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BUILDING REINSTATEMENT VALUATIONS (BRV’s) are often overlooked by property owners, who may wrongly assume that building costs rise or fall in line with inflation. This is not so and a more accurate method of establishing the true cost of rebuilding is to have the property reassessed periodically. The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) states that building reinstatement value is an ‘Assessment of Building Reinstatement Cost for Insurance purposes’. The assessment is typically carried out by a

New rules potentially affecting 60,000 existing Residents Management Companies (RMCos) have come into force. Annual General Meetings (AGM’s) and the Company Secretary are abolished and there are provisions for written resolutions, email and website communications. The deadline to file annual accounts has changed too. All newly formed RMCos from the 1st October 2009 will have model default Articles (the ‘Rules’ of the company) unless otherwise decided. Elements of the simplified Articles can be adopted by

Despite a recent RICS survey showing interest rates down and rents up tenants are still facing financial pressures, leading to increased rental arrears. The National Landlords Association (NLA)have launched NLA Rent Guarantee Insurance offering a way for landlords to minimise the risk from loss of rent. Should problems arise during the tenancy, the cover also provides legal expenses and a dedicated 24-hour advisory service. Also, Barbon Insurance Group, which includes leading flat insurer Deacon Insuranc

1. Don’t rush into picking the ¯rst property you see; make sure you’ve done your homework. 2. Always insist on a written tenancy agreement. This will clearly state when the rent money is due, how much deposit you have paid, how long the tenancy is for and how you can go about terminating the agreement. A written agreement provides clarity for both parties as well as highlighting the ‘dos and don’ts’.  3. If you provide a deposit it must be protected in an official government authorised tenancy deposit

Edward Davey, MP, Liberal Democrat, Kingston and Surbiton asks: has something gone wrong in the retirement leasehold sector? Over ten years ago, my grandmother bought a leasehold flat in a block built for retired people. She was very happy there, as she had less to worry about, help on hand and actually felt far more independent than before. My brother and I looked after her financial affairs and there was never any real problems with either of the firms who managed the block whilst she was a resident. So

They catch your eye as soon as you enter your block, even more so the dirty marks that seem never to go away! The weekly cleaning of the block addresses the norm, but over time the floors start to look dirty. Door mats, are a vital and a very easy way to collect a lot of dirt that otherwise gets onto carpets and hard floors, yet still many blocks don’t have entrance door mats, and therefore the floors suffer. Alternatively just as bad are entrance mats that are worn out, and therefore again they don’t c

Recent press reports of the UK rat population exceeding the human population are likely to be gross over-estimates. More reliable estimates centre on the figure of about 25 million. The 60 million figure, comes from a estimate made at the turn of the last century (1900) which related rat numbers to cultivated acreage. At that time there were 20 million acres in cultivation and an estimate was made of one rat per acre. The human population around 1900 was about 20 million as well which lead to the rough

At 47 storeys high, Manchester’s Beetham Tower is more than just the North-West of England’s tallest building – it’s a symbol of the city’s ability to reinvent itself from grim northern industrial town to one of Europe’s most exciting cities. Looming above neighbouring Victorian warehouses, this glass-fronted tower achieved iconic status within months of construction and is now Manchester’s most sought-after residential address. But it hasn’t all been plain-sailing. Since its construction in 2006, The Be

In recent times, a great deal of news reporting has centered around tragedies resulting from gas leakage in the home or building, on occasions leading to death or fire damage. The case of two children being gassed by carbon monoxide in their hotel bedroom while on holiday in Greece is but one such horrible event that comes to kind. A new product, now available, not only sounds an alarm when detecting carbon monoxide or natural gas IT SWITCHES OFF THE GAS SUPPLY. Dwellings left unoccupied when the occupant

ARMA, the trade body for managing agents, has decided to outsource its complaints handling procedure. The change was heralded at the recent ARMA conference and it is now a condition of ARMA membership to join an Ombudsman scheme. Although ARMA members can join any Ombudsman scheme, they have been “recommended” to join the Surveyors Ombudsman Service (SOS) even though less than 50% of ARMA members are Chartered Surveyors. SOS anticipates complaints about communal services, maintenance, service charges and

Brett Williams, chairman of the Association of Residential Managing Agents urged managing agents to work closer with solicitors and surveyors in helping flat owners maximise the values of their properties. The remarks were made at a conference organised by the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP) at its Autumn Conference. Alex Greenslade, Honorary Secretary of ALEP, added: “Managing agents have regular contact with their clients, the flat owners, and are in a great position to exp

A new online forum has launched for ¯at owners, managing agents, landlords and their respective professional advisors. Flats Forum (www.¯atsforum.co.uk) allows users to discuss and debate the most important issues about owning and managing a ¯at. The forum is free to join and is offered in association with News on the Block.