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Criminal landlords and letting agents in London who exploit tenants are to be ‘named and shamed’ on a new online database in a bid to give protection to the capital’s private renters.    Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced that London Boroughs will work in partnership to build the database, which will be published on the Mayor’s website when it is launched in the autumn.   He believes that allowing renters to check a prospective landlord or lettings agent will give people more confidence in ren

A developer is to offer flat owners free Uber rides in their rent if they are willing to give up their parking spaces.    Moda Living will give tenants up to £100 in credit each month to spend on rides with the app-based taxi firm.   The company wants few or no parking spaces so it can free up space for other facilities such as gyms, cinemas and swimming pools. Moda Living’s managing director Johnny Caddick said: “The plans for a partnership with Uber will not only give our customers an affordable ride at

A landlord who argued that a 12-month contract with managing agents could be terminated within the 12-month period has lost an appeal against an earlier tribunal decision.   The upper tribunal in Corvan (Properties) Ltd v Abdel-Mahmoud [2017] UKUT 0228 (LC), backed a first tier tribunal’s (FTT) ruling that the wording in the contract meant it was a qualifying long term agreement (QLTA).   The landlord entered into the contract with the managing agents and the term was stated in Clause 5 of the agreement w

Anna Favre has been named the Real Estate Lawyer of the Year for the second year running in the Women in Law Awards.   A partner in the residential estate team at PG Law, which is based in Chelsea, Anna has scooped a host of accolades since qualifying in 2004, including News on the Block’s Hot 100 list in 2014 and 2015.

A city council that charged the leaseholder of a flat for improvement works to their block despite it being funded by a community energy grant has lost a court battle.   Sheffield City Council challenged an earlier tribunal decision in the Court of Appeal which ruled it could not bill the leaseholder for the cost of the work that had been covered by the grant, as it amounted to "double recovery".    The court heard that the council had overhauled blocks on two social housing estates, and had struck an £2.

Property managers must start to build trust with their customers and stop hiding behind the complexities of contracts, legalities and liabilities when dealing with tenants, a briefing paper has demanded.   The paper by property management group FirstPort Property Services was released last month for an audience of leading residential property management professionals.  Co-hosted with The Institute of Customer Service and Four Seasons Hotels, the meeting was told that property managers should shift the ser

Two teenagers sadly died when the bottom of a glass state-of-the-art lift at a block of luxury flats caved in.   The couple, both aged 17, had just stepped into the elevator on the ninth floor of the Madrid block when the lift mysteriously gave way.   Initial reports suggest the sides and floor of the lift were constructed of glass and one of the panels shattered or dropped out last month.   As a result, the teenagers plummeted down the shaft and died as a result of multiple injuries.   Authorities say th

Nationwide Building Society has a portfolio of ground rents worth more than £54m – despite it publicly attacking builders who sell freeholds, it has been claimed.    There has been a groundswell of opinion against developers over the past couple of years for selling freeholds to investors. The issue has been discussed in Parliament over the past six months and following media reports earlier this year, the building society attacked investors for charging exorbitant ground rents. However, its own staff-pen

Alex Greenslade, Chairman of enfranchisement experts Leasehold Solutions, collected the Outstanding Achievement Award at this year's prestigious Enfranchisement Right to Manage Awards (ERMAS) 2017. ERMAS 2017 took place at London's exclusive 8 Northumberland Avenue, and recognised professional excellence in leasehold reform and enfranchisement. Awarded to industry professionals working in enfranchisement or right to manage, the Outstanding Achievement Award recognises those individuals who have made an ex

In the light of the horrific fire in West London in June, it is time to overhaul the fire assessment regime for flats says 1st Sure MD Paul Robertson The tragic event at Grenfell Tower will haunt many of us for some time. For those working in the residential property sector the fire - described even by the emergency services as “unprecedented” - raises a number of difficult questions. I have been asked several times in the last few days what insurers are going to do in response to concerns over the claddi

In the early hours of the morning of Wednesday 14th June 2017 a fire started in a fourth floor flat within Grenfell Tower, West London. The numbing and harrowing events that unfolded in the short time after shocked the world and perhaps led us all to question our confidence in the safety of our built environment.   The live images were broadcast as we watched in horror, agonising for those trapped and witnessing homes and lives consumed by fire.   We are all fortunate enough to live in a world where such

The recent fire in Grenfell Tower in West London provoked a lot of comments in the media. A thought should be shared with those affected, as losing a loved one must be the most unsettling of events that anyone can suffer. This impact on individuals will remain for the rest of their lives, long after the public outcry has passed and is without measure the most significant impact of this fire.   For the moment a lot is written about the events, its causes and what the fallout might be. This will be a comple