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Chartered Surveyor Peter McEachran, a partner at Graham and Sibbald sees no improvement to conditions in the property market any time soon.  He says, “The Government should encourage the banks to improve credit facilities for secured lending purposes. In particular, only once there is a ready availability of 90-95% loans will we see a significant turnaround in the market".

Communal buildings, such as blocks of flats, are at risk from increased claims following a reported rise in crime as the recession bites.  Home Office and police statistics show a sharp rise in crime in the second half of 2008, particularly break-ins, burglaries and malicious damage.  One  major insurer, Zurich Municipal, is already urging landlords and freeholders to check their insurance policies and risk management processes in response.  Building owners need to be prepared for attacks on their

1. Review security assessments, take a fresh look at what is needed and make sure that adequate protection is in place. Ensure staff take even more care in securing the building when they leave and take precautions such as putting valuable items and portable IT equipment in a secure place in the building. 2. Regular inspections of empty buildings should be conducted; the frequency depending upon circumstances and whether there is a history of problems. The potential for liabili

Get the right agent: In a tight market, marketing your flat with the best agent is crucial.  Choose one with a track record of sales, ignore those who compete to outvalue your flat. Beyond the HIP:  Dazzle purchasers by having to hand a well-organised folder with all the relevant information concerning your flat including service charges, insurance, reserve funds, warranties, proof of works, and contractor agreements.  Tidy-up:  Remove all those personal po

According to a recent survey, three out of four homeowners are delaying maintenance work because of these fears.  The survey of 1,000 people revealed two thirds of women and half of men questioned feel nervous when trades people come into their homes. People living in the East of England are the most concerned about money, while residents of the East Midlands fret the most about their personal safety. Welsh residents worry the most about both issues. Tim Meyer, UK manager of www.eGenie.c

BMW used the groundbreaking elastic skin technology on a recent show car and believes it could pave the way for car manufacturing in the future. A team at BMW Group Design Munich created the 'GINA Light Visionary Model' car, which has a surface made of stretchy elastic fabric. Unlike conventional cars, which are made from sheet metal, the innovative surface is flexible, lighter than metal and uses far less energy to manufacture. It takes about two hours to stretch the skin over the concept car and

The report entitled 'Government Review of Regulation and Redress in the UK Housing Market' was written for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) by Professor Colin Jones, at Heriot-Watt University. The research looks at problems across the housing sector that are damaging consumer confidence. Jones calls for the simplification and strengthening of existing redress provisions to help improve the public's awareness of their rights. Jones criticises current arrangements

The seriousness by which this issue is being tackled is signified by the fact that the Working Group is being chaired by RICS President, Peter Goodacre.  He explains that: "By far the majority of RICS members and other professionals working in the property sector are open and transparent in all their business dealings. However, there is anecdotal evidence that suggests either that this might not always be the case, or that there are certain areas where there needs to be more openness. A cons

Leading members of the property industry have called for the Government to make radical changes to the stamp duty regime when buying residential property. Duncan Owen, chief executive of Invista Real Estate Investment Management Ltd, says: "To help the market Government needs to allow stamp duty to be calculated at the rate of the individual property regardless of whether it is acquired individually or collectively, not at the rate of the collective price.” This stance is backed by the British Prop

More than half of the disputes in the South East (52 per cent) were the result of tenants damaging the property. More than a third (36 per cent) were due to the property not being cleaned - while the rest concerned poor repair of the garden. The North East saw the second highest level of disputes (15 per cent), followed by the South West (12 per cent), North West (11 per cent) and West Midlands (11 per cent). London is the worst offender when the analysis was broken down into cit

A recent study undertaken by the University of Oxford claims that about 1100 people in the UK die every year from radon poisoning in their own home. Radon is now recognised to be the second largest cause of lung cancer in UK. Radon risk is highest where properties are built on top of uranium rich soils such as granite. The poisonous gas can seep through the foundations of a building and into homes exposing flat owners to more intense levels of radon than in the outdoors. Now recognised to be the se

Flat owners generally pay regular amounts of money to management companies in respect of service charges and reserve funds used for the upkeep and maintenance of their properties. The Federation of Private Residents Association (FPRA) has issued a recommendation to flat owners to confirm that money deposited on their behalf will be safe if the bank in which funds are deposited ceases to trade. Confirmation should be obtained in writing from the bank or managing agent concerned. Federation Ch