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Last Month BBC Watchdog did a programme on flat management, specifically the need for regulation of managing agents. However, what the programme actually presented was the standard group of disgruntled leaseholders moaning about what rotters managing agents are and how disgraceful it is that there is nothing they can do about it. It was bizarre, a bit Life on Mars, as though the 2002 Act did not exist. Every thinking person involved in flat management supports the case for proper regulation with the only

Cockroaches are perhaps the best known and the least liked invertebrate pest found in domestic and commercial environments - they are a serious threat to health and cause many other problems. They foul food and  spread disease e.g. salmonella,tuberculosis, gasteroenteritis. Their presence also causes fear and distress to many people. Because they eat almost anything they can also damage many goods other than food such as books, tapestries, leather goods, pictures. Cockroaches may enter your premises thro

Despite the severity and depth of the recession, the role of the residential block manager is not redundant. Residents always need the services of good managing agents, and managing agents always need skilled and experienced staff . Theoretically,even an economic squeeze, the block management recruitment market remains active. The state of the economy has hit housebuilders hard, so fewer apartments are currently in development. Many managing agents are seeing a decrease in business, and therefore retent

It has already been seven years since the last piece of major legislation affecting flats hit the statute books in the form of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002. At the forthcoming Annual Conference of the Leasehold Advisory Service, future policy with regard to leasehold property will be debated and discussed.Speakers include Siobhan McGrath, Senior President of the Residential Property Tribunal Service andNicolas Shulman, Honorary Consultant to the Federation of Private Residents Associations

Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, has promised to spend £22 million renovating 1300 derelict properties and turn them into liveable homes. Separately, in partnership with the Homes and Communities Agency, a further £135 million has been committed to creating 3000 aff ordable homes and kickstarting five stalled development sites around the capital leading to the construction of up to 6000 homes. Commenting on theproject, The Mayor said: “As this rolls out thousands of construction sector jobs will be s

RICs has issued a new guidance note concerning the valuation of new build properties. From 1 May 2009, valuers should differentiate between the new build premium – that portion of the price paid which will evaporate as soon as a newly-built property is occupied - and those value-adding factors (such as better building materials, enhanced insulation levels, or more efficient heating systems) which are intrinsic to a new property and which will remain when the home is sold.

Private and corporate landlords are not claiming back tax on energy efficient improvements they have made to their rental properties, according to a recent HMRC press release. Landlords can claim back the costs of buying and installing energy saving items in the properties they rent out against their taxable profi ts. Richard Mannion, of accountants Smith & Williamson, said “Landlords can claim back up to £1,500 for each dwelling house so this can include each residential flat within a block of flats.”

A warm homes Bill aimed at ending fuel poverty was blocked by the Government as too few MP’s turned up to vote on its future progress. The proposed Bill had significant implications for leaseholders around the country, many of whom struggle to heat their flats economically. A household is said to be in fuel poverty if it needs to spend more than 10% of its income on fuel to maintain a satisfactory heating regime (usually 21 degrees for the main living area, and 18 degrees for other occupied rooms). Bob Sm

The niche Market for cleaning blocks of flats is competitive and very demanding. The residential block cleaning market differs from commercial cleaning in the respect that residents are more influential and personally involved in the standards and quality of service that are provided. One tenant’s opinion of what is required may differ from their neighbours and a service must meet all resident’s requirements. Contract cleaners are usually acting under instruction from Property Managers and are represe

Latest industry research suggests that over half of the blocks of flats in the UK are still unprepared for the digital switchover. This could mean that many thousands of leaseholders will be struggling to find a television signal when the analogue signal is switched off in 2012. The research was carried out by Sky’s Communal Television team. Sky’s specialist team visited 129 blocks, each containing between 4 and 66 separate flats (a total of over 3,000 individual homes), and undertook in-depth physica

From 6 April 2009, changes to the often criticised Home Information Pack came into effect. Sellers of leasehold property will not be obliged to provide any further information regarding their flat in additionto the standard HIP other than a copy of the lease (the inclusion of which became mandatory in January 2009). Although mandatory answers to questions about the management of the property were mooted by the Government, this has now been indefinitely waived. Kate Nicholls of The Council of Property Sear

As part of its ongoing strategy to increase focus on service delivery and efficiency, Deacon - one of the UK’s leading specialists in insurance for blocks of flats - has given its Claims Department a complete overhaul. Under the guidance of Claims Manager, Matt Wyatt, the inhouse Claims Department has implemented a major recruitment drive, recently taking on a team of new handlers. Combined with the introduction of new operational and administrative initiatives, the Claims team is able to ensure that p