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The ability to sub-let is often one of the prime attractions of buying a Lease in a block of flats. Sometimes it is the sole object of the purchase. Difficulties with sub-letting can seriously affect the value of the investment so it pays to read the terms of the Lease very carefully to find out whether sub-letting is permitted and, if it is, whether there are any restrictions on how the sub-letting should be arranged. There has to be an express provision restricting sub-letting in the Lease and if there

If you are living in a block of flats, as opposed to sub-letting, when you come to consider your contents insurance the first thing to bear in mind is to ensure that you have comprehensive cover. Comprehensive cover is a phrase perhaps more naturally associated with motor insurance but it really indicates the fact that you need to make sure that you have wide coverage. This means ensuring that you have cover for accidental loss, that your insurance includes cover for legal costs, for your cash money and

I have read the article in your issue November/December 2002 with interest and note the duties of tenants as regards the conditions of their leases. But what can or may the landlords do if these conditions are not adhered to? Will a landlord spend hundreds of pounds on taking a tenant to court because he has not kept to the conditions of his lease? Surely no landlord is going to lay out much money because a tenant has rebuilt his flat, or not transferred it legally or correctly, or even not bothered to pa

I cannot have dogs in my flat as there is a restriction in our lease preventing us from having any pets. However, I would love to take them out for walks. Do you have any suggestions? You should advertise locally, offering a dog walking service. You could also try contacting local vets in your area or dog shelters, such as Battersea Dogs Home who sometimes allow volunteers to walk the dogs in their care. CAUGHT IN THE WEBI received your magazine last month, which was very interesting. I’d like to learn m

I am a 24-year-old single woman living on my own in an apartment block. Every-time I leave my apartment the man down the hallway seems to leave his at the same time and enters the lift with me. He is not an unpleasant person to talk to but he always steers the conversation round to chatting me up and I am just not interested. What can I do? G.S., NW8 Be sure that this gentleman is really timing his departures to coincide with yours. If you are worried that he may have an unwanted attraction to you, you

BUY-TO-LET RETURNS FALL Average rates of return on Buy-To-Let property have declined in London according to the Quarterly Indices of Rental Returns published by ARLA (Association of Residential Letting Agents). The rate of return on the total cost of a Buy-To-Let investment in prime Central London is 10.68% (a fall of 0.19%) and 10.93% in the rest of London (a fall of 0.33%). This is the largest survey of its kind undertaken in the Private Rented Sector, incorporating responses from over 500 letting agent

The first thing to appreciate is that your emergency repair may be regarded by someone else as just a minor inconvenience because emergency call outs obviously cost more than dealing with matters on a normal maintenance routine. There are certain sorts of works which are obvious emergencies such as windows that have been broken, possibly due to burglary, doors that have been forced or broken with locks damaged by a similar cause, infestation by some sort of rodent, water leaks which cannot be stopped. Yo

The following are a selection of the questions we have received from apartment residents needing advice from our specialist panel. We have edited the questions where necessary. If you have an issue related to apartment living, please write to: The Editor, News On The Block, Northway House, 1379 High Road, London N20 9LP or e-mail editor@newsontheblock.com. While we cannot answer each individual piece of correspondence personally, we will do our best to answer the most interesting questions on the Postbo

By Desmond Taylor Having noisy neighbours seems to be one of the most frequent complaints that we hear about. Letters certainly come to this magazine from distressed flat owners wondering what they can do. The first thing, of course, is to have a look at your lease and to see whether the conduct about which you are complaining is prohibited by the lease. If it is then you have a good starting point. If it is not then all is not lost because there are common law remedies for nuisance but there are diff

[image1] Property and lifestyle magazine News On The Block is to go monthly from February.  Launched as a bi-monthly in May last year, 40,000 copies of the title are distributed to residents of luxury apartments in London.  Editorial includes legal issues, finance, property management and celebrity interviews.  News On The Block is published by Adrenaline Media and the editor is Dan March. PR Week 17 January 2003

EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATIONI’ve just moved into the area. How do I find out about schools in my area?If you are looking for state school education, you should telephone the local education department of your local council who will provide you with a list, or look on their website where such information is usually posted. If you are interested in private schools, there is an organisation called the Independent Schools Information Service with lots of useful information available on their website (www.i

EUROPEAN FLOODING AUTHORITY REQUESTED Europe needs a continental-wide flood prevention authority to co-ordinate member states measures to stop a repetition of August’s disastrous inundation, says RICS, the leading international body representing property professionals. RICS chief executive, Louis Armstrong, said: “Rivers do not recognise borders so decisions on planning and flood control in one country can rapidly become a major problem for another country downstream. RICS wants to see a central body with