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By JANE BARRY, ASSOCIATE EDITOR Long gone are the days when landlords resisted the very idea of enfranchisement and the Duke of Westminster took a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights. Some landlords still safeguard their freeholds by granting only short leases or ensuring the number of rented flats in a block prevents the long leaseholders from qualifying. But successive tranches of legislation have persuaded most that the sale of their freeholds is inevitable major players like the Cadogan

The Association of Home Information Pack Providers (AHIPP) has announced the first stage of its regional roll out of the Home Information Pack (HIP) and the Home Condition Report (HCR). Paul Broadhead, Deputy Director General, AHIPP said: “The Government’s decision to make the HCR a voluntary part of the HIP was spineless and unnecessary and was a decision made purely for political reasons. It is now up to industry to pick up the pieces and deliver its benefits to the consumer.” AHIPP, which continues

“I cannot think of another sector where so much money is held by businesses with no requirement to be registered with anyone” “there are at least 81 pieces of legislation or regulation that property managers must comply with” by Duncan Rendall There are estimated to be in excess of 1.5 million leasehold units in the UK, of which approximately 40% are believed to be ‘self-managed’. Each of these leasehold properties is a substantial asset, frequently the lessee’s primary asset. More and more lessees as

Know what you’re ‘letting’ yourself in for. This new guide provides essential advice on apartment living and letting. In January 2006, flats made up 57% of all new housing built in the UK, compared to only 24% of detached houses.  Today, ever more people are living in flats rather than houses. At one time, flat living was relatively rare, but in England and Wales at least, more flats than houses have been built since 2003, and over 100,000 new flats are now being built each year.  Commenting on these figu

If we think about all areas of our personal life, one thing tends to dominate our grievance time and again: poor service. If you’re out shopping, you expect service; if you go for a meal, you would be outraged if you weren’t looked after; you spend your hard-earned money on a holiday, you would not tolerate a hotel failing to look after you. Why, then, are the standards of management service in this sector generally so low? There is the argument that fees are not high enough to substantiate good service. 

DTZ Residential's Spring Central London Prime Report shows that prices have risen for new build apartments over the year. DTZ Residential expects the trend to continue through 2006, with more peripheral areas such as Elephant and Castle, Bermondsey, East London (Stratford and Barking), Vauxhall and Croydon experiencing above-average growth.

Down-sizing has been a growing phenomenon; be it among the single, rich and happy’s (‘Sarahs’), the smaller mortgage – ideal lifestyle (‘Smilers’), growing numbers of people are making the conscious decision to alter their lives, allow a better work/life balance, and insodoing are down-sizing their homes. Whether this is driven by a dream to opt out of full time work, finance a second home abroad, or by hard reality, such as a divorce, the trend is a move to smaller or less costly homes, freeing up cash f

Keith Edgar, Managing Director of Peverel Management Services Ltd, explains the management structure and facilities at a typical Peverel managed retirement development. The overwhelming majority of Peverel’s managed retirement schemes enjoy the benefits of the following. House manager At the majority of our sites a House Manager will be on duty from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, to ensure that all services and facilities run smoothly and to help you with any queries you might have regarding the deve

House prices experienced modest growth in June. London continues to be the primary driver for growth with average prices in the capital rising by 1.1% over June. Further away from the capital, growth remains more subdued. In terms of the investment market, average rents achieved on residential investment properties remain steady according Paragon Mortgages’ Buy-to-Let Index. In May, the typical landlord earned a gross rental income on each property of £10,189, or just over £849 per month, a rise of 0.8%

As from 1 June 2007, homeowners will be required to provide a Home Information Pack when marketing their homes for sale throughout England and Wales. There is less than a year to go until HIPs become mandatory across England and Wales. Long called for by consumer groups, HIPs are being introduced to address the serious problems and delays experienced by homebuyers and sellers when they can’t get early reliable information about a property they wish to purchase. The Government’s mission is that HIPs will

Often called private sheltered housing in the past, retirement housing is leasehold residential property specifically designed and designated for sale to older people with a package of estate management services. The market for retirement housing has good prospects. There are about 110,000 managed retirement homes in the U.K. (about 2,750 schemes). The demographics show increasing number of older people, living longer and healthier lives. Government reports have demonstrated the requirement for small p

This government has never been brilliant at the detail of legislation. Take Home Information Packs. Come next June, every seller must have a HIP before they can market their home. The pack, which must include searches and a Home Condition Report, has been through various pilots since 2000. But has the government ever looked specifically at its impact on leaseholders? According to DCLG, a HIP will cost around £600-£700. But, even if you accept this figure, which most in the industry don’t, that’s the cost