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National house prices rose slightly in January, according to the latest Hometrack survey, the impetus coming from London where continuing improvement in demand resulted in average prices rising by 0.2%. The average national price for an apartment/ maisonette in January was £125,400. Despite the modest growth in the wake of the festive season, homebuyers are putting their confidence back in the housing market this year, with almost 80% expecting UK house prices to rise in 2006. Halifax is predicting 3% an

After purchasing a freehold, many leaseholders consider how best to amend their lease so as to reflect the changed ownership circumstances or perhaps just to update them. In an ideal world however, lease variations should be agreed when leaseholders are entering into the participation agreement prior to committing to buy their freehold. By Rowena Wilson. Proposed variations to the lease can be set out in a Deed of Variation. The Deed of Variation will need to be registered at HM Land Registry against ea

The concept of a landlord having to consult with tenants prior to carrying out works was introduced by section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. In this article Alan Edwards explains how this area of legislation has subsequently developed. Save for any contractual requirements to consult which may be set out in a lease, a landlord’s requirement to consult with tenants prior to carrying out "works" was introduced by section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. Section 151 of The Commonhold and L

Homebuilding on previously developed land has hit a new record high of 72 per cent, new figures from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister reveal. The proportion of new homes built on brownfield sites has reached an all-time record level of 72%- up from 56% in 1997, and up a further 2% on the previous count. Meanwhile, the average density of new homes remains at 40dph (dwellings per hectare), up from 25dph in 1997. The new statistics are based on changes in land use recorded for the ODPM by Ordnance Su

The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) has announced its concerns over the almost total lack of knowledge and understanding among consumers about how home information packs (HIPs) will affect the sale of property. Feedback from its members at a variety of HIPs road shows has highlighted concerns that the general public is largely unaware of the introduction of HIPs, even with the volume of recent media coverage on the subject, with few understanding the implications HIPs will have on the buying

BREAKING NEWS NEW PROPERTY SERVICE Property management website Avenue was launched by Peverel OM Ltd almost a year ago. A recent survey shows that approximately 90% of residents used the site, with the majority saying that it is easy to use and saves valuable time. Avenue is the first of its kind in the residential block management industry, and has now undergone some changes amid positive feedback from residents across the UK. It offers residents instant on-line access to development information, doc

BREAKING NEWS THE LANDLORD SHOW Thursday 22 March 2007, Olympia Conference Centre, London The Landlord Show at Olympia is the UK's premier private residential landlord event. It features the UK's most comprehensive landlord exhibition, providing the private rented sector with unparalleled access to landlord suppliers, advisors, government bodies and associations. The Landlord Show also includes a series of free seminars featuring industry experts speaking on diverse topics. If you're looking for exper

By Desmond Taylor A Tenant’s Association is a group of flat owners who have flats either on lease or tenancy from the same Landlord on similar terms which make provision for the payment of service charges. To ensure maximum effectiveness such an Association needs to be “recognised”. Once “recognised” then the Association can do certain things on behalf of the members such as asking for a summary of the costs incurred by the Landlord in connection with matters for which a service charge is being levied;

“House price growth over 2005 is set to be the lowest for a decade. Whilst activity levels may have improved over the autumn on the back of more realistic pricing it does not automatically follow that prices will start to rise.” Richard Donnell, Director of Research, Hometrack “2006 will continue to see a vibrant buy to let market across the UK, with growth driven by increased consumer confidence and high demand.”Lee Grandin, Managing Director, Landlord Mortgages “The cool-down in the housing market ove

Halifax, Nationwide, Hometrack and Rightmove all indicated that the bottom of the market has passed in autumn 2005. Average house prices are forecast to rise by 1% during 2006 and by an average of 2.1% per annum over the next three years according to Hometrack’ s 2006 Housing Market Forecast. Low single digit house price inflation over the next few years will result in a steady re-alignment of household incomes and house prices to more sustainable levels. According to the New Homes Index, the proportion

Bernard Wales warns against short-term financial planning and urges a bold, forward-thinking approach to reserve fund management. Towards the end of the financial year the property manager has the exciting task of preparing the budget for the next year. Perhaps with the help of an accounts department, the starting point is the actual expenditure incurred during the current year. A methodical trawl through the various expenditure headings and the individual invoices produces the basic budget – but then w

Muriel Guest Smith, Chairman of The Federation of Private Residents Associations (FPRA), the national non-profit organisation that helps form residents associations and then represents them, writes about her personal experience of buying the freehold of a block of flats. Our Resident Management Company (RMC) bought the freehold of our 29 flat mansion block after almost ten years of unsatisfactory management from our landlord and their family-run managing agents. This is probably the main reason for most