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Many “accidental landlords” are putting their tenants in potential danger and themselves at financial risk by not fulfilling their legal duties to maintain their rental properties. Key findings of research carried out by AXA among accidental landlords (those who did not originally buy with the intention of renting out their property, or who are forced to continue renting out because they cannot sell at present), reveals: A third of those questioned get their boilers checked less than once a year, and 23

Property maintenance company ProTech Property Solutions has merged with specialist cleaning services provider GOL Group. The new firm keeps the ProTech Property Solutions name. The two companies, which merged on January 1, were run by the same senior partners. However, according to one of them, Peter Gray, now Managing Director of the new ProTech Property Solutions, many clients found it confusing to have the different firms handling different services, so it was decided to bring the brands together to o

Real estate investment trust Ground Rents Income Fund Plc (GRIF) has transacted on a number of prominent and high-profile developments. GRIF has acquired the freeholds of Bézier, a pair of curved 14-storey apartment towers at London’s Old Street roundabout, comprising 150 luxury homes. Gateway Plaza, a regeneration project in Barnsley, is a mixed-use development comprising office accommodation, apartments, a Premier Inn hotel, retail and leisure space and a 548-space car park. Gatehouse Court is a smalle

A Court of Appeal ruling - that just two calendar months’ notice is required to end an Assured Shorthold Tenancy after the end of a fixed term – could save landlords thousands of pounds. For the past 25 years it was universally believed that, to end a tenancy once a fixed term had expired, landlords had to use s.21(4)(a) of the Housing Act 1988. That section requires a minimum of two months’ notice ending on the last day of a period of the agreement – meaning that, if the rent is payable on the first of

Peverel Retirement has been chosen by the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institute (RMBI) to manage its new Farnfield Court development in Croydon. The development is a converted Grade II listed building comprising 13 one- and two-bedroom private apartments, whose facilities include wet rooms and designer kitchens, as well as video entry phone and emergency call systems. Peverel Retirement will be responsible for services including maintaining communal areas and providing onsite staff support. The appointmen

In a landmark ruling, the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) has decided that the Right to Manage (RTM) can be exercised by a single RTM company in respect of more than one self-contained building, and this may be exercised by a single claim notice. The case concerned conjoined appeals from four groups of blocks of flats: Ninety Broomfield Road, Garner Court, Holybrook and Apperley Way. In each case, the flat owners had formed an RTM company but had been prevented from acquiring the right to manage. Signifi

Ombudsman Services, which offers dispute resolution within the property sector, has resolved its one millionth case. Ombudsman Services runs national, private sector ombudsman schemes, handling complaints for more than 8,000 companies in the energy, communications, property and copyright sectors as well as organisations in the trader, home removal and asset-based finance sectors. Consumer complaints to the firm are set to double from 19,000 in 2012 to 34,000 by the end of the current financial year. Th

A London-based firm has launched a search and select property buying service on behalf of Far Eastern clients wishing to invest in the London buy-to-let property market. Westbury Property, which specialises in finding properties in up-and-coming areas, has launched Westbury Select – Asia Desk, due to high levels of interest in the London property market from Far Eastern investors.

Countrywide Land & New Homes has been awarded Best New Homes Agency for a second year in a row at the Estate Agency of the Year Awards, sponsored by the Sunday Times.

Brooks Macdonald Funds Ltd is set to launch the IFSL North Row Liquid Property Fund, believed to be the UK’s first actively-managed UCITS core property fund, in February. It will offer investors liquid exposure to the global real estate markets by investing mainly in property derivatives, as well as property equity and debt, to gain exposure to direct property markets. The fund will be managed by Steven Grahame, who developed the original concept for the fund, supported by Dr Niall O’Connor as Deputy Fu

The impact on leaseholders of costs changes to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal (LVT) system has been debated in the House of Lords. Last year, the LVT became the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), and the new tribunal has the power to award unlimited costs if a person has acted unreasonably in bringing, defending or conducting proceedings – replacing the LVT’s cost limit of £500. In the debate, on January 13, Baroness Gardner of Parkes said: “These charges, under the previous system, were limited

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is consulting about residential property management services in England and Wales. It is seeking views about the scope of the proposed study from anyone who uses or provides residential management services, including trade associations, property managers, consumer groups and individuals. The OFT is particularly interested to hear opinions on subjects including whether leaseholders feel they have sufficient involvement in decisions taken about appointing managing agents;