Featured Articles

Get the answers to your questions and stay up to date about apartment building management with our featured articles and NOTB guides, on topics such as service charges, right to manage, buying your freehold, major works, building insurance and other issues about blocks of flats.

Joint call on government to create united approach on spray foam

The HomeOwners Alliance have joined forces with national trade body Property Care Association to call for action on spray foam insulation. Currently around 250,000 UK homes have spray foam insulation – but many homeowners are finding they can’t now sell their property. Spray foam is difficult and expensive to remove once applied, with some vulnerable householders targeted by rogue removal firms. The problems and costs involved are so significant that HomeOwners Alliance has issued a warning to homeowners

CIEH secures Lords discussion of amendments to Renters' Rights Bill on licensing

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) has secured another opportunity for its amendments to the Renters’ Rights Bill on licensing to be discussed in parliament – this time in the House of Lords. Following the organisation’s approach to peers last week, Liberal Democrat peer Lord Shipley has tabled the amendments for discussion at committee stage in the Lords. Lord Shipley is a Vice President of the Local Government Association and a former leader of Newcastle City Council. The move comes

Latest phase of new homes welcomes residents

The latest phase of homes at the award-winning Middlewood Locks in Salford have completed with new residents taking occupation for an exciting start to the new year!  Middlewood Locks is a £1bn regeneration project connecting Salford with Manchester City Centre where a cool new urban neighbourhood is evolving. The sustainable development plan is transforming a disused 25-acre site to ultimately provide 2,215 new homes with 900,000 sq ft of commercial space for offices, a hotel, shops, restaurants, multi-s

Redevelopment of Liverpool City Centre site completed

Columbia Threadneedle Real Estate today announces the completion of the redevelopment of Milliners Yard in Liverpool. Milliners Yard, which was previously the Hughes House warehouse building on London Road in Liverpool, comprises of 258 quality, energy efficient homes targeted at keyworkers, including 144 one-bedroom apartments, 99 two-bedroom apartments and 15 studio apartments. The redevelopment is a prime example of combining urban regeneration with a focus on community, which resulted from the UK priv

Industry Professionals Launch Tailored Management Support Ltd

Industry professionals Emma Peach and Zoe Southwell have joined forces to launch Tailored Management Support Ltd (TMS), an innovative remote property management service designed to provide crucial support to Managing Agents, Freeholders as well as Right to Manage (RTM) or Resident Management Companies (RMCs). Emma Peach, MTPI RICS, founder of Peach Property Consultancy, brings nearly two decades of experience working with and for managing agents. Known for her successful consultancy, Emma’s expertise ensu

Luxury London Apartments Refinanced with £12.9m Loan

18 luxury apartments in Marylebone and Fitzrovia in Central London have been refinanced, thanks to a £12.9m loan from Secure Trust Bank (STB) Real Estate Finance. The collection of properties is split into two portfolios and belongs to Merchant Land, a 30-year-old property developer and investor based in Central London. The two-year residential property investment loan was drawn in November 2024, and it marks the third time that STB Real Estate Finance and Merchant Land have worked together. The apartment

Build to Rent Code of Practice and Customer Charter enter industry consultation phase

The Build to Rent Code of Practice, the Association for Rental Living-led initiative delivered in response to requests from its membership and wider stakeholder groups, has entered a new consultation phase. First launched in March 2024 for road testing by Association for Rental Living members, the Build to Rent Code of Practice has received universal endorsement of its seven principles and rationale. The Code of Practice aims to elevate standards across the Build to Rent sector, establishing a social cont

Preparing for the ADSL switch-off: the transition to full fibre broadband

The global volume of data transmission is skyrocketing, with more data now being sent every ten minutes than existed before 2003. The UK’s copper communications network, in service since 1876, has reached the end of its lifespan, and in less than two years, the nation will bid farewell to its antiquated ADSL network for good.  The transition to full fibre broadband brings faster, more reliable internet, but for housing providers, it also necessitates critical preparations to ensure uninterrupted services.

Peabody and Places for London complete new social rent homes at Barkingside Yard

Social housing in the London Borough of Redbridge has been boosted by the completion of the first 23 of 98 brand new affordable homes at Barkingside Yard, with the remaining homes set to follow in the summer.  The one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes were built by housing association Peabody in partnership with regeneration specialist Vistry Group and Places for London, Transport for London’s wholly owned commercial property company.  This transformation of a former builder’s yard into much-needed affordab

Comment on the Bank of England’s Decision to Lower Interest Rates

Today’s reduction in interest rates is good news for the property industry and the millions of people wishing to move, remortgage or get onto the housing ladder. Acorn Group, and LRG generally, saw positive trading throughout 2024, with sales figures strong and an increasing number of new applicants. Today’s decision is a strong indication that growth is here to stay. It is reassuring to see the BoE’s positive response to both sluggish growth and the welcome news that inflation is easing – as exemplified

Foxtons retains crown as London’s largest agent

Latest industry figures have once again cemented Foxtons as London’s leading lettings and estate agent brand, with the firm dominating the market across the capital with respect to stock levels, sales volumes and lettings instructions. The data comes from renowned industry source, TwentyCi, with the latest figures revealing which agents have performed best in 2024.* The results are comprehensive, to say the least, with Foxtons ranking top of the table across a number of key industry metrics. In 2024,

Grenfell Families Criticise Decision to Demolish Tower

The decision to demolish Grenfell Tower has been met with strong criticism from victims' families and campaigners, who describe it as a "deeply sensitive" issue. The government has previously assured that no changes would be made to the site before the eighth anniversary of the fire, which tragically claimed 72 lives on 14 June 2017. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner confirmed the decision during a meeting with survivors and bereaved families on Wednesday night. Campaigners React to "Painful" Decision G

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