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The outcome of a consultation exercise conducted by the Department for Communities and Local Government on proposals for increasing leasehold upper value limits has been announced. Upper value limits determine eligibility of residential long leaseholders to rights to remain in their flats at the end of their lease terms or to extend their lease under existing legislation. Although with just 17 responses, there was a low level of response to the consultation, there was general support for updating the valu

The Olympic Games start on 25 July and are sure to be a TV highlight of the year. However, with London switching to digital TV in April, landlords and managing agents of apartment blocks that aren’t yet digitally ready are being urged to make preparations now. According to Sky Communal TV Solutions, there are still private apartment blocks in the capital not fully ready for switchover. Some landlords are unclear on what needs to be done, have concerns about costs and find the whole process confusing. Bren

The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010 impose obligations on occupiers whose properties use septic tanks or package sewage treatment plants rather than connecting directly to the public sewer. Gemma James, Partner in the Property Department at Mundays Solicitors LLP explained: “It was intended to be compulsory from 1st January 2012 for all such occupiers to ensure their tank or plant is registered with the Environment Agency but this is now only the case for Wales because a form

Hera Management Services have been appointed to manage the prestigious Streamlight Tower in Tower Hamlets, London. Hera’s Managing Director, Suzanne Wicks, said “We are very excited to sign the management contract for Streamlight Tower. This is a fantastic opportunity for us to provide a first class, customer focussed and professional service for the residents of this award winning building.” A wholly owned subsidiary of Swan Social Enterprise Group, Hera combines expertise from the private sector with

The Court of Appeal The Court of Appeal has awarded £6,452.50 damages to a flat owner who complained about the actions of a lessee controlled management company. The disputes occurred at Framewood Manor, a luxury apartment development in Buckinghamshire. The Appellant, Mrs. Newman made a number of complaints against the management company alleging breach of covenant, including one of loss of amenity as a consequence of the nearby doorway to the swimming pool being blocked up due to excessive condensation.

Flat owners at Emanuel House have won a major case against Westminister City Council. The situation arose after the original contract value for repair and improvement work at the block escalated from £2.2m to an estimated £3.6m. As a direct result of these works Westminster City Council were seeking contributions through the service charge of between £50,000 and £90,000 per flat/leasehold. Landmark Leasehold Advisory Services was instructed by 35 residents to piece together and fund professional represe

Peverel Group, the largest residential managing agent in the UK, has been bought by a consortium of private equity companies comprising Chamonix Private Equity and Electra Partners. The holding companies of Peverel were placed into administration in March 2011 and Zolfo Cooper were appointed as administrators. However, this transaction includes not just the holding companies, but the operating subsidiary companies as well which includes the management of retirement properties, property sales, insurance

The most common insurance claim in blocks of flats involves water leaks. It is perhaps an accepted hazard of high-density, multi-occupancy, urban communal living. However, as this case study shows, in extreme cases water leaks are a serious problem damaging both property and wealth. Imagine a typical new build with 80 plus units constructed in the last five years, in the midst of the housing construction boom. It could be just one of many attractive new build developments that seduced purchasers with as

The deaths of six residents in 2009 in a fire at Lakanal House, Camberwell, South London has prompted a re-examination of the safety of high-rise social housing blocks. While many of the blocks in use do provide levels of fire safety commensurate with current building regulations, others (mainly those which are provided with only a single staircase) do not.       It has long been the view of many fire safety professionals that automatic fire suppression systems could be used to supplement existing

A recent court of appeal case has brought a clear – and positive – impact on landlords’ ability to recover their legal costs when pursuing service charge debts. ‘69 Marina’ has clarified that both County Court and Leasehold Valuation Tribunal (LVT) costs can be recovered. 69 Marina – how the case unfolded 69 Marina is a block of six apartments, five of which had been let on 99-year leases that began in July 1985. The lessees had failed to pay service charges relating to repair works. In April 2007,

The existence of a head-lease in relation to a residential block of flats has considerable significance in a claim for a lease extension. As well as arguments to the value of the head-lessee’s interest, conveyancing issues are likely. When a sub-lessee claims a lease extension, terms will be needed for provision of services after the termination of the head-lease. When a head-lessee itself claims for a particular flat, there will be a surrender of the head-lease in respect of that flat, leading to argumen

A new online property portal has launched to help individuals save thousands of pounds when buying or selling a property. Housetrade.co.uk enables individuals to sell their property privately, avoiding excessive estate agency fees and putting them in control of negotiations and viewings.