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Yashmin Mistry, Partner at JPC Law highlights an area of law of interest to tenants when they are fed up with poor management and the building does not comply with the criteria required to purchase the freehold or exercise the right to manage – The Right to Appoint a Manager and/or Receiver.   A common complaint of tenants is that their property has been badly managed and/or the landlord is collecting excessive amounts of service/administration charges.  To deal with these problems, the First Tier Tribuna

In contrast to the supply contracts for individual flats, energy contracts covering the supplies to communal areas are classed as business contracts as the contracting party is almost always a company, as opposed to an individual resident. As such, unless the usage level at a particular meter is below the 'de-minimis' threshold specified by HMRC (currently under 12,000 kWh per year for electricity and 52,764 kWh per year for gas), then suppliers will charge VAT @ 20% as default. In addition, they will cha

Congratulations – you have just enfranchised the block of flats in which you live and you are now a proud member of the freehold company. Or perhaps you have just completed a successful Right to Manage claim and you are now in control of the management of the block. So, erm… now what? Acquiring the Management Function There are two ways in which the tenants may acquire responsibility for the management of their building – by enfranchisement pursuant to the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development A

OakNorth – the bank for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs – has provided £2m of debt finance to Warwick Estates, one of the UK’s largest property management companies which last year gained investment from Sir Rod Aldridge, the founder of Capita. The £2m financing represents the first phase of a new relationship between OakNorth and Warwick Estates. The finance provided by OakNorth will be used to implement a ‘buy & build’ strategy to consolidate a highly fragmented market. Warwick’s ambitions are to acquir

The property management industry is now all too aware of the devastating consequences of a building which is not fire-safe, particularly where, as has been alleged following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the cause was defective cladding. Most landlords of blocks which use the same cladding are keen to replace or modernise aspects of the buildings to prevent, insofar as is possible, further disaster. Where a building is identified as needing remedial works to rectify any fire concerns, but at the same time t

This year we will be publishing our annual Hot 100 feature which highlights some of the most influential people within the Property Management industry. We have listened to your feedback and are now accepting submissions for the Hot 100 2018 until 1st June 2018, in order to give everyone across the industry sufficient time to put themselves forward. If you would also like to nominate someone who you think deserves to be included this year please send us their name, contact details and reasons why you t

For leaseholders wanting control over the day-to-day management of their block, obtaining ‘the Right to Manage’ is an option that can do exactly what it says on the tin. Anyone buying a leasehold property should go into it with his or her eyes open, yet even the most well informed leaseholder can feel frustrated at the lack of control over day-to-day decisions over how their property is managed, and the service charge budget allocated. By applying for the Right to Manage (RTM), leaseholder owners can take

So you have been tasked to find the perfect candidate for your organisation, but the journey is long and the road is hard. In a competitive and candidate- driven market like today’s property industry, you need to know exactly how to attract the best talent and persuade them choose you above your competitors.   Sell, sell, sell The balance of power has changed and as an employer you need to sell the job to the candidate as much as the candidate has to sell him/herself to you. Find out what makes the candid

Panel power “If you’ve got a small budget but big ideas for your interiors, one of the money-saving tricks I’ve used in the past is to create panels of wallpaper,” says Julia. “It works really well! “Rather than papering a whole room or a whole wall you can choose to use just one single roll that you really love – and, as you’re only using the one, this could be a relatively expensive one if you wish. “Once you’ve found the right design for you, create panels on the walls with it. If you’re very practical

This is not an uncommon scenario for RTM companies and is something that can have a substantial impact on a block’s cash flow, as highlighted in the recent case of Gibbs v Clevedon Court. By way of reminder, right to manage is a group right for qualifying leaseholders of flats to manage the development in which they live. Once the RTM has been acquired, the management functions transfer from the freeholder to the RTM company, which can then either manage the block or appoint a managing agent. A key functi

Working in property management means you can be sure of one thing; you need to know a lot about a lot. Coupled with the fact that our industry is constantly evolving, makes continual learning imperative to the success of our people, our companies and our industry.   However, in the age of busy-ness, finding the time, or the inclination, for professional development is more challenging than ever. Drowned in ‘to dos’, cultivating knowledge can often just be a good intention. With access to more information

JPC Law is celebrating its 10 year anniversary this year and are delighted to be going into 2018 as a full service firm having been joined by Andrew Morgan as Head of Company and Commercial and Julie Edmonds, Senior Associate specialising in Employment matters. Commercial Practice Group leader Steven Porter says ‘We are delighted to be joined in our Commercial Practice Group by Andrew and Julie. Each brings with them a wealth of experience, specialism and enthusiasm for their respective roles and we are e