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It is estimated that in England there are about 250,000 homes that have been empty for over six months. To help solve this problem, the government has now given powers to local authorities to effectively seize control and manage homes that have been left empty for more than six months, under what are called "Empty Dwelling Management Orders"   However, on the subject of getting empty homes back into use, the government has not been so keen to publicise the fact that investors can actually get income tax

Implementation of the Government’s new Local Housing Allowance (LHA) for recipients of the existing Housing Benefit (HB) will have far-reaching implications on landlords who provide privately rented accommodation to people on benefit. Vitally for the landlord, in most cases the LHA will be paid to the tenant, who will take over responsibility for paying rent to the landlord. This represents a significant change from the existing procedure whereby HB can be paid direct to the landlord. Part of the Welf

Enfranchisement & Leasehold Solutions (ELS) announced that a record number of owners of leasehold flats are opting to purchase their freehold (enfranchise). ELS are currently arranging collective enfranchisement for over 2,000 flats in London. This news comes on the fifth anniversary of the Commonhold & Leasehold Reform Act 2002, the legislation that made it substantially easier for tenants of flats and houses to purchase the freehold of their properties. Andrew Lyndon-Skeggs, founder and managing dir

If you own a residential property that contains communal areas then you will need to comply with the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2006. This will include for example, hallways, lift shafts, stairs and roof spaces. The responsibility belongs to the “Duty Holder”. This is anyone who has the responsibility for maintaining and repairing all or any part of the property or who has control of the building. A Landlord and /or managing agent has a responsibility to pass on relevant information to te

Peverel OM national residential property management experts has made a number of new appointments and internal promotions recently. Alan McDade has moved from ‘Community at Heart’ where he worked as a Housing Coordinator to his new post as Development Manager in Portishead. Patrick Coleman has joined as Development Manager at ‘Beaufort Park’ in London NW9 he previously worked as a Residential Manager at ‘Portman Towers’. Sandra Martin has moved from ‘Dominion Housing Group’ where she worked as a Leaseh

A recent Court of Appeal decision has had a dramatic effect on the cost of extending a lease or purchasing a freehold. Jamie Reid investigates the winners and losers in the fallout from this landmark ruling. (See the next issue for a full update.) The Sportelli case has had the residential property market gripped since the announcement by the Lands Tribunal in September 2006 that when valuing a lease extension or freehold purchase, a standard national deferment rate of five per cent should apply for all

Enfranchisement, or buying the freehold of a building, is not always the most straightforward or cost-effective solution for leaseholders who are unhappy with the way their building is being managed. Often there are cost complications that make this an unaffordable option, explains Richard Benson. Five years ago, an act was passed simplifying the process for leaseholders. The Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act (2002) gave leaseholders the right to manage (RTM) their homes without having to buy the free

One of Labour’s main election platforms in 1997 was to continue the trend towards leasehold reform, began (albeit in a somewhat flawed fashion) in 1993 and improved in 1996. Mira Bar-Hillel takes up the story… The promise of ending feudalism, the apt description of leasehold tenure until 1997, was frustratingly slow in arriving, and it was a source of constant aggravation that obvious steps that could have been introduced long ago, and prevented endless abuse, kept coming through in a slow, maddening tri

Within the Oxford Concise English Dictionary there are many meanings of the word ‘woe’. Examples being: bitter grief, distress, calamities, troubles, problems, (told me a tale of woe), woe betide there will be unfortunate consequences. So why take on the position of becoming a director, or even more frightening the role of chairman or worse still the company secretary, asks Wayne Morris of Towergate Risk Solutions. Everyone must be aware of the line from the famous song by Irving Berlin entitled: “Lets

The Federation of Private Residents’ Associations (FPRA) has just published the findings from its recent survey of members. The questionnaire was completed by 254 Resident Management Company officers and covered a range of issues including reasons for joining the FPRA, concerns about managing agents and how best the FPRA can serve its members moving forward. The first question asked respondents how they originally learnt of the FPRA. The largest percentage response to this question said they learnt of th

How can property managersand residents benefit from using Microbee for pest control? Microbee employs biologists and zoologists as well as technicians. These professionals conduct scientific research on pests as well as selecting and evaluating pesticides for clients. The biologists survey new contracts, specify treatments and carry out annual quality audits. This helps to ensure the treatment is appropriate and helps to keep technicians on their toes. The company’s service controllers call client sites

Most buildings require some form of pest control service. This can range from removing wasp nests to pigeon proofing. As with any service delivered through a managing agent or third party, to be effective, the delivery has to be managed and the lines of communication good. Dave Channon of Microbee explains the process of good pest control. Residents naturally want to spend as little as possible on pest control and unless they live in the basement or ground floor they probably won’t notice the problem. Th