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It is estimated that there are now over 54,000 blocks of flats where the long leasehold flat owners control the management of their property; and under current government legislation this is set to grow dramatically. However this very same legislation is increasingly making it difficult for lessees to manage such properties. Rights of individual lessees are being increased and this helpful where they stop the abuses of outsiders who have control. However, these rights can also cause problems where the l

This year’s Association of Residential Housing Manager’s (ARHM) Conference will be held at 1 Great George Street, London W1 on Wednesday 6 December. There is an excellent line up of speakers, including Baroness Elizabeth Andrews OBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, DCLG, who will be the keynote speaker. She is leading the initiative for a cross-government strategy for older persons’ housing and will be speaking to the conference about what that strategy might include. Other subjects that will be

EXCLUSIVE REVIEW The Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA) celebrated its first decade of annual conferences on November 2nd at the appropriately grand setting of the Institute of Electrical Engineers, Savoy Place, London. It is the only real time for members from all over the UK – as well hundreds of other delegates with an interest in the leasehold sector - to come together and hear not only about ARMA’s plans for the future, but to discuss the residential leasehold sector in general. The

By JANE BARRY, ASSOCIATE EDITOR Long gone are the days when landlords resisted the very idea of enfranchisement and the Duke of Westminster took a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights. Some landlords still safeguard their freeholds by granting only short leases or ensuring the number of rented flats in a block prevents the long leaseholders from qualifying. But successive tranches of legislation have persuaded most that the sale of their freeholds is inevitable major players like the Cadogan

The Association of Home Information Pack Providers (AHIPP) has announced the first stage of its regional roll out of the Home Information Pack (HIP) and the Home Condition Report (HCR). Paul Broadhead, Deputy Director General, AHIPP said: “The Government’s decision to make the HCR a voluntary part of the HIP was spineless and unnecessary and was a decision made purely for political reasons. It is now up to industry to pick up the pieces and deliver its benefits to the consumer.” AHIPP, which continues

“I cannot think of another sector where so much money is held by businesses with no requirement to be registered with anyone” “there are at least 81 pieces of legislation or regulation that property managers must comply with” by Duncan Rendall There are estimated to be in excess of 1.5 million leasehold units in the UK, of which approximately 40% are believed to be ‘self-managed’. Each of these leasehold properties is a substantial asset, frequently the lessee’s primary asset. More and more lessees as

Know what you’re ‘letting’ yourself in for. This new guide provides essential advice on apartment living and letting. In January 2006, flats made up 57% of all new housing built in the UK, compared to only 24% of detached houses.  Today, ever more people are living in flats rather than houses. At one time, flat living was relatively rare, but in England and Wales at least, more flats than houses have been built since 2003, and over 100,000 new flats are now being built each year.  Commenting on these figu

If we think about all areas of our personal life, one thing tends to dominate our grievance time and again: poor service. If you’re out shopping, you expect service; if you go for a meal, you would be outraged if you weren’t looked after; you spend your hard-earned money on a holiday, you would not tolerate a hotel failing to look after you. Why, then, are the standards of management service in this sector generally so low? There is the argument that fees are not high enough to substantiate good service. 

DTZ Residential's Spring Central London Prime Report shows that prices have risen for new build apartments over the year. DTZ Residential expects the trend to continue through 2006, with more peripheral areas such as Elephant and Castle, Bermondsey, East London (Stratford and Barking), Vauxhall and Croydon experiencing above-average growth.

Down-sizing has been a growing phenomenon; be it among the single, rich and happy’s (‘Sarahs’), the smaller mortgage – ideal lifestyle (‘Smilers’), growing numbers of people are making the conscious decision to alter their lives, allow a better work/life balance, and insodoing are down-sizing their homes. Whether this is driven by a dream to opt out of full time work, finance a second home abroad, or by hard reality, such as a divorce, the trend is a move to smaller or less costly homes, freeing up cash f

Keith Edgar, Managing Director of Peverel Management Services Ltd, explains the management structure and facilities at a typical Peverel managed retirement development. The overwhelming majority of Peverel’s managed retirement schemes enjoy the benefits of the following. House manager At the majority of our sites a House Manager will be on duty from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, to ensure that all services and facilities run smoothly and to help you with any queries you might have regarding the deve

House prices experienced modest growth in June. London continues to be the primary driver for growth with average prices in the capital rising by 1.1% over June. Further away from the capital, growth remains more subdued. In terms of the investment market, average rents achieved on residential investment properties remain steady according Paragon Mortgages’ Buy-to-Let Index. In May, the typical landlord earned a gross rental income on each property of £10,189, or just over £849 per month, a rise of 0.8%