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FirstPort has appointed Kelly Fox as Business Development Manager. Fox has more than ten years’ experience in the industry, and joins FirstPort after 18 months as New Business & Marketing Manager at Michael Laurie Magar (MLM). Before her stint at MLM, she held business development and senior property manager roles at Residential Management Group and Countrywide Estate Management. “It’s a really exciting time to join FirstPort,” Fox said. “The team’s dedication and enthusiasm towards our new brand is inf

The British Property Federation (BPF) has announced Duncan Salvesen, Director of Residential at Dorrington and Paul Winstanley, Partner, Residential Valuation, at Allsop as the two new vice-chairs of its Residential Committee. Current Chairman, John Coles, Co-owner of Evenbrook, steps down at the end of April, after five years at the helm, at which point Salvesen will become Chairman of the committee. Alan Collett of M&G Real Estate, Coles’ predecessor and vice-chair, also steps down. Melanie Leech, Chi

Daniel Tang has joined Judge & Priestley solicitors as the Head of Enfranchisement.  Daniel has previously been a Partner of two separate enterprising law firms, and has successfully managed complex freehold purchases and contentious property disputes as well as assisting developer clients and those with portfolios. Daniel also has particular experience with property management affairs. It is through this work that Daniel was privileged to win the “highly commended” Solicitor of the Year Award at News

International residential interior design firm YOO has brought in one of India’s foremost designers, Sussanne Khan as Creative Director. YOO says the new partnership is aimed at “creating desirable homes and hotels that result in increased value for developers and residents alike”. Khan has led many high-profile international projects, creating home, restaurant, office, retail, spa and outdoor spaces. John Hitchcox, founder of YOO said: “This partnership creates a unique opportunity to promote the very

The Deposit Service (The DPS) has named Julian Foster as its new Managing Director. Foster, an existing employee of The DPS’s parent company Computershare, will lead the DPS team following outgoing MD, Kevin Firth’s appointment as Computershare’s Managing Director of Registry Services. Foster’s role will also cover The DPS’ sister organisations, The Letting Protection Service Scotland and The Letting Protection Service Northern Ireland.

Estate agency group Hunters has joined forces with managing agents Dickinson Harrison (RBM) Ltd. RBM has become Hunters Residential Block Management and will offer the Hunters network an extensive range of block management services. Based in West Yorkshire, RBM has been managing apartment blocks ranging from four to 400 units for more than 15 years. As Hunters Residential Block Management, it will expand to provide residential block management across the country. Tim Dickinson, Director of Hunters Resid

A tennis tournament, hosted by JJ Homes and Folio UK, has raised £20,000 for property industry charity LandAid. The JJ Folio Tennis Shield took place on March 11 at the Cannes Tennis Club, during the four-day international real estate show MIPIM. It featured a doubles match involving Darry Flay (Essential Living), John Slade (BNP Paribas), Richard Fagg (Bouygues) and James Moody (Redrow), as well as a round-robin competition that was won by Carter Jonas.

Property management firm Warwick Estates has reported its best January in six years, with its new business team bringing in 60 new sites in the first month of 2015. The new sites will be maintained by and incorporated into Warwick Estates’ nationwide office setup, which now comprises nine locations. The firm, whose headquarters are in Harlow, Essex, was founded in April 2007 by businessman Craig Stevens. He praised his new business team, saying: “I remain humbled by the hard work of my staff which direc

As many as two thirds of blocks of flats across the UK could be underinsured, according to figures from one of the country’s largest insurance valuation companies. James Truscott, Chairman of Cardinus Risk Management said: “Of the 2,200 reinstatement (valuation) surveys of residential blocks of flats that Cardinus undertook in 2014, some 67% were found to be underinsured.” His stark warning comes after specialist flats insurance broker Deacon, part of the Arthur J. Gallagher group, highlighted this issue

Macdonald & Company is the leading professional recruitment consultancy for the real estate, and are delighted to announce the Appointment of Stuart Jackson to the London Office. Peter Moore MRICS, Managing Director at Macdonald & Company commented we are pleased to announce the appointment of Stuart to our expanding team in London. Stuart will lead our service expansion into residential block management, building a team to create a dominant position in the sector. Stuart joins from the Property Recruitm

The Government has issued a response to the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) study into the residential property management services sector in England and Wales, broadly agreeing with its recommendations. Brandon Lewis, Minister of State for Housing and Planning said: “I agree that improvements can continue to be made in the provision of property management services and we will be taking forward the vast majority of [the CMA] recommendations.” Managing agents’ trade body, ARMA, welcomed the Mr

These were the concluding words of Jim Fitzpatrick MP at a recent Leasehold Roundtable held at the House of Commons. Hosted by Sir Peter Bottomley MP and organised by Martin Boyd and Sebastian O’Kelly from the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership, the roundtable discussion focussed on failures with archaic leasehold law, progress over the past 18 months and “the promise of success as we get leasehold policy right”. Cross-party Parliamentary support was evident with the event also being supported by Ed Davey M