With a myriad of external challenges such as leasehold reform, the regulation of managing agen

A case that The Property Ombudsman was asked to review came from a leaseholder.  The agent was instructed by the freeholder to provide a management service in respect of the block in which the property was situated. Installation of water meters The leaseholder complained that the agent did not consult her about the installation of communal water meters, saying that the agent did not provide clear responses in a timely manner to her queries about the installation of the meters and the effect this would hav

Surveying and property management firm Scanlans has strengthened its Leeds office with two appointments.   The new recruits are property manager Shabnam Shahid and commercial surveyor Mark Williams, who each have extensive experience of the Yorkshire market. Shabnam has joined Scanlans from Leeds-based Watson Property Management, where she worked for more than five years.   Mark has moved from Dacres Commercial, which has six offices in Yorkshire. The appointments come amid strong growth for Scanlans. The

A decade ago you’d be hard-pressed to find any resident management company who knew or cared about what broadband infrastructure was available across their estate/s. Fast forward ten years and it’s become one of the biggest bug-bears for tenants, which means it’s now very much hitting the top of their agenda.  The fact is access good quality digital infrastructure is a priority for home-movers. It’s no longer a nicety – it can seriously impact the decision-making process as much as proximity to good schoo

When it comes to choosing the right agent to manage your property, upper most in anyone’s mind will be - how protected is your investment? So how can you tell the gurus from the blaggers when most companies appear to make the same promises and offer the same services? At face value any company can have a glowing website, and make all the right noises to fuel your interest, so at what point do you get to feel comfortable about who you’re talking to? These 5 questions are essential to help you make that rig

The leasehold system has come under an intense spotlight over the past two years with a clear consensus emerging that measured reforms are required to bring the regulations around the tenure into the 21st Century. This sentiment has been fuelled largely by the issue of onerous ground rents, which while only affecting a small fraction of the UK’s four million leaseholders, has been a systemic failure which the media, industry stakeholders and policymakers have attempted to address. There is no doubt that t

Equistone Partners Europe Limited (“Equistone”), the European mid-market private equity investor, announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire FirstPort, a leading UK residential property management company, from Epiris and Chamonix Private Equity. Following this change of ownership, FirstPort’s incumbent management team will remain invested in the business and continue to pursue the same customer-focused strategy. The financial terms of the deal are undisclosed and completion of the transaction r

Decisions concerning the new Telecoms Code are now being issued thick and fast by the Tribunal, with three decisions in April 2019 and one in May 2019. We explore the new decisions below to find out what they mean for landowners.  Of the April decisions, two touch on the same point; whether Code rights could be ordered to be granted over land already occupied for the purpose (in specific factual circumstances), with the third dealing with rights to require apparatus to be removed to facilitate access to a

Based within property management company FirstPort’s Greater London region, Mark will be leading a team of Development and Property Managers from Heathrow to Dartford. He previously worked as an Area Manager for FirstPort’s Retirement division where he worked in Ramsgate and Sydenham  for four years. Prior to this he was a Store Manager for Dunelm, for six years. Nygel Scourfield, Managing Director of Property Services for FirstPort said: “Mark’s appointment from retirement to the Property Services divisi