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Changes to the way in which managing agents of residential blocks of flats account for service charge monies that were promised to be implemented in line with the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 have not been enacted due to a lack of Parliamentary time prior to the General Election. Indications are that the changes can be expected during the next Parliament.

Melissa Briggs, an Arun District Councillor and one of the co-founders of Carlex, the Campaign against Retirement Leasehold Exploitation, is now standing as an independent candidate in the Bognor Regis & Littlehampton constituency at the General Election, on a platform of Leasehold Reform, under the banner of CLIP – Carlex Leasehold Independence Party, (www.clip.uk.net). Commenting in this issue of News on the Block, Briggs says: “I am standing … at a time when policies, manifestos and plans for the futur

A working party set up by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has called for the property management industry to be formally regulated. This was the centrepiece of a range of measures encouraging greater transparency in the sector and raising industry standards. The recommendation came as a result of a thorough investigation by RICS into the operating practices of the residential property management industry, particularly with regard to service charges and insurance commissions. Commenting

Melissa Briggs, Co-Founder of Carlex is now standing as an independent candidate in the Bognor Regis & Littlehampton constituency at the General Election under the banner of CLIP - Carlex Leasehold Independence Party I am standing in the General Election on a platform of Leasehold Reform, to publicise this issue to a much wider audience at a time when policies, manifestos and plans for the future are being supplied by all the main parties, but none of them seem to have much in the way of real ideas as to

THE ENFRANCHISEMENT FORUM: Increasing the value of your flat in an uncertain market Colman Coyle LLP with News on the Block would like to invite you to the first in a series from The Enfranchisement Forum, 6:00pm, 25th May 2010 Are you a tenant looking to enforce your collective rights to buy the freehold of a property or extend the term of your leases? Or are you a landlord who wants advice on your options to sell or ensure you receive the best possible price for the freehold? Come and have all your enfr

Most people would accept that fire prevention is ‘common sense'. However, here are some true statements made by residents complaining about fire risk assessments - "We've been living here for years without an incident why should we bother?" "Fire Risk Assessments - This is just jobs for the boys" "Risk Assessments are money for old rope" "We haven't got enough money - it'll have to wait" Focus on residential blocks and fire safety increased with the introduction of the Regulatory Reform Order (Fire

As the diseases attributed to asbestos do not appear in exposed individuals for many years after exposure, the true impact on the nations health will not be known for some time. The danger is complacency: asbestos can kill. The main target audience for the awareness campaigns tends to be maintenance contractors as they are more likely to be exposed to any Asbestos Containing Material (ACM) during the course of their day to day activity and this should be a concern for the block manager. Under the asbes

Times have changed since Basil Fawlty worried about the pigeons in the water tank in “Basil the Rat” in 1975. The following year the bacterium Legionella pneumophila was identified after a large outbreak at a convention of the American Legion. Since 1976, building managers have become aware that “Stick some ply over it” as a precaution against vermin and “Brush your teeth in it but don’t drink any” are inappropriate to the problem. Organic materials, including wooden lids, as well as some gaskets and pipe

It is not surprising that we question the sanity of Health & Safety when it seems to impinge on activities we all enjoy by enforcing what appears to be unreasonable and bureaucratic restrictions. The truth is that Health & Safety legislation prohibits little outright, apart from very high risk exceptions such as asbestos, which we know kills over 5,000 people a year. Health and Safety is actually about taking practical and logical steps to ensure that we become aware of, understand and manage real risks

Negotiating an 'arms length' lease outside the Leasehold Reform Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 (the "Act") might initially appear a cheaper, quicker option but there are potential pitfalls. Parties ultimately have to make a pragmatic decision on global costs but should always consider the following: 1. Timescales Timescales may slip and parties cannot drive matters forward in extensions outside the Act. Landlords can withdraw at any time leaving leaseholders with no other option than to re-com

Just as we thought it was safe that deferment rates were fixed, a coach and horses has come crashing through the door. The story so far: in Sportelli the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) set the rates at 5% for flats and 4.75% for houses. Last November, in a case concerning Kelton Court, Edgbaston (known as the Zuckerman case), the Tribunal determined that the deferment rate was 6%. Why the changes? In Sportelli, which was in prime Central London, the deferment rate for flats was arrived at as follows:

[image1]NOTB Podcast with Siobhan McGrath, Leasehold Valuation Tribunal In this podcast Nicolas Shulman meets with Siobhan McGrath, Senior President of the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal