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[extra:quotes:boxoutcopy=1]   Solvency II is the biggest regulatory challenge currently facing European insurers and replaces 13 existing EU insurance directives. EU member states must transpose Solvency II into their own national laws and insurers must show that they meet all of its requirements by 31 October 2012. Solvency II is a new system of supervision for assessing the overall financial position of insurers to ensure that they are better equipped to cope with adverse developments worldwide. I

[extra:quotes:boxoutcopy=1]   When Colonel Tim Collins addressed the 1st Battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment, poised just south of the Iraqi border, his message was one of respect. Respect your enemy and you will succeed, be ferocious in battle but magnanimous in victory, and allow them dignity in death. This was the start of the war of “Hearts & Minds”. I’m not suggesting that standing in the Kuwaiti desert on the eve of a war bears any similarity to the role of an Estates Manager. However, in our

Many leases are often poorly drafted and defective. For example, the lease may not specify the party responsible for some repair and maintenance within the demised premises, or who pays for work that needs to be done or more commonly, may allocate service charges in proportions that do not add up to 100%. Landlords, leaseholders and property managers should know that remedies are available to resolve a defective lease situation. Generally, there are two ways to vary leases: By obtaining the consent

NOTB: Tell us a little bit about your background. I come from a customer services and support background, with a number of years spent in the IT sector. I have been involved in the leasehold sector since 2004. NOTB: So, how did leasehold matters first spark your interest? My interest in leasehold issues was sparked by simply wanting to re-decorate the kitchen of my flat. I needed to find out how to contact the freeholder or the managing agents, eventually learning that the freeholder was deemed ‘absen

It is both a sadness and an irony that I find myself lobbying for more comprehensive regulation of managing agents in the residential property management sector. Businesses in the services sector do not necessarily welcome more regulation. But property management is different. In my view, property management needs the equivalent disciplines, accreditations and rules of those found for example, in the legal, medical or auditing professions. Property management has a similar combination of complexity and ne

QUESTION: Dear Editor We have agreed to buy a 90 year extension of a flat in Cadogan Square following a binding decision. At the eleventh hour the bank have advised that they cannot lend as there is a tenant insolvency clause in the lease. Is there anything we can do to make the freeholder remove this clause?Name WithheldANSWER: The reason the bank will not lend is that if you should go bankrupt then the lease is automatically forfeit. You as the tenant could possibly apply to the court for relief ag

QUESTION: We took over the management of a small block of five flats and two domestic garages last year, after a long battle with the landlord. She and her husband own one of the flats. They have both declined the offer to join the RTM Co. She has exercised her right to continue as manager of the two garages, as apparently these do not fall within the remit of the RTM Co. I therefore send her the service charge invoices for the garages which she then sends to them, adding a 10% management fee of her ow

Many managing agents repeatedly fall into the trap of failing to collect sufficient sums of money in reserve funds because of lessee’s resistance to contribute to the long term finances of the development, often because such funds are generally not recoverable when an apartment is sold. Reserve or ‘sinking’ funds are created under the terms of a lease over time to build up a sum of money that can be used to pay for or contribute to large items of future expenditure. The concept is to split the cost over

Young group is an investor responsible for in excess of £130million worth of property managed on behalf of its investor landlords. They took action when they discovered the management at MyBase in South East London, did not meet expectations. Young Group CEO, Neil Young, explained: “Within a short period from completion, the fact that maintenance issues were not resolved as they occurred, meant they became more significant – creating more damage and becoming costlier to repair. For example, blocked gutte

The Japanese Knotweed plant spreads in a vegetative manner from crowns (like Rhubarb), stems and rhizome (underground root). Small sections of cut stem, crown or roots are capable of growing into a new plant. Since it is a non-native species, there are no UK insects or animals that eat or control it and once established, it quickly takes hold. Controlling spread is therefore dependent on human intervention. Rhizomes grow rapidly underground and are responsible for the spread of the plant on site. They pr

Curry & Partners have announced a merger with Bigwood to form a new partnership that will be known as CPBigwood. The new partnership will have a turnover of in the region of £8m, with a staff of 125 creating the largest independent Practice in Birmingham. Bigwood’s auction business and professional services side will combine with Curry & Partners speciality in residential and commercial property management.

The Federation of Private Residents Association (FPRA) has lobbied the Energy Bill Committee to make changes to current Government policy on energy efficiency.   The FPRA claim that the current policy discriminates against around two million leasehold flat-dwellers who are excluded from carrying out many home insulation initiatives as a result of conflicts with legislation or because there is no provision for this in their leases. Bob Smytherman, Chairman of the FPRA said: “...without further important