Featured Articles

Traditionally, there has always been a distinction between a “Reserve Fund” and a “Sinking Fund”. A “Reserve Fund” is a fund into which leaseholders pay a regular sum of money to be used by the landlord to meet recurring expenditure, for example, periodic expenditure of exterior and common parts of the block. In contrast, a “Sinking Fund” provides for expenditure that might only be incurred once or twice during the lease term on specific terms. A good example of such an item of expenditure would be th

Mark Chick, partner at Bishop & Sewell LLP, takes a close look at February’s landmark ruling by the House of Lords, the first judgment to be made by them under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993. How much of a property does a landlord have to wish to redevelop in order to defeat the tenant’s claim to a new lease under Section 47 of the 1993 Act? One of the only circumstances in which a landlord can refuse to admit what would be an otherwise valid claim to a new lease under the 19

News on the Block caught up with Chainbow’s enigmatic chairman to discuss tower block management and some of the issues associated with maintaining large developments. London’s overcrowding has put increased pressure on developers to deliver more residential apartment towers but in order to differentiate private schemes from typical social housing estates, and, in turn, increase resale value, more attention needs to be placed on managing facilities, maintenance and cleanliness throughout. Roger Southam, c

David Green, director of operations at Delph Property Group, provides a summary of the latest goings on in the property business world New chief Sir Bob Kerslake has taken up his role as head of the government’s new Housing and Communities Agency, that will be key to delivering the three million new homes by 2020 pledged by the Prime Minister. According to press reports he is already making his mark by proposing an amendment to the Housing and Regeneration Bill to put sustainability on the same level as t

London's outgoing mayor Ken Livingstone published his housing manifesto recently, backing the British Property Federation’s (BPF) calls for greater institutional investment in London’s rental market. The document said that good quality private rented housing also has an important part to play in meeting housing needs in London. The BPF has led a much-publicised campaign to encourage investment from large institutions into developing a build-to-let rental sector. It published research in February in which

Flat locations can be devalued by the amount of miscellaneous sale and to let boards scattered throughout the developments. One can only imagine the effect of the cornucopia of signs on potential tenants; can this really be the location, location, location when everyone appears to be going, going, gone? As the credit crunch bites down on the mortgage system, a broader cross section of potential homeowners are forced to rent not having the means to take their first tentative steps on the property ladder. A

Jamie Reid caught up with one of the country’s leading experts on Commonhold to discuss the slow take up of the system in this country and how it has worked in his native Australia for over half a century. Q: Could you start by telling me a little bit about your background, and how you came to be in the position you are now at Davies Arnold Cooper (DAC)?A: Certainly. I’m originally from Australia and I’ve practised law there for five years. I was working on the Gold Coast and Brisbane dealing with large-s

If you follow herd thinking, then the answer is a very loud ‘No!’ Professional, long-term investors may well take a different view, however. In fact, right now many are rubbing their hands together in anticipation of being able to swoop on some bargains. Robin Bowman of Property Secrets explains. So, what exactly is a ‘professional investor’? The bottom line is that if you act smart, do the research, arm yourself with facts and adopt a realistic view of a market and plan strategically, you’re a pro. If yo

The fires of leasehold reform are not, it seems, entirely dead, there are still a few hardy souls working to keep the flickering embers alive. Few people, perhaps, will have been aware of the Leasehold Reform Bill that had a few minutes life on the floor of the Commons in late February and proposed measures to provide extra rights for leaseholders. So let’s hear it for Simon Hughes MP who promoted this Private Member’s Bill. “I’ve been in this place for nearly 25 years and applied every year in the ballot

I don’t know if it’s climate change, the credit crunch or the desire to see the back of George W. Bush but this year is flying by! Not only is the year flying but as each month goes by another scam comes to light. I am going to have to reframe my attitudes because quite frankly I should no longer be shocked. However, I do still find my chin hitting the floor! The latest shockers arose from a recent site we took over the management of whereby the previous agents were making a 1,000 per cent mark up on sell

Recruiting staff can be stressful with all the legislation. Most organisations involve specialists such as Claibon to assist. For anyone handling such matters there are several considerations, starting with the job advert. Recruiters must be sure the best candidate for the job is chosen. Recruiters need a clear understanding of the requirements, responsibilities and rewards of the role to be filled together with the characteristics of the successful candidate in terms of skills, qualifications, previous

News & Information about Flats News on the Block is all about flats. Informative and practical, with each edition of the magazine you’ll get: •           articles about property management •           in-depth news coverage of the residential leasehold sector •           detailed legal articles about the law relating to flats •           feature interviews of the sector’s top names •           expert opinion and commentary Subscribe online today or call us on 08700 600 663 to receive 6 print issues for ju