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A property law specialist has warned the executors of wills involving rental properties that they could be personally liable for losses incurred during their administration of the estate, and says it is vital that such issues are handled carefully.    With a record number of landlords opening property companies in 2023*, buy-to-let properties have become a common feature of many people’s investment portfolio. Executors are now regularly called upon to deal with a rental property in an estate after someone

A national trade body is calling for more regulatory action to shield householders from the dangers of damp and mould in their homes. The Property Care Association says more needs to be done to ensure that ventilation systems operate effectively in protecting properties and residents from the unsightly and unhealthy problems caused by excess moisture indoors. Sarah Garry, Chief Executive of the PCA, said: “There’s a great deal of attention paid to factors such as vehicle emissions on air quality, but we w

ACTIVE BYSTANDER CONFERENCE - Sponsored by Fraser Allen Estate Management Occasionally, you may encounter situations that seem ''off''. This could include unsettling remarks by a friend or witnessing someone being harassed at a social gathering. This could also be a situation at work with a colleague or a client.  An investigation by UN Women UK (2022) found that 97% of women aged 18-24 have been sexually harassed, with a further 96% not reporting those situations because of the belief that it would not c

Native Residential, one of the UK’s largest third-party Build to Rent operators managing in excess of £5bn mixed-use and living assets, has partnered with MRI Software, selecting MRI HorizonTM and MRI Contract Intelligence.   Fuelled by high-profile client acquisitions and the expansion of its commercial and mixed-use operations, Native Residential is set to roll out the market-leading commercial property management and accounting platform across its diverse 6,000-unit living and 1mn sq. ft commercial por

The UK Supreme Court's ruling this morning sets an important precedent, requiring fossil fuel extraction projects to include pollution from downstream emissions in their environmental impact assessments.  CPRE director of policy, campaigns and communications Elli Moody said: 'Today’s landmark decision by the Supreme Court is a big win for the countryside, for the planet and for common sense. We hope it signals a major shift away from fossil fuels and towards clean, sustainable energy.   'Businesses s

MRI Software, the leading provider of property technology solutions has published the results of its Resident Voice Index™ poll surveying over 1,000* social housing residents on the social housing market. Please find the analysis of the key findings below as well as the link to the full results here. According to a recent Resident Voice Index™ poll carried out by MRI Software involving over 1,000* social housing residents, 63% are pessimistic about the general housing market availability and overall affor

RICS accredited agent, Faraday Property Management and Building Surveying, has launched its new branding initiative, demonstrating their commitment to continuously innovate and strengthen their position as a leader in the market. The rebrand aligns with Faraday’s values and their traditional services, placing emphasis on their mission at the core of their operations; to safeguard their client’s properties. A Holistic Approach  Combining Faraday’s principles of professionalism and integrity sets the founda

With inflation now nearly at the 2% target and after years of punishingly high interest rates we have one message for the Bank of England: Stop holding homeowners to ransom and cut interest rates now. The hikes in the cost of borrowing is putting household finances under enormous strain. If you’re remortgaging, the best rate on a 2 year fix this June is 4.82% - this rate is more than double the best rate on a 2 year fix that was available in June 2022 which was 2.34%. For someone with a £250,000 mortga

For nearly three decades, Graham Lowe has been a guiding force in fire safety, serving as Managing Director of Hochiki Europe. Now, as he steps into retirement, Lowe offers a unique perspective on the remarkable transformations within the fire detection industry and how Hochiki Europe has strategically adapted to stay at the forefront. In this interview, Lowe shares his insights and thoughts for the future not only for the team at Hochiki but also the broader industry.   Over your tenure at Hochiki Europe

In their general election manifestos published this week, each of the three main parties made a commitment to leasehold reform. Mark Chick, director of ALEP (the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners) and a Partner at Bishop & Sewell LLP commented: “Whichever party forms the next government, leasehold reform is far from over. “We know that the Conservatives would renew their commitment to cap all ground rents at £250 and to phase them out over 20 years, this does potentially put the ‘writ

Rendesco, the leading clean heat network developer and owner-operator, has raised £6m to rapidly expand its operations and further develop its solutions in the UK and European energy markets.  The new investment has been led by Clean Growth Fund, Eurazeo’s Smart City fund, and Aviva Ventures. They join existing investor Copley Point Capital. The funding will accelerate Rendesco’s ambitious growth and innovation plans to reduce consumer energy bills, decarbonise heat at scale, and provide a low-carbon alte

Timothy Douglas, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Propertymark, said: “Propertymark has long said that Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) could be better utilised through the introduction of a Property Passport to increase the uptake of energy efficiency improvements. This would enable information to be transferable across building owners and help maintain a long-term decarbonisation goal for the building. “The process would not replace EPCs, but enhance them, creating an opportunity to capture EPC dat