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Sixty-nine per cent of MPs believe additional higher-rate council tax bands would be a better way to reform annual property taxes on high-value homes than introducing a mansion tax. That’s according to a poll commissioned by the British Property Federation (BPF), which revealed that 39% of Labour MPs surveyed favour additional higher-rate council tax bands over a mansion tax. Just over half (56%) thought a mansion tax would be preferable. The majority (89%) of Liberal Democrat MPs surveyed also prefer a

The Deposit Protection Service (DPS) is encouraging landlords and tenants to submit evidence on time during tenancy disputes after figures revealed that large numbers failed to do so during 2014. The DPS says that 17.63% of landlords required to submit evidence after agreeing to dispute resolution either missed their deadline or sent in nothing during 2014, meaning an automatic ruling or pay out for the tenant. Meanwhile the figure was higher for tenants, at 22.86%. Alexandra Coghlan-Forbes, Head of Adj

QUESTION  We are residents [leasehold owners] of a flat. We have had a leakage problem from the exterior walls for more than a year. The water seeps into the interior walls and ceiling causing the walls to be damp when it rains. This leads to lots of mould on the walls. The Managing Agent emailed us on 11 Dec 2013 to say the external work was completed. When we checked, we saw a tiny fraction of the wall was patched up, and only on one side. In January 2014, the Managing Agent called in a surveyor who

QUESTION Am I correct in saying that a management company, such as ourselves, does not have to consult flat owners in relation to discrete set of works even if the cost per flat owner is more than £250 if either: 1. The work to be carried out is governed by the lease such as a repairing lease (e.g. external repainting of the flat complex every five years, as is the case with our company), or 2. The cost of the work carried out is paid for from the management company's reserves which have been built up

QUESTION I live in a block where I had a leak from the flat roof due to the chutes. My blinds and Persian carpet were damaged and I need to know if I can hold the directors responsible as they have known about this problem for a long time now. ANSWER Although you have advised the directors of the problems this in itself does not necessarily mean you can successfully claim against them for failing to resolve the issue. As directors they are responsible to all members of the residents association, if the

Caxtons, Residential Management Group (RMG) and Braemar Estates are among the latest managing agents to achieve ARMA-Q accreditation. ARMA-Q is designed to raise standards and quality of service across the residential leasehold management sector. To gain accreditation, managing agents must demonstrate that they comply with more than 160 rigorous industry standards, and it is only awarded to companies that meet top standards and levels of customer care. Despite collecting over a billion pounds in service

Specialist blocks of flats insurance broker Deacon, part of the Arthur J. Gallagher group, has created DEACONlink, its first online quote and buy website for smaller blocks of up to 20 flats. DEACONlink aims to dispense with the often time-consuming need to make multiple phone calls or trawl several websites to get quotes. Quotes can often be obtained within as little as five minutes, and Deacon is also authorised to issue policy documents and process claims on behalf of some insurers. DEACONlink polici

Lending to borrowers with deposits worth 15% or less of their property’s value showed a 5% month-on-month increase in December. There were 8,370 loan approvals made for higher LTV borrowers (typically first-time buyers), representing a 0.9% year-on-year improvement compared to 8,294 in December 2013. As a proportion of total home purchase approvals, the number of borrowers in the higher LTV bracket has risen slightly month-on-month to 13.59% from November (13.5%). Despite this, they still have not return

There were nearly 34,000 fewer home purchase mortgage approvals in the second half of 2014 than the first half as the lending recovery stalled following regulatory change, according to the latest Mortgage Monitor from e.surv. In total, there were 370,184 house purchase approvals in H2, 2014 – a fall of 8.1% from the H1 2013 when there were 402,808 approvals, and an even larger decrease of 8.4% from 404,058 in H1 2014. Total house purchase lending for December stood at 60,217, a 16.6% year-on-year fall fr

The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2015 took place in Las Vegas last month, offering a glimpse of some of the technology that could soon be making people’s lives easier around the home. Among the exhibits was the Eve Room from Elgato, which gathers data on air quality, temperature, humidity, air pressure, energy and water consumption in your home. There were smartphone-controlled lightbulbs which also act as security cameras, extend Wi-Fi signals and even play music, and sensors for detect

The financial controller of a firm of estate agents is facing a prison sentence after being convicted of stealing £1.3 million from the company. Blackfriars Crown Court heard how Karen Chin, who worked for Hurford Salvi Carr in Clerkenwell, London, diverted clients’ money to her own bank accounts between 2008 and 2013. She used the money to buy luxury goods including jewellery, handbags and clothes, and to pay for holidays and rental of a private plane. However, she was sacked from her job in 2013 after

A pilot scheme which requires landlords of residential properties to carry out right to rent checks of all proposed occupiers has been launched in the West Midlands. Landlords will have to make checks into the immigration status of all potential tenants or face a £3,000 penalty for each illegal occupier. Under the Immigration Act 2014, landlords are prohibited from letting residential properties to adult illegal migrants, except in certain circumstances. It is expected the Home Office will evaluate the