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There has never been a time like we are currently seeing for leasehold.  The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) are undertaking a huge amount of work to seek to improve leasehold in all areas and directions.  We have already had the consultation on ground rents and the responses flooded into DCLG.  The team now have the hard work of reading all responses and collating the information and deciding what to do.   You should be aware that while that is ongoing the Department has launched a

The Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) has recently given its decision in Westmark (Lettings) Limited v Elizabeth Peddle and others [2017] UKUT 449 (LC), where CMS acted for the successful appellant.   The issue before the Upper Tribunal was, put simply, when are relevant costs incurred for the purposes of section 20(B)(1) Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (“LTA 1985”)?   Section 20(B) of the LTA 1985 imposes a time limit on making demands for service charges by providing that a tenant is not liable to pay so much

A survey that asked residents to rate how important the Grenfell Tower tragedy was to them has been slammed as “crass and offensive”.   The questionnaire was sent by The Kensington, Chelsea and Fulham Conservative Association asking residents in the area for their views on the fatal blaze, which claimed 71 lives.   The questionnaire, which is also available online, asks people to rate “how important to you and your family” the disaster and other “local issues” were from 0 to 10. The leaflet, which seeks t

The poor construction of blocks of apartments is to be investigated by government officials in Iran after they collapsed during an earthquake. Reports by several media outlets in the country claim that the building standards of the low-cost flats contributed to the death toll of 530 people.   Critics said that the rush to build low-cost homes on the Mehr housing project had turned the buildings “into coffins for its inhabitants”. President Hassan Rouhani has promised to “identify the culprits” if it emerg

Sweeping reforms to protect leaseholders from the small minority of rogue agents and create a fairer property management system has been announced by a government minister.   Communities secretary Sajid Javid made the announcement at a keynote speech at the Association of Residential Managing Agents’ (ARMA) annual conference. He said that the government was seeking views on whether a regulatory overhaul was needed to improve professionalism in the sector and to protect consumers from unfair costs and prac

Police have confirmed that the final death toll from the Grenfell Tower tragedy was 71. Officials say that after five months of  painstaking search and recovery operations they believe they have found and identified all those who died during June’s horrific blaze.    Although the initial figure was expected to exceed 80, police said that the figure had reduced because some people had been reported missing several times and some of those who lived in the block had been elsewhere on the night of the traged

The Managing Director of property management company FirstPort Bespoke Property Services has stepped down.   Sue Petri had spearheaded “large and complex and luxury brands” for the Brighton-based firm and had delivered growth and improved the quality of service over five years. Sue, who will leave on January 12, 2018 – said she had recently taken stock of her life as she was spending the working week away from her Gloucestershire home.   She added: “I am proud of what we achieved together at FirstPort Bes

People living in a block of flats say they believe their lives are in imminent danger as a fire crew is keeping a 24-hour watch on the cladded building since the Grenfell disaster.   Residents of Nova House in Slough, Berkshire, say they fell uneasy  as the block is guarded round-the-clock by at least one fire engine and three firefighters – which is costing at least £1,500 a day.    The decision to base a fire crew on standby came after it was discovered the block was using the same cladding as that on G

A new relativity graph that provides leasehold flat owners with a  “fairer and more reliable” valuation for their lease extensions has been launched.   The LV2017 Relativity Graph is the first developed to better represent the perspective of flat owners rather than freeholders. Produced by Leasehold Valuers with a statistics specialist at the London School of Economics, the graph determines how much a leaseholder must pay to their freeholder to extend the lease on their flat. The leasehold enfranchisement

The majority of the UK’s property and facilities management companies admit that they are failing to harness technology successfully.   Only 5% of 960 real estate and facilities management professionals questioned in a special research project believed they were tech pacesetters.   The results of the research released by Qube Global Software reveal a significant proportion of the sector will be left playing catch-up with related technological applications. Just 20% of those who responded to the research b

A Nazi-built holiday camp planned by Adolf Hitler has been transformed into plush apartments worth £500,000. The luxury resort on Rugen, a German island in the Baltic Sea, had lain in ruin after building work was abandoned in 1939 when World War Two broke out.   It was planned to be the ultimate place for the German elite and holidaymakers. Now, the camp has been transformed with apartments boasting huge swimming pools.    The resort — which ended up being left as a drab, concrete shell — stretches a stag

Property management company Rendall & Rittner has snapped up residential management services firm Braemar Estates.    London-based Rendall & Rittner — which has offices across the UK – agreed the deal after buying the entire share capital of the company from asset management firm Brooks Macdonald Group.    Braemar Estates manages a portfolio of 5,000 residential, commercial and mixed-use properties across Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Birmingham, Bristol and London, with a combined value in excess of £1.2