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It’s that time of year again - setting the budget for service charges. Half of the board wants the internal area decorated and the other half wants a more experienced concierge. What are you going to prioritise? You want to meet all of the building demands whilst keeping within budget, but at the same time you don’t want to cut back on quality. Decisions, decisions! But are the two really mutually exclusive? We suggest not. In an independent survey performed by Abbatt Property Services, it was conclude

Everyone who contributes towards estate or service charge expenditure should have an equal and statutory right to demand an accountant’s report prepared under TECH03/11. This was the basis of our response to the recent government consultation, “Tackling unfair practices in the leasehold market” What is a TECH03/11 report? A common complaint made by leaseholders is the poor quality of financial information that they receive. Service charge accounts can lack transparency, be difficult to understand and badl

QUESTION 1 Residential Block A” which is circa 10 years old has never had a service charge increase. According to the lease the service charge amount should be determined by 3 things, cost of contracts in place for maintenance, a reasonable amount to go towards building a reserve and a reasonable amount to remunerate the management company’s agents. As there has not been an increase for 10 years an increase is well overdue. Are we required to consult with the leaseholders regarding any increase or can we

Millstream Management Services (MMS), the leading provider of retirement housing management services in the UK, has celebrated a major milestone as it now manages a total of 150 developments nationwide. Following the commencement of services at Sarum Lodge – a new Churchill Retirement Living development in Salisbury – MMS now manages a total of 5,906 apartments in 150 developments, providing its services to around 7,000 people. The company held a special event for staff and Owners at Sarum Lodge on Tuesda

Allsop is delighted to announce the appointment of Kelly Smith and Matt Smith, who have joined the company’s Letting and Management team. The appointments come as Allsop bolsters its full-circle build to rent offering following an instruction by Moorfield Group funds to manage two large schemes in Manchester and Newcastle, The Trilogy and The Forge, totalling 500+ units. These new hires reflect the growth in demand for Allsop’s build to rent letting and management services and reinforces Allsop’s belief i

QUESTION I am seeking advice as to who is responsible for ensuring that the two entrances to our building conform to the standards for disabled access. The building consists of some 30 flats and occupation is limited to those over 55 years of age. There are a number of communal areas including entrances, corridors, the lounge and the laundry. We have a part-time manager/warden. The building was originally built in the 1980s. There are two entrances to the building but it is impossible for a wheelcha

Macdonald & Company, part of Prime People plc has announced the release of The RICS and Macdonald & Company UK Rewards & Attitudes Survey 2018 Final Report. Peter Moore, Managing Director of Macdonald & Company commented: “Once again, it gives me great pleasure to present the key findings for the 2018 RICS and Macdonald & Company Rewards and Attitudes Survey. The annual survey remains the benchmark survey of remuneration and attitudes across the UK property industry with almost seven thousand respondent

The days are getting longer and lighter and winter is finally starting to release its icy grip. This can only mean one thing…Spring is nearly here! While many of us will take the opportunity to get our flats and apartments in order inside, we tend to neglect the important stuff outside. This is especially important for landlords or owners of apartments and flats who have an obligation to tenants and other residents for maintenance. Your roof is vital all year round and it’s taken a battering from the stor

Some 6% of landlords risk financial penalties and being banned from renting if their properties fall beneath imminent energy efficiency rules. From 1 April 2018, the new regulations have the potential to leave landlords unable to rent their properties and tenants with inflated energy bills. The new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) rules will make it illegal for landlords to sign a new lease for properties with an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of F and G from next month. Those caug

JPC Law are proud to be announce the launch of WILL CHECK WEDNESDAYS  starting next Wednesday 14th March. With changes and complexities within the current legislation, it has become increasingly important to ensure the effectiveness of your will with regards to inheritance tax and the asset structure of your estate. They are offering you the opportunity to have a 30 minute consultation, on any Wednesday between 14th March and 13th April with a member of the wills, trusts and probate team in which they wil

The much-awaited appeal hearing in the cases of Dreamvar (UK) Limited -v- Mishcon De Reya  and others and P & P Property Limited -v- Owen White & Catlin LLP and others has now taken place before the Court of Appeal and the resultant judgment is awaited. There is no doubt that many within the legal world recognise that the result of the appeal, whichever way it goes, is likely to have a significant impact on the law and practice of, in particular, conveyancing.  However, it will inevitably also affect the

The industry’s first property management franchise scheme, SDL Property Partners has had a strong start to the year by signing up two new franchisees and hosting potential property partners at SDL Property: 2018. Joining the “property revolution” by becoming a franchisee for the Croydon area is Sam Kamara, who has 14 years’ worth of experience within the property industry. Speaking about why he decided to join the SDL Property Partners, Sam said: “I am excited about what this unique opportunity has to off