Featured Articles

Get the answers to your questions and stay up to date about apartment building management with our featured articles and NOTB guides, on topics such as service charges, right to manage, buying your freehold, major works, building insurance and other issues about blocks of flats.

Thackray Williams announce expansion of its construction law services

Thackray Williams is pleased to announce the expansion of its construction law services. The firm now offers both non-contentious and contentious construction law advice to clients involved in the management of residential and commercial properties. Contentious Construction Law Mustafa Sidki, Litigation Partner at Thackray Williams, specializes in a wide range of property and construction disputes. His expertise includes: Construction Adjudications: Resolving construction disputes through a swift and co

JFM and Battersea Reach Residents Spread Festive Cheer with Charity Donations

This Christmas season, JFM Block & Estate Management partnered with the residents of Battersea Reach to deliver much-needed donations to several inspiring local charities. Acting as organisers, JFM facilitated the collection and delivery of clothing, toys, and essential equipment generously donated by the Battersea Reach community.   The donations were delivered to: Little Village – A lifeline for families, providing clothes, toys, and baby equipment for children up to five years old. Salvation Army

Recruitment Challenges in the UK Leasehold Market for 2025

The UK leasehold market is set to face significant recruitment challenges in 2025. Legislative reforms, evolving workforce expectations, economic pressures, and a heightened focus on employee well-being are reshaping how organisations attract and retain talent. Adding to this complexity, the ongoing consolidation of property management firms is altering the competitive landscape, necessitating innovative approaches to workforce management. Against this backdrop, the use of specialised recruitment services

Octopus Energy and SNG deliver first ‘Zero Bills’ homes for social housing residents

Octopus Energy and SNG customers become the first social housing residents to move into homes with no energy bills for at least 5 years. At Nexa Fields in Exeter, six social housing residents will pay absolutely nothing for their energy, thanks to state-of-the-art green technology that makes their homes eligible for Octopus Energy's pioneering ‘Zero Bills’ initiative. Launched in 2022, ‘Zero Bills’ is a world-first energy tariff from Octopus Energy that allows customers to move into homes that are fully k

Knotweed and a predicted January housing market boom

The property market has been fairly tumultuous this year, but all signs are set for a January surge in residential and commercial properties new to the market! With uncertainties in mortgage rates a lot of homeowners put their house sale on hold in autumn. But with the impending threat of further mortgage interest hikes and the incentive of beating the lowered stamp duty threshold at the end of March 2025 property insights point to a rush of house sales in January. January is a popular month to put proper

New research reveals it costs over £32,000 to move home

With the cost of living going through the roof, getting onto the property ladder has never been more expensive. And it's not just the deposit and legal fees that are burning a hole in your pocket. HCB Solicitors reveals the true costs of moving into your first home, from energy bills and broadband to buying furniture can cost £32,065.32. [1] According to Zoopla’s latest House Price Index, the average cost of a house in the UK is £267,200. This means a first-time buyer could expect to pay up to £26,720 as

An update on talent and recruitment within the Leasehold sector

There is no doubt that 2024 has seen several changes in the market and hiring within the Leasehold sector. With this in mind, Joe Peat, Senior Consultant in Leasehold Management at deverellsmith has put together some transformations he has been seeing and how this has altered how we attract top talent. A shift back to office working As the UK leasehold property market navigates the post-pandemic shift towards in-office work, retaining top talent demands a strategic balance between traditional practices an

Beresfords Group is celebrating a year of giving: 2024 charity highlights

Giving back to the communities in which it operates, Essex property group, Beresfords, has reflected on a year of charitable giving, in which the team’s collective efforts have raised £27,000 for local initiatives. Essex & Herts Air Ambulance (EHAAT) - charity property dinner An annual property dinner, held at the Down Hall Hotel & Spa, brought together over 180 guests for an evening of fundraising and celebration. Together, significant funds for Essex & Herts Air Ambulance (EHAAT) were raised, adding to

Leasehold reform: ALEP’s Predictions for 2025

Commentary from Mark Chick, director of ALEP (Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners) and a Partner at Bishop & Sewell LLP: 2024 has come to a close with some very welcome clarity from the government on leasehold reform. An end to uncertainty? At ALEP’s annual conference in October, the overwhelming sentiment was one of uncertainty - uncertainty which extended across professions but also to the five million plus leasehold flat owners in England. With the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2

Renter’s Rights Bill and No-Fault Evictions

Background The King’s Speech on 17 July 2024 promised a number of changes to the current state of leasehold and rental law – some of which we have covered in previous articles. Here we will discuss the proposed changes to No-Fault Evictions under section 21 of the Housing Act 1988. Currently, once the contractual term of an assured shorthold tenancy ends, landlords can evict tenants without providing any reason. They just need to serve a “Section 21” notice on their tenants, providing a minimum of 2 month

Avoiding Tax pitfalls: Freehold Purchase in Flat Management Companies

Introduction Please picture the scene, following long negotiations and many meetings with the landlord, the tenants have joined together, and set up a new management company, and bought the freehold from their landlord.  They now relax and start to celebrate, all advise received from their advisers, about extending their leases firmly pushed to the back of their heads, while they enjoy their victory and perceived new found freedom, they own their flats, so all of that can wait until tomorrow, next week, n

mydeposits tenants and staff donate over £148,000 to Centrepoint

Just six months after launching its partnership with Centrepoint, mydeposits tenants and team have donated over £148,000 to the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity. The donation is made up of more than £142,000 of interest earned on tenants’ deposits and £5,980 raised by staff who participated in Centrepoint’s Sleep Out 2024. Centrepoint's annual Sleep Out, which took place in November, is a fundraising challenge that doesn't replicate what it's like to sleep rough but gives an idea of the situation a

© 2025 News On The Block. All rights reserved.

News on the Block is a trading name of Premier Property Media Ltd.

We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using our site you consent cookies.