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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

A London apartment block described as “the UK’s most notorious address” is to be transformed in a £400m overhaul. The owners of Dolphin Square in Pimlico — which has been associated with several scandals — have unveiled plans to add 200 new flats and refurbish all 13 “houses” in the 1,200-apartment complex.    As part of the proposal from architects Eric Parry, 7,000 windows will be replaced and a gym and offices will be built underground. The 7.5-acre complex was built in 1937 and quickly became popular

We are delighted to announce the winners of the Property Management Awards 2017!  Thank you to all those who attended the awards ceremony on 30th November - you made it a magical, unforgettable night! Over 800 braced Supernova's doors making it our biggest PMAs yet and what a night it was! We would like to take this opportunity to thank our Judges, Mike Basquill, Richard Berridge, Andrew Bulmer, Ruth Campbell, Ian Fletcher and Bob Smytherman. Last but not least, we would like to thank all of our wonderful

The property industry is a diverse field that includes amongst other things planning, organising, designing, constructing and conveyancing. It’s global, and therefore it involves people of different education and social backgrounds. The property industry is a bridge between the financial sector and the built environment. When I went to university, at London South Bank, they taught us a lot of good things. These include the practical elements I use daily in my job, for example •   Research •   Measurement

Introduction As landlords, tenants, management companies and managing agents, if you own property or act in property matters you will need legal advice and assistance at some stage.  It may be a simple one-off piece of advice or it may be a more involved matter.  Where do you go?   How do you know that the solicitor on the other end of the telephone will have the experience you need? First Call One would expect the first point of call to be your existing solicitor.   As they will have acted for you in t

‘Unfair!’ shouted the leaseholders; ‘unclear!’ shouted the professional advisors when the additional 3% rate of SDLT was introduced and applied to certain lease extension transactions. Following the Government’s introduction of the higher rate of SDLT, an additional 3% SDLT surcharge applied to lease extensions at a property which was not your only property when the agreed premium was £40,000 or more.  Now, the Government has announced in the Autumn 2017 Budget that, from 22 November 2017, it will grant r

In the Tribunal, experts need to know what a successful outcome looks like. If you consult a life coach, or listen to a motivational speaker, it will be more than likely that within their repertoire of “take away” one liners, the mantra of “you need to know what success looks like” will be high up on their list of ways to achieve your goals, ambitions and even perhaps even enlightenment. As expert advisors, that mantra should be our driving force. If followed, not only is it of great reputational value, i

Almost 3 years ago Adiuvo were fortunate to have an application for a part time customer service position. The applicant, Manas was in Ireland studying for his Masters and had experience if not in actual property management, then in running outbound call centres in India where he is originally from. Over the first year Manas continued part time, working the 20 hours his visa allowed and began to learn about the UK property market and emergency maintenance associated with same whilst he taught us as much o