Featured Articles

There have been many cases on refusal to consent (whether to assignment or underlet) all turning on what is "reasonable". The Landlord must show reasonableness in refusing consent to an assignment (Landlord and Tenant Act 1988). But what is reasonable is decided by the courts. Two recent cases have established new and helpful principles. First: the landlord must not threaten refusal to improve his position under the lease. This was the point argued (unsuccessfully by the landlord) in Landlord Protect

A notice served under a s.13 or s. 42 of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 ("LRHUDA") by a company must comply with s. 44 of the Companies Act 2006. Under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 ("LRHUDA") both a s.13 notice (an initial notice used to start collective enfranchisement proceedings) and a s.42 notice (the tenant's notice used to start a claim for lease extension) have to be signed personally by "each of the tenants, or (as the case may be) by t

The city centre of Leeds has had its fair share of largescale residential developments over the past few years; some of them successful, some of them not. The regeneration of key locations has been a double-edged sword for Leeds; the enormous size of the Brownfield sites paved the way for rapid development, but the sheer scale left many people feeling uneasy about the imposing nature of such schemes. One inner-city site that seems to have bucked the trend is Granary Wharf. Located next to Leeds Railway St

As spring is now with us, soon the trees will all be in leaf. When a tree is in full leaf it can disguise quite large sections that have died in the previous year, known as "deadwood". Deadwood must be taken seriously; sections of deadwood weighing several hundred kilograms can fall from a tree. So Spring is a good time to carry out a health check. A section of branch, or even the whole tree, failing to come into leaf can also be the sign of a bigger problem such as fungal infections or obscured breaks

Leading Solicitor, Damian Greenish, of solicitors Pemberton Greenish LLP has been appointed Honorary President of the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners.  The former Honorary President, Peter Haler MBE, the former Chief Executive of the Leasehold Advisory Service, has stepped down. The appointment was made at the recent ALEP Spring Conference, where delegates were also addressed by speakers including Siobhan McGrath, Senior President of the Residential Property Tribunal Services, and A

Unfair letting agent renewal fees should be scrapped, according to the National Landlords Association (NLA) as it welcomed a court order secured by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) against Foxtons. Following a landmark judgment last summer when the High Court ruled that Foxtons commission charges were "severely camouflaged" and represented "a ‘trap' or ‘timebomb' for consumers," (as previously reported in News on the Block) the OFT has been pursuing a court order to protect landlords. Jason Freeman, Legal

Peverel Property Management,  the national property group, has signed up to the property services ombudsman formerly known as the Surveyor's Ombudsman Service (SOS). This means Residents will have access to a free and independent mediation service. Lee Middleburgh, Group Managing Director of Peverel Property Management, comments: "By joining the ombudsman scheme we have provided our customers with another way of resolving an issue if they feel we have not resolved it to their satisfaction."

The Federation of Private Residents' Associations  has joined forces with a major coalition of anti-poverty, energy, environmental and health campaigning organisations to launch a charter of measures needed to eradicate fuel poverty. The End Fuel Poverty Coalition are calling for the UK Government and political parties to commit to making all fuel poor homes as energy efficient as a home built today.  Federation Chairman and Coalition Member Bob Smytherman, said: ‘Everybody should have a warm, dry home th

The recent tragic fire in Shirley Towers, a Southampton block of flats, where two firefighters died whilst responding to the emergency, has led to calls for block managers and flat owners to review their fire safety responsibilities. "It is no surprise to safety advisors that it takes a major news worthy incident such as the fire in Southampton to focus peoples minds," said Mike Masters, Director of 4siteConsulting Limited. The Southampton fire started in a flat on the 9th floor of the 15 storey block, wh

The UK Residential Property Industry recognised the best in Enfranchisement and Right to Manage at a special black-tie awards dinner held at Lord's Cricket Ground in London on 12th May 2010.  The awards were organised by News on the Block, the leading publication in this sector, and hosted by celebrity Dominic Holland. The Awards were judged by an independent panel comprising Georgiana Hibberd of RICS Professional Group, Bob Smytherman of the Federation of Private Residents' Associations and Pe

Specialist block manager, Encore Estate Management, part of the Chard Robinson Group, will be expanding into London following its recent acquisition of JP Management.  JP Management was founded and owned by the former Chairman of the Federation of Private Residents' Associations, John Peartree, who is retiring following the sale.  The JP Management Portfolio includes leasehold apartment blocks of various size and age in the City (close to Liverpool Street Station), as well as Pimlico, Bayswater and Wimble

Stonedale, the specialist property management company which operates at the heart of the London property market, has done its own property deal and opened a new office in Central London. The company manages 4000 properties in 55 exclusive London developments from the City boundary through Wapping, Limehouse and Docklands in the north and from Southwark to Greenwich in the south. The official opening, which took place on Thursday 6th May 2010, saw the Stonedale team and guests celebrate in their new