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The RICS and Macdonald & Company Rewards and Attitudes Survey 2017 is now live. Again we have partnered with News on the Block and the IRPM to gather metrics that are specific to residential block management. Last year was the sectors first inclusion in the survey and we had a great response and we hope to do even better this year. Last year’s metrics were very London-centric and this was due to low responses in other regions. If you are in Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and you want to have a greater unde

QUESTION    ll the lessees of a conversion have the Freehold and Right to Manage of a block of 6 small flats in an old Tudor style building, and one of the tenants has installed a TV sky satellite dish on the front wall of the building without permission.  It is very unsightly and in mid-August we wrote to him nicely explaining that he was in breach of his lease and requested that he remove the dish by  the end of September.  That deadline passed without any communication or action, the dish remained in p

If you ask a thousand landlords what happens to service charges when a property is sold, odds are the majority believe arrears will pass to the new buyer.   This is not necessarily the case. The case needs to be considered for: Old tenancies (those granted before 1 January 1996); and New tenancies (granted on or after 1 January 1996) OLD TENANCIES: Prior to the assignment, the assignee (incoming tenant) has neither privity of estate nor privity of contract with the Landlord.  There is no rea

It is not uncommon for leaseholders to be unhappy with their service charges, whether it be because they are too high or they do not feel it is value for money. Leaseholders often believe that exercising their Right to Manage under the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 will solve this problem, but is this really the case? The RTM company effectively steps into the shoes of the landlord. Therefore the RTM company will be responsible for complying with the contractual provisions of the all the l

We are delighted to announce the Winners for the Property Management Awards 2016. The winners were announced on the 1st December at an awards ceremony and dinner at Wembley Stadium. Thank you to all those who attended - you made it a magical, unforgettable night! Over 730 braced Wembley's doors making it our biggest PMAs yet and what a night it was. Our fabulous circus came to life with our amazing aerial artists and band, Get Funked but most importantly, the night was all about our attendees, finalist

This day last year at the News on the Block Property Management Awards I spoke about the pipeline my son's friends were aiming to build to get water for the first time to 18,000 people in Ethiopia and we watched a video.    Well today we signed the contract to start building it this month   So a big round of applause and a thank you from the MediOliver Foundation. To find out more about the MediOliver Foundation and to support them please click here.   Mary-Anne Bowring, Ringley Limited

The question was recently looked at by the High Court in relation to a large Docklands development. The tenant was selling off several of its 42 flats which were held on 999 year leases.  Under the terms of the lease, the tenant was required to obtain the consent of the landlord (which was not to be unreasonably withheld).  As a condition of the consent the landlord required payment of all the arrears plus an administration fee of £1,250.  The tenant paid without any complaint on the first flat.  He then

Rebecca Heeles joins Earl Kendrick’s Major Works team led by Henry Grant. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Building Surveying, and already has extensive experience in the public and private sectors, as well as a passion for the historic built environment. She is particularly skilled in Contract Administration and preparing specifications and tender documentation,as well as undertaking building inspections. Away from work, she enjoys playing sports and spending time with her family. Rebecca looks forward to being

The UK’s largest property management firm, FirstPort, has appointed Mandy Ferries as the new Director of Human Resources. She will lead and support FirstPort’s 3,200 members of staff based at sites across the UK. Mandy joins from Amazon, where she supported the company’s international human resources programme responsible for European customer service, as well as other global HR projects. Prior to Amazon, she was Head of HR for JD Wetherspoon Plc for nearly 10 years providing HR support for 25,000 employe

Case law developments emanating from the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) continued at a brisk pace during 2016. The highlighted decisions below, set out in no particular order, will continue to be cited by legal practitioners, landlords, leaseholders and other interested parties for some time and remain reference points for the foreseeable future. Willow Court Management Company (1985) Ltd v Mrs Ratna Alexander [2016] UKUT 0290 (LC) The Upper Tribunal listed three appeals together in order to consider, for

ARMA (the Association of Residential Managing Agents) set out its stall for the future at its 21st Annual Conference held in the iconic Grand Connaught Rooms, London, on 10th November 2016. Moderated by journalist and broadcaster Joshua Rozenberg, and attended by 670 property management professionals, the event has grown to become the residential leasehold sector’s largest annual gathering. The theme for the day “Raising Our Voice” reflected the Association’s ambitions to increase its brand awareness, mai

QUESTION We manage a block of flats in South Manchester.  One of the owners has been jailed for several years and his wife remained in the flat.  However, we have received no service charge since he was sent away (he used to pay us cash each half year).  The property is not subject to a mortgage. We have gone down the usual route of asking our Solicitor to obtain a ccj for service charge arrears but he has discovered that the police have put a proceeds of crime restriction order on the title.  He says