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Evicting a tenant is often a difficult and drawn out process for residential landlords. Of course, landlords must comply with requisite notice periods and issue proceedings (mostly in the County Court) with a view to obtaining a warrant of possession of the rental property; a process which often takes several months in itself. Even after the warrant has been obtained, however, a residential landlord will often wait many weeks, if not months, for an appointment from a County Court Bailiff to attempt evicti

A recent “State of the Property Management Nation” survey revealed that the sector has enjoyed rapid growth over recent years. The demand for capable candidates, experienced in block management, is far out-stripping supply. It does, of course, take many years of dealing with every aspect of the job from issuing section 20’s and representing at the FTT, to briefing contractors and scrutinising tender documents, before a candidate truly becomes an industry professional. So the high-level candidate, with t

Are you the ‘Responsible Person’, accountable for maintaining effective fire protection systems in a residential block? If so, do you know the life expectancy of your fire detection and alarm (FD&A) system(s) and who can provide you with the information? The expectation is that the equipment manufacturer will be the best source of information on the expected lifetime for a particular product.  Manufacturers are also likely to have an obsolescence policy regarding spares and may offer support for maintenan

QUESTION We will be grateful if you could help us to deal with the insurance problem with our landlord. We are a block of 183 flats. Recently we heard from our landlord that the lease states that the landlord is responsible for insuring the building with the insurance company and the broker of their choice. We have now come to learn that at least the broker share the same building as the landlord and we think that the landlord owns the broker firm anyway. Coming to the point, the premium offered to us, t

Nuno Mendez of the Chiltern Firehouse, spoke at the Financial Times conference earlier this year on how a destination restaurant can have a positive effect on a neighborhood. Property developers are now focusing their efforts on finding the next celebrity chefs to open restaurants in their developments. East London is now one of the most exciting areas in Europe for food, culture and fun. This is all good news and could be a recipe for success for developers but mixing commercial, retail and residential n

When to extend your Lease? If your lease is approaching 80 years remaining or less; and/or You are considering selling the property in the near future; and/or You want to maximise the value of the Property The best time to extend your lease is before the remaining years reach 80 years or less. Once the remaining lease term is below 80 years, the Landlord is entitled to claim 'marriage value' which will increase the premium you will pay. The more years left on your lease, the lower the premium will be

QUESTION I have the following questions relating to the Freehold Purchase where I live, as collective enfranchisement has been proposed. The building: The building is made up of 150+ apartments. The building is a converted hospital (building). The building, all flats, have a 990 year Lease. The buildings are Grade 11 Listed. Does this mean the freehold cannot be purchased? . Qualifying Leaseholders At least 50% of the Enfranchisement cooperative must be qualifying tenants. Are "Buy to rent" landlords cl

QUESTION I recently found out that I only have 46 years remaining on my lease in my one bed flat and it will cost me £60k to extend the lease to 100 years. I cannot sell the property without the full lease in case someone needs to take out a mortgage on it. I was wondering if there is a way to fund this in order for me to sell the property.  My credit is not very good therefore I am unable to remortgage or obtain a secured loan. I have 2 children, therefore need to sell and move into a bigger place as soo

Concern has, over a number of years now been growing surrounding homeowners pursuing boundary disputes through the courts.  The reasons for the concern centre on the ever increasing costs associated with court proceedings and that such costs very often outweigh the value of the property in dispute. Whilst courts do increasingly encourage use of alternative forms of dispute resolution once litigation is underway between parties such as mediation, the best outcome for neighbours in dispute is often not to l

Background The Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015 (“MEES Regulations”) are an attempt by the government to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, which are a major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, by setting a minimum acceptable standard.  The MEES Regulations are aimed at private rented properties (both residential and commercial). Under the MEES Regulations, the energy efficiency of a property is recorded in an Energy Performance Certificate (“E

News on the Block talks to Simon Crewe, Managing Director of Millstream Management Services (MMS), the leading provider of retirement housing management services in the UK.  1. What inspired you to get involved in the retirement sector? There is no denying it is a rapidly growing sector and it is one where the customer’s needs really do have to come first. Where will our rapidly growing older population live as they get older, how will we look after them and how can we help them enjoy an active and indepe

What are Leasehold Ground Rents? An annual sum payable to the Freeholder/Landlord on leasehold properties (flats or houses). The Ground Rent payable for a property is governed by the terms of the Lease. Historically, Ground Rents were a modest/nominal annual sum. It is common for Ground Rents to rise gradually over the Lease term to reflect inflation (e.g. every 25 years), however, recently Freeholders/Developers have started to introduce more onerous Ground Rents with more frequent increases. Leasehold H