Featured Articles

In the second edition of her series of articles from the front line, Antonia Adams considers whether the amalgamation of local authorities and private developments is a match made in heaven or hell. The above attention-grabbing headline was in my free local authority newspaper earlier this year stating that they needed 200 private sector properties to meet the continuing demand for housing under both their Rent Deposit and Leasing Schemes, with landlords being enticed with various benefits. I never took m

Last spring John Peartree, chief executive officer of the Federation of Private Residents’ Associations (FPRA), and his committee members, wrote to Tony Blair about the lack of consideration by government of the impact on leaseholders and residents of new legislation. Please see a copy of his letter below, with responses overleaf. Dear Prime Minister, The Federation of Private Residents’ Associations (FPRA) represents long leasehold and tenanted flat owners in England and Wales and estates of largely o

The problem of parking for residents is getting worse, considerably exacerbated by current planning policy, which increasingly restricts parking provision in town and city centre developments. “In many cases, there is no parking whatsoever, in expectation that people will be able to use public transport, or walk everywhere, but in practice this rarely works, except in the largest cities, where the transport infrastructure is effective. For most people, their car denotes freedom. It is integral to their li

I Following on from the British Security Industry Association’s (BSIA) article in the last edition of NOTB, the BSIA Police and Public Services Section Chairman, Mick Lee, examines the role that wardens are playing in securing blocks of flats and looks at the other security measures that resident associations should be considering. Some resident associations and local authorities are now turning to private security guarding companies to supply wardens or security officers to patrol housing estates or blo

The regulations setting out requirements to manage asbestos in buildings have been out for some time now. The major change came with the introduction of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002. The duty to manage (regulation 4) came into force in May 2004 after an 18-month lead in period to allow sufficient time for organisations to comply, writes Peter Moore of Tetra Consulting. The 2002 regulations set out explicit requirements to manage asbestos in all properties except private residential dwe

The world’s largest convention for property professionals takes place in the French Riviera in March 2008 – Nicolas Shulman previews the spectacular real estate summit... The annual MIPIM conference is fast approaching and News on the Block will be reporting throughout the build up and of course at the event itself. MIPIM is undoubtedly the highlight on the global property conference calendar and you will not miss a thing with News on the Block. In 2008 the four-day property extravaganza takes places at t

Neil Young, CEO of Young Group, commenting on the latest Young Index figures, points out: “Mark Twain famously said ‘Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated’; the same can be said of the buy-to-let industry. Young Index data shows that investor sentiment remains extremely healthy, particularly in the capital. As with any investment asset class, it’s imperative to scrutinise each opportunity carefully and ensure that it is supported by sound fundamentals. In the case of buy-to-let, investors need

B2L still strong Investors will continue to purchase good quality buy-to-let properties in the right location, for the right price, says Imagine Homes in spite of recent speculation. Group sales director, Marc Lafferty is confident that strategic developments and strengthened overseas operations will support the company’s ambitious expansion strategy. “Buy-to-let is about buying well. For Imagine Homes, it is a question of picking our developments carefully. Imagine Homes only select new-build properties

Q: Tell us about the history of the Berkeley Group? A: Originally I worked for Crest Homes, which is now called Crest Nicholson. I left them in 1976 when I was 27 years old and founded Berkeley. The purpose of Berkeley was to build a small number of large detached houses in the leafy lanes of Surrey. Our logic was simple: we provided a bespoke service (very unusual in those days), for example letting people choose their own kitchens and bathrooms. Berkeley stayed with that business model for a number of y

Q: Could you start by telling us a little bit about your background and how you came to be chief executive of the Leasehold Advisory Service? A: Certainly. I studied for a degree reading law. On completion of that I joined the Bar in Gray’s Inn – the work I was doing was general common law work such as housing, crime, a tiny bit of family, that sort of thing. I first contacted LEASE with the intention of trying to find a niche in property law, and to get a handle on the issues that were arising with a vie

RMC director Bob Smytherman talks to News on the Block about how residents in his block have benefited from Yourblockonline.com Bob lives in a block of 46 flats in West Sussex. The building is run by a self managed residential company and Bob is involved in the management. Just under a year ago Bob played a pivotal role in signing his block up to yourblockonline.com – the free service for people in blocks of flats. “When I first moved here 16 years ago a large number of the residents were elderly, but gra

Helen Matthews, Partner and Head of Contentious Property at Bolt Burdon writes that from 1 October 2007 every demand for service charges must provide leaseholders with information on their rights in relation to those charges. Section 153 of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 came into force on 1 October 2007 amending the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 by inserting a new section 21B. The new section only applies in England with Welsh commencement soon. Under section 158 of the 2002 Act landlords mu