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Speaking at the British Property Federation annual conference in London, RBS boss Stephen Hester has said that bank leaders and politicians stood back and did nothing as Britain went bust. Speaking at the same event, Former Cabinet minister Michael Portfillo warned that Britain has been through a phoney recession and that people should brace themselves for things to get worse.

1. Check out your decoration, carpets and curtains as these things can transform the darkest of rooms and give it a warmer and modern feel. 2. Observe front and rear gardens too, making the most of the season with hanging baskets or just a neat tidy garden. 3. Ensure the property is spotlessly clean. 4. Carry out on-going minor maintenance, such as pipework. 5. Have photographs taken for future marketing campaigns.

A new website enabling people to swap their homes instead of selling them through estate agents is proving popular with innovative developers wanting to stay ahead of the game. EasyHouseExchange.com offers a solution for people who feel trapped in the stagnating property market, by putting them in direct contact with one another and enabling them to literally swap homes – without an estate agent in sight. The website removes the middle-man from the process of moving home by putting owners directly in touc

LETTER Dear Sir,I saw the Watchdog episode and was angry the so called “experts” said there was nothing that could be done about managing agents charging and not carrying out the work. That is rubbish. We have just taken our managing agent to the LVT and hadseveral thousand pounds of costs halted, and some previous monies refunded. We also got all our expenses repaid. The LVT fees were reasonable at only about £140 each.Justin Sneddon,Leaseholder

QUESTION Dear Sir, I am looking for information about my right as a leaseholder to become a director of the commonhold company in charge of my apartment block. (Is commonhold the correct term?) The company was set up by the developer and now the blocks are all sold out; yet I and the other leaseholders have not yet been given the opportunity to become directors. We are having major issues with the management company that was assigned by this commonhold company and wish to have our say.The developer sti

QUESTION Dear Sir, I am thinking of buying the freehold of my house, do I have to pay the service charges and ground rent while I am negotiating with the landlord?Name Witheld ANSWER Yes, unfortunately, until the terms have been agreed and completion has taken place, the current arrangements for service charges and ground rent prevail. Some leaseholders are mistakenly under the impression that acquiring the freehold (or even extending a lease) somehow puts other payments on hold, but it does not. I

QUESTION Dear Sir, If the flats are all privately owned and managed by the company who are also the leaseholders then you are in a fortunate position in that when the same Company hold both positions they can virtually do what they want as regards Service Charges/Estate Managers and other things.Pat Murphy, Lancashire ANSWER The way this question is phrased we understand you to be a leaseholder in a property where the leaseholders in turn own and control their own residents management company. The

QUESTION If a mangement company plans a project and if the cost involved requires a contribution great enough to be a problem for one or more owners, is it possible to obtain finance such that the cost to owners can be spread over 12 or more months?Name Witheld ANSWER I would steer well clear of this for the following reasons: the RICS Code says we may loan money but we do it at our own risk; the “loans” would be subject to credit rules; and there may be difficulties in securing and collecting the loan.

The recession has hit the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal, revealed Siobhan McGrath, Senior President at the Annual Conference of the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE). Since May 2008, enfranchisement applications to the LVT have dropped by as much as 50%. It is thought thatpeople are waiting for market conditions to settle down as well as purchasers having difficulty securing financing. In another development, there has been an increase in “can’t pay/won’t pay” applications as managing agents experience gr

You have decided that you want to enfranchise your property, be it through collective enfranchisement with your fellow leaseholders, or by going it alone with a lease extension but there is one problem, you cannot find your landlord! If past rent demands are non existent, the superior title is not registered at the Land registry or serving a Notice under section 11 or 41 of the 1993 Act Requiring Information upon the suspected landlord or their managing agents reveals nothing, what are the options then

The Leasehold Reform Act 1967 first gave leaseholders the right to purchase their freehold or extend their lease. The legislation has been since been amended, but what about the most significant cases that have developed the law? The first cases under the 1967 Act were soon heard, when Customs v Hearts of Oak Benefit Society and Haw v Peek decided that the tenant must be considered a competitor in the hypothetical open market in s9(1) of the 1967 Act. Consequently, the 1967 Act was amended by the Housing

Depending on future market changes, the timing of instigating statutory lease extensions, or enfranchisements, may affect the premium payable. The volume of lease extensions, and enfranchisements, has picked up, but remains low. Perceptions, from news reports, are that residential values have fallen across all sectors. Many lessees think premiums will be minimized, by serving Notice at the bottom of the market.But are they correct? They might want answers to the following: Has the bottom of the market