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Award-winning housebuilder, The Hill Group, has agreed its first Build to Rent forward funding deal with Lloyds Living, marking an important milestone in the company’s expansion into the growing BTR sector. This inaugural project, in partnership with Lloyds Living, is for 264 rental apartments in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. It forms one phase of a masterplan comprising 576 apartments, led by Hill in Stevenage town centre. The one and two-bedroom apartments are split across three buildings, and have exclusiv

Essex property group, Beresfords, has signed off the year in style with an exclusive awards dinner to mark the achievements of its people in 2024. Bringing all 177 members of the team together for an evening of celebration and entertainment, colleagues donned formal attire and masks for the festive masquerade-themed evening. Attendees enjoyed a champagne reception, delicious catering, and performances from an electric violinist and professional ballet dancers before starting the annual awards ceremony to

Martin King, Managing Director of The FirstPort Group, looks at the top property trends set to influence the industry in 2025. The Rise of Resident Management Companies (RMCs) We are likely to see a continued rise in the formation of RMCs, which are placing residents at the heart of the decision-making process. At FirstPort, we welcome this trend. The growing number of resident-managed developments empower residents to take greater control over the management of their developments. As managing agents, we

Watling Real Estate has been instructed to sell a part-built residential development in the popular and historic town of Tonbridge in Kent. It is on the former site of SOS, Tonbridge’s only nightclub in the Hub Creative Space, which also housed a gym. Jamie Lamond and Tom Colyer in Watling Real Estate’s London office have been appointed to sell the development, which was owned by Avebury Avenue Ltd, on behalf of joint receivers Martyn Ewing and Adam Stephens of Evelyn Partners. Offers are invited for the

Leaders Romans Group (LRG), one of the UK's leading property services firms, has released its Q3 Lettings Report, revealing a high demand for accessible features, including among tenants who do not have a disability. As the UK population ages and awareness of inclusive housing grows, the need for accessible homes has grown. The LRG report indicates that a substantial number of tenants see value in rental homes with accessibility features. Nearly 40% of tenants surveyed expressed a preference for lateral l

Bespoke managing agent, Wildheart Residential Management has appointed James Capper as its new Technical Director. With recent changes in legislation through The Fire Safety Act of 2021 and Building Safety Act of 2022, James will prove instrumental in providing expert direction for ensuring building safety and compliance is achieved for homes in Wildheart’s well maintained portfolio. A key aspect of James’ role will be to spearhead the training of internal teams on building safety matters, in the knowledg

Background   The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 received royal assent in the wash up just prior to the election.   It included some of the changes around the rights of leaseholders of flats and houses to obtain extended leases and the freehold that The Law Commission had recommended, i.e. providing for leases to be extended by 990 rather than 90 years, doing away with the need to have owned for two years to qualify for an extended lease and bringing more buildings within the right to enfranchi

As one of the UK’s leaders in the manufacture of Non-Combustible Cavity Tray Systems (NCCT), Keyfix was recently contracted to work on a £190m new build project in Wandsworth, London. The Smugglers Way project, overseen by McAleer & Rushe, involved the construction of 554 build to rent and affordable apartments across 13 blocks.   With over 11,000 metres of Non-Combustible Cavity Trays, 4,000 pre-formed Corner Units, 5,000 Reveals and 45,000 Non-Combustible Weeps required, McAleer & Rushe sought Keyfix’s

Estate management company Preim, part of the Encore Group, has spent much of 2024 investing in its team and communities with a series of new appointments and internal promotions to strengthen its commitment to delivering high-quality estate management services.  As the company looks ahead to a busy 2025, this investment in both new talent and the development of existing team members underscores Preim’s dedication to supporting its partners and the communities it serves. In response to existing and forecas

Watling Real Estate has been instructed on behalf of joint administrators from Interpath to sell a major portfolio of six residential development sites across Yorkshire that will deliver a further 167 new homes. Rob Cruikshank, associate director of Watling, has provided further background on the three main sites in the portfolio that are located in York, Leeds and Barnsley. James Clark and Howard Smith from Interpath, the joint administrators of Scotfield Group Ltd, Yelcon Ltd and Camstead Ltd, trading a

John Byers, co-founder and director of LBB Chartered Surveyors reflects on 30 years in business. On 1st December, LBB Chartered Surveyors celebrated 30 years of business.  I still remember joining a previous iteration of the company as a young building surveyor in 1988, never imagining that all this time later I would still be here!   I know everyone at LBB greatly appreciates the clients we have worked with and those others in the profession we have known and become friends with over these many years. No

As winter approaches, Brits can expect rising prices as households are already being warned of a 10% rise on energy bills, to an average annual energy bill of £1,717, 41% higher than in Winter 2021/22. Simple tweaks, along with a switch in meter could save you up to 50% on your energy bills this winter. With this in mind, Confused.com energy’s experts have provided their insight into how to maximise savings with an Economy 7 plan. What is Economy 7, and how does it work? It’s called Economy 7 because you