#Leaseholder management London

[whitehorselaw]

Looking for Residential Conveyancing Solicitors in London, UK? Visit White Horse Solicitors & Notary Public!

Navigating the complexities of buying or selling a home can be overwhelming. If you're searching for reliable and experienced residential conveyancing solicitors in London, White Horse Solicitors & Notary Public is here to help. Our team of skilled professionals is dedicated to providing exceptional service tailored to your specific needs.

Why Choose White Horse Solicitors & Notary Public?

With years of expertise in residential conveyancing, we understand the intricacies involved in property transactions. Whether you're a first-time homebuyer or an experienced property investor, our solicitors will guide you through the entire process, ensuring a smooth and stress-free experience.

What We Offer

At White Horse Solicitors & Notary Public, we offer a comprehensive range of services related to residential conveyancing, including:

Buying or selling a property: We handle all legal aspects, from drafting contracts to transferring ownership.

Mortgages and refinancing: Our solicitors assist in reviewing and advising on mortgage agreements and legal documentation.

Leasehold and freehold transactions: We manage lease extensions, enfranchisements, and more.

Property disputes: Our team can also assist with resolving disputes related to property ownership or boundaries.

Expert Guidance Every Step of the Way

Our team takes the time to understand your individual needs and provide clear, practical advice at every stage of the process. From answering your questions to keeping you informed about timelines and costs, we ensure transparency and clarity throughout.

Get in Touch

If you need expert residential conveyancing solicitors in London, look no further than White Horse Solicitors & Notary Public. Contact us today to discuss your situation, and let us handle your legal needs with precision and care.

[servicechargesorted]

Self-Managing A Small Block Of Flats Post Right To Manage

Managing a small block of flats in London as a Right to Manage (RTM) company director can be a challenging yet rewarding endeavor. However, the evolving landscape of leasehold regulations brings uncertainty and demands your attention as you navigate the complexities of self-management. In this article, we will explore the regulatory changes you need to be aware of as an RTM company director, discuss what you need to know, and guide how to overcome the uncertainty

Conclusion

As an RTM company director managing a small block of flats, staying knowledgeable about leasehold regulatory changes is essential. By understanding the evolving landscape, seeking legal advice, collaborating with leaseholder networks, and potentially utilizing professional property management support, you can overcome uncertainty and navigate the challenges of compliance effectively. Remember to communicate transparently with leaseholders, keeping them informed and engaged throughout the process. By proactively addressing regulatory changes, you can ensure your RTM company operates within the legal framework and continues to provide a secure and harmonious living environment for all leaseholders.

[crownla98]

Navigating Legal Terrain: Will and Residential Property Solicitors in London

The complexities of managing estates and navigating residential property transactions in London call for specialized legal expertise. This article delves into how Will Solicitors and Residential Property Solicitors provide essential services that safeguard personal and financial interests, ensuring peace of mind for clients navigating the intricate legal landscape of London.

The Essential Role of Will Solicitors in London

Understanding Will Solicitation

Creating a will is a critical step in ensuring your assets are distributed according to your wishes after your passing. In London, the nuanced legal frameworks make it even more crucial to have expert guidance in drafting a legally sound will.

Services Provided

Will solicitors in London offer a range of services, including estate planning, drafting wills, and providing legal advice on appointing executors and guardians for minor children, ensuring that all aspects of your estate are managed as per your wishes.

Impact of Expert Guidance

Professional advice from will solicitors can prevent potential legal complications, ensuring your estate is managed and distributed as intended, thus avoiding default legal distributions that might not align with your personal wishes.

Residential Property Solicitors: Navigating London's Real Estate

Comprehensive Legal Support

From handling high-value property transactions to navigating leasehold enfranchisements and advising on property taxes, residential property solicitors in London provide comprehensive legal support to ensure smooth property transactions.

Leasehold Enfranchisement Explained

Leasehold enfranchisement offers a pathway for leaseholders to buy the freehold interest of their property. Solicitors play a pivotal role in this complex process, ensuring leaseholders can secure favorable terms and gain greater control over their properties.

Mortgaging and Re-mortgaging Insights

In the context of London's dynamic real estate market, solicitors provide crucial advice on understanding mortgage terms, ensuring all documentation is in order, and facilitating smooth mortgaging or re-mortgaging transactions.

Complex Agreements

Navigating overage and clawback agreements requires specialized legal expertise. Solicitors ensure that these complex agreements are negotiated and drafted in a manner that protects the client's interests, whether they are on the seller or buyer side.

Choosing the Right Solicitor

Factors to Consider

Selecting the right solicitor involves considering factors such as expertise, experience, client testimonials, and the solicitor's ability to communicate complex legal matters in understandable terms.

The Selection Process

The process of choosing a solicitor should involve thorough research, consultations, and evaluations based on your specific legal needs, ensuring you partner with a solicitor who can best represent your interests.

Conclusion

The roles of Will Solicitors London and Residential Property Solicitors London are indispensable in managing legal affairs related to estates and property transactions. Their expertise not only ensures compliance with legal standards but also provides clients with the assurance that their personal and financial interests are well protected.

Consider consulting with Will Solicitors London. Navigate the complexities of the capital's property market with the help of Residential Property Solicitors London, ensuring smooth and informed transactions.

[aoifeniamh11]

Wear and tear something that has caught me out in a few rental agreements I have been in. I have been private renting for the last 10years and believe me or hasn’t been easy. But I learn more and more each time I move. My son having additional needs is a very accident prone meaning he has ruined a carpet or two and smeared things over the walls or broken fixtures. This means that mummy looses her deposit nearly every property we live at. How is this fair? I must admit now I have a lot more knowledge on the situation I will stand my ground more.

When I moved into the current property that I’m renting the managing agent and landlord arranged for a inventory check in with a specialist. I met the lady at the property and she walked around with me pointing out any chips or defects taking pictures and we agreed them together. The lady also gave me a heads up how the actual time frame allowance on wear and tear. The two that I remember is that it’s 2years in entrances and landings and 5years in the bedrooms. This means that if I have wear and tear damage in my bedroom it won’t class as wear and tear until I have lived in the property for 5 years. Which I don’t intend on doing. I also dread the check out inventory but there is not a lot I can do being in the private renting bracket.

Starting to look at moving out of London and starting my next venture, exciting times ahead. Especially with my new career choice I’m pretty sure I can move anywhere in the UK and get a similar wage. Obviously the nearer to London the better the salary is anyway but I’m thinking a hour outside of London maximum. To be nearer to my family ❤️

[managemyblock24]

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[mostlysignssomeportents]

Tories pass Grenfell costs onto tenants

In 2017, at 72 people were burned alive when London's Grenfell Tower went up in flames. It had been skinned in highly flammable "decorative cladding" to make it less of an eyesore for rich people in nearby blocks of luxury flats.

That charnel house was the opening act on a yearslong odyssey of cruelty that just reached a new climax in Parliament, as Tory MPs ensured that working people - not landlords, developers or manufacturers - would fit the bill for removing cladding from their homes.

Here's what happened, and what's happening. After Grenfell, there were a series of (ahem) burning questions. For example: where would the people who lost their homes live? This fell to the (Tory) Kensington Council, which had been trying to oust poor people for years.

Kensington Council found a way to realise its twin goals of discouraging poor people from living in the borough and doing the absolute least to satisfy its legal obligations: it had the Grenfell survivors bid against their neighbours for homes:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/grenfell-tower-fire-survivors-bid-permanent-homes-housing-kensington-council-rbkc-a7905341.html

With that question settled (!), the next question raised by Grenfell was, "Do I live in a building with flammable cladding, and if so, what happens next?" These should have been easy questions to answer, but Tory MPs did everything they could to keep the nation in the dark.

Take the question of who should pay to make homes safe. Tory MPs had repeatedly voted down legislation that would have required landlords to pay to make their buildings fit for human habitation. One bill was voted down just months before Grenfell.

https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/corbyn-tried-pass-law-make-homes-safe-last-year-conservatives-rejected-49103/

That the Tories voted against a bill that would protect tenants from landlords is no surprise. After all, David Cameron's 2012 "war on safety culture" paved the way for Grenfell, and the committee that killed the bill was composed of MPs who were mostly landlords themselves.

Neither the landlords, nor the parliament in their thrall, would pay to make the country's firetraps safe.

Theresa May (who found £1B to bribe the bigoted loons at the DUP) told local councils they shouldn't expect anything for cladding removal.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/grenfell-tower-cladding-scandal-council-funding-government-no-guarantee-local-government-budgets-a7809216.html

The rest of the country was just wising up to something May knew: there are hell of a lot of future Grenfells out there. Conservative councils had been on a highly flammable cladding buying spree, because it was 5.7% cheaper than the safe alternative.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/may/08/grenfell-tower-more-costly-fire-resistant-cladding-plan-was-dropped

The only reason the cladding was for sale at all was because the companies that made it had committed fraud, falsifying their safety reports (the "war on safety culture" had ended, making this kind of lethal fraud easy to get away with).

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/grenfell-tower-fire-latest-inquiry-london-cladding-building-safety-uk-celotex-a8362186.html

The local councils who'd saved pennies buying these fraudulent materials went into full CYA mode. They told their residents that information about which homes were affected needed to be kept secret, lest arsonists burn them all down (no, really).

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/16/towers-with-grenfell-style-cladding-at-risk-of-arson-and-terrorism

Still, the cladding had to be replaced, and so work began. The same property developers who'd padded their bottom lines by skimping on fire-safety and installing the cladding made millions replacing it.

https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-fire-cladding-exclusive/exclusive-after-grenfell-fire-same-builders-rehired-to-replace-dangerous-cladding-reuters-finds-idUKKBN1E714Z

These companies sent gleeful notes to their shareholders announcing massive increases in their profitability:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/mar/08/rydon-profit-rises-grenfell-tower-contractor

and the people who lived in the buildings got sent the bills:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jan/17/citiscape-croydon-2m-recladding-bill-prompted-grenfell-disaster

It's been four years since Grenfell, and at last, a new Fire Safety Bill is working its way through Parliament. The Lords amended it to shift the costs of replacing cladding to the landlords who bought it, the developers who recommended it, and the manufacturers who sold it.

But the Tory Parliament of Landlords voted the amendment down. Millions of English people (Wales, Scotland and NI are a different story) are now on the hook for £40-50K in costs.

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2021/03/the-ultimate-grenfell-betrayal-uk-government-leaves-victims-of-cladding-crisis-holding-the-bill.html

They're already paying huge insurance premiums because their homes are deathtraps. Banks won't extend mortgages because their homes are deathtraps. They are obliged to spend hundreds of pounds a month for fire-prevention "walking watches" because their homes are deathtraps.

These leaseholds are the cheapest in the country and their residents are the most economically precarious leaseholders. Many are selling at steep discounts to cash buyers, losing everything.

A survey found 90% of the people in these buildings are experiencing declining mental health as a result of the inaction and uncertainty.

These people had nothing to do with the decision to convert their homes to deathtraps, but they are now stuck with the bill.

The three main manufacturers - Celotex, Kingspan, and Arconic - were all determined to have falsified their fire-safety test data and ignored whistleblowers who warned management about the risk.

https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2020/12/how-they-built-grenfell

The newly privatised standards bodies - the British Board of Agrément, British Standards Institute, British Research Establishment - that certified the buildings also operate a revolving door with execs from firms whose work they certify.

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/11/29/fir1-n29.html

None have paid a price. Quite the reverse! Arconic billed HM Treasury for £500k in furlough subsidies last year.

The £5.1b that Parliament has approved for cladding replacement does not come close to the total cost, and tenants are being stuck with the shortfall.

In particular, buildings with fewer than 7 storeys will get *no* subsidy - instead, the government will offer the people unlucky enough to live in them loans that they can't afford.

And while these are tenants, they can't move. They are "leasehold tenants" with 99-999 year leases: they don't own their flat, but they own the right to live there for a century. The building is owned by a freeholder - typically an aristocrat or financial speculator.

These leases are sold as though they were property - when a leaseholder "buys a flat," they actually buy the lease, typically with a mortgage. These leases are now underwater, because they are leases on deathtraps.

To move, they'd have to convince someone to buy their flammable leases. To stay, they have to borrow £40-50k to make their homes safe. They didn't create this situation, but the Tories have stuck them with the bill.

[fishandloaves]

#JusticeForGrenfell💚

I haven’t seen much noise about this on tumblr and because it’s a topic that is very close to my heart, I thought I would write my own thing...

Today (14th June 2020) is the three year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower Fire. In the early hours of 14th June 2017, a fire broke out in a 24-storey tower block in Kensington, West London. The fire quickly spread, engulfing the entire building. The tragedy resulted in 72 recorded deaths, and more than 200 people were left homeless. It was 100% avoidable, and the fire was a direct result of funding cuts and cutting corners and finding loopholes to avoid adhering to fire safety legislation. News outlets across the country described this as a tragedy. It was not a tragedy, it was a travesty. Mass murder by any other name. 

The Grenfell Tower Fire was one of the most visceral visual manifestations of racial and socioeconomic injustice in modern memory. I’m going to include a brief history/explanation as to why and how, but I am by no means an expert so I encourage you to read about this further. 

Grenfell Tower was in the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, but was managed by the Kensington & Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation. In 2015-16, Grenfell Tower was significantly ‘redeveloped.’ as part of a £10million refurbishment project in partnership with Rydon and other contractors, which was part of a £57m neighbourhood regeneration scheme. As a part of the redevelopment programme, the building was installed with new windows, cladding, and thermal insulation. As part of this, new aluminium composite rainscreen cladding was introduced, of which two types were used: Reynobond PE and Reynolux aluminium sheets. The changing of the cladding was mainly to ensure ‘that the character and appearance of the area are preserved and living conditions of those living near the development suitably protected.’ - in other words, fire safety was compromised to make the building more aesthetically pleasing to the wider (note: wealthier) community in K&C. The company doing the cladding, Arconic, knew that it was unsuitable for high rise buildings over 10m (Grenfell was 63m tall). The new FLAMMABLE RS5000 insulation, produced by Saint-Gobain, failed several fire safety tests and was generally deemed unsafe for high rise buildings. The combination of flammable insulation and cladding caused a fire that should have been compartmentalised to one flat to engulf the whole building. The residents were subject to a ‘stay put’ policy that meant the majority of them were left unable to escape. I have highlighted the companies that are complicit in this corporate murder in bold here, because I believe their names should not be forgotten and they need to be heard so they can be held to account. 

The building had no central fire alarm, no proper fire exits/fire-safe doors, no sprinkler system, no evacuation plan. It failed fire safety checks. Grenfell Tower’s infrastructure was illegal.  The area had also suffered cuts to the fire brigade under Boris Johnson, who was at that time Mayor of London.

In January 2016,  the Labour Party tried to introduce a bill that would require all rented housing to be ‘safe for human habitation’, and would have given residents of accommodation like Grenfell Tower the power to sue their landlords for breach of contract. It was voted down by 72 Conservative politicians, who at this stage has a majority in Parliament. They voted it down because they were landlords themselves deriving income from property. Landlord MPs can affect all decisions to do with housing legislation as long as they declare their interests, and they had a financial interest in the rented sector that led them to vote down secure safety protections. 

The Grenfell Action Group raised concerns about fire safety in the building for years prior to the fire. In a blog post dated 20th November 2016, about 6 months before the tragedy, the Grenfell Action Group warned that “It is a truly terrifying thought but the Grenfell Action Group firmly believe that only a catastrophic event will expose the ineptitude and incompetence of our landlord, the KCTMO, and bring an end to the dangerous living conditions and neglect of health and safety legislation that they inflict upon their tenants and leaseholders.’ ‘The Grenfell Action Group predict that it won’t be long before the words of this blog come back to haunt the KCTMO management and we will do everything in our power to ensure that those in authority know how long and how appallingly our landlord has ignored their responsibility to ensure the health and safety of their tenants and leaseholders. They can’t say that they haven’t been warned!’ [emphasis added]. The government’s own equalities watchdog found that the management of the tower breached their rights to life and adequate housing of the residents, as well as many human rights inquiries since.

The Grenfell Tower tragedy is inextricably tied with race and class. This was a council estate, which meant it was occupied primarily by working class people, the majority of them council tenants, Muslims, immigrants, and refugees. Grenfell tower stood in the most deprived area of the wealthiest borough of London: it was a stark, brutalist block surrounded by cushy mansions and estates. Furthermore, the process of concentrating processes of urban “regeneration” and gentrification is a wider symptom of the privatisation of social housing, and is trauma from neoliberalism. I could go on forever about how political history and gentrification and the ways in which this ultimately led to disaster, but I’ve already gone on for too long so long story short: this was an entirely avoidable tragedy that is a culmination of racist and classist policies, where profit for the companies and aesthetics for the affluent upper class neighbourhood was prioritized over the lives of members of one of the most deprived communities in the UK.

Today, not much has been done by way of justice. Although the ‘safe for human habitation’ bill was passed post-Grenfell, it only applies to new buildings. Current households with unsafe flammable cladding, of which there are approximately 24,000, are not required to be retrospectively made safe. The government has missed the target of June 2020 to get rid of flammable cladding. Some 246 buildings still have Aluminium Composite Material installed. The public inquiry into the fire has been put on hold because of the pandemic. It has already revealed that companies such as Arconic, Saint-Gobain etc. knew that their materials were unsuitable for Grenfell Tower, but the council went ahead with the regeneration project anyway to save some money.  Survivors of the fire say nothing has changed. The survivors of Grenfell Tower are yet to be offered permanent housing and were even threatened with being branded as ‘intentionally homeless’ if they refused significant relocation outside of London.

Please do not forget about Grenfell Tower. Do not let corporate greed and murder go unforgotten. This was one of the starkest illustrations of racial inequality and poverty and our lifetimes, and we must keep fighting for justice. The poor and the weak should not be cooped up in these unsafe buildings as lambs for the slaughter. 

Please please email your MP and demand that the inquiry is continued and that the findings are widely publicized and lead to proper policy change implementing proper regulation of these criminal regeneration projects. Pressure your MPs to push for funding to be reallocated to these deprived communities. Please keep fighting for the Grenfell residents who are dealing with the trauma of losing their loved ones and gross incompetence by their council and potential permanent homelessness all at once. 

Please follow Grenfell United, an organisation made up of survivors and bereaved members of the community and sign up to their newsletter for ways you can actively get involved. Please also consider donating to the Grenfell Foundation. Most of all, please do not allow Grenfell to leave the public consciousness. Don’t allow these to be covered up. Keep talking about it, please keep fighting for it. Love and solidarity 💚  #justiceforgrenfell

[erikasgriglondon-blog]

Erikas Grig

Address :

152-160 Kemp House City Road

London, England

EC1V 2NX

Phone :

020 8050 3075

Email :

info@erikasgrig.com

Website:

https://erikasgrig.com

Keywords:

chartered surveyor in london, lease extension in london, rent review london

Description

In November 2014, a then 20-year-old Erikas began his career in property as residential consultant working with residential property management and lettings. To develop further he began studying Real Estate in the University of Westminster where he successfully attained degree and gained valuable experience and knowledge in the leasehold reform valuations.

Hours :

Monday - Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

[servicechargesorted]

Low Cost Managing Agent | Service Charge Sorted

For leaseholders living in small block of flats, the block management without a managing agent can be daunting, the pitfalls if you get the paperwork wrong can cost thousands, but you can't afford a managing agent so what can you do. It is a common dilemma, but there is a solution.

We believe small blocks of flats need the expertise, systems and procedures of a Managing Agent (on a small scale) so should not be priced out by the expensive minimum fees that Best Low Cost Managing Agents in Camden Town, London charge.

Service Charge Sorted

[architectnews]

Residents "livid" over £450 daily cost of heating Sky Pool

Residents at the Embassy Gardens development in southwest London claim its controversial Sky Pool is too cold to be used in winter, despite heating costs of £450 a day.

There are calls for the transparent swimming pool, which is suspended 35 metres in the air between two buildings, to be closed during the colder months to save money and energy.

"We are livid," said one Embassy Gardens leaseholder, who did not wish to be named.

"The outside temperature has obviously dropped, but the Sky Pool is still open to residents and currently uncovered. We're basically heating the sky."

Residents claim the Sky Pool is barely being used now the temperature has dropped

Dezeen has heard from three separate residents that the Sky Pool is now only being used by a small handful of people, though the developer of Embassy Gardens, Ballymore, said that the pool area was accessed more than 100 times in the last week.

"It costs roughly £450 a day to heat that pool before adding the costs for two staff including a security guard," the resident added.

"It's also only being used now by a handful of residents because the water's actually quite cold."

Ballymore's running cost estimates for the Sky Pool put the total figure at £720,000 for 2021 including £164,250 for heating, with residents footing the bill via service charges.

Read:

Watch a swimmer in London's fully transparent Sky Pool

"The water was barely warm enough to stay in the water for more than 5-10 minutes, even at the far end where the warm water jets are," a recent post on an Embassy Gardens residents' Facebook group said.

"Not that I'd normally rush to swim in an outdoor pool 13 floors up in the winter... but it's been billed as a year-round facility that we're paying to be open and staffed by two people."

The pool is usually covered at nighttime to mitigate heat loss but has been left uncovered for the past fortnight after the cover became damaged and was removed for repairs.

It's understood that the Embassy Gardens Residents Association plans to ask Ballymore at their next meeting to close and cover the Sky Pool for the rest of winter, with the water warmed just enough to prevent freezing.

Developer claims pool "remains popular"

Energy prices in the UK are set to rise dramatically next year amid record wholesale costs for suppliers and the raising of a government-enforced cap on bills, meaning that heating the pool could be even more expensive in 2022.

The Sky Pool gained huge attention after being launched in June, as aerial footage of it being enjoyed by residents on a hot, sunny day went viral.

But the facility came in for heavy criticism over the fact that affordable housing residents at Embassy Gardens are not allowed to access it, with the Financial Times' architecture critic Edwin Heathcote branding the Sky Pool "a disaster that’s already happened".

Architecture studio HAL, which designed the Sky Pool and claims it to be a world-first, previously told Dezeen it wanted to provide "a swim like no other".

The Sky Pool garnered huge attention after opening this summer

"The Sky Pool remains a popular amenity for residents during colder periods, including having been used more than 100 times in the last seven days alone," said a spokesperson for Ballymore, which also manages the development.

The spokesperson subsequently clarified that this figure is based on the number of times the pool terrace has been accessed.

Some Embassy Gardens residents have expressed unhappiness with the quality of services at the development in the context of rising charges – which now stand at £6,500 a year for a two-bedroom flat, with that money going towards the running of the Sky Pool as well as other facilities including a separate indoor pool.

Read:

Eight spectacular transparent pools with see-through walls and floors

"Independent analysis of service charges across our London estate found that Ballymore service charges are competitive, represent good value for money and are, in the vast majority of schemes, in line with or better than market comparables – including at Embassy Gardens itself," the Ballymore spokesperson said.

HAL did not respond to Dezeen's request for comment.

Masterplanned by UK architecture studio Farrells, the 15-acre Embassy Gardens estate is in London's Nine Elms district which has seen massive development activity over recent years and includes the Kieran Timberlake-designed US Embassy.

The photography is by Shelley Montez.

The post Residents "livid" over £450 daily cost of heating Sky Pool appeared first on Dezeen.

[postgraduatetraining-institute]

Bungalow House, included in contents of Property Law: Conveyancing and Property Valuation, Postgraduate Short Course, Leading to  Diploma - Postgraduate - in Property Law: Conveyancing and Property Valuation, Quad-Credit, 120 Credit-Hours, accumulating to a Postgraduate Certificate, with 60 additional Credit-Hours, and a Postgraduate Diploma, with 240 additional Credit-Hours.

Course Contents include:

Bungalow and other types of dwellings.

Part 2: Living Accommodation: Their Types, Tenure  and Ownership

 #TypesofLivingAccommodation

#Flats

#Apartment

#Condominium

#Maisonette

#TerracedHouse

#Semi-detachedHouse

#DetachedHouse

#BungalowHouse

#ApartmentFlatandCondominium

#Condo

#FlatApartmentandMaisonette

#Leaseholdproperty

#Freehold Property

#ServiceCharges

#GroundRent

#BuildingInsurance

#Reserve

#SinkingFunds

#TerracedHouse

#TypesofLeaseholdProperties

#FlatorApartment

#Houseboat

#TerracedHouse

#CommonholdandLeaseholdReformAct2002

#JointLeaseholdProperties

#ManagingWithoutFaultFinding

Types of Living Accommodation

Flats;

Apartments;

Condominium;

Maisonettes;

Terraced House;

Semi-detached House;

Detached House;

Bungalow House.

Difference Between an Apartment, Flat and Condominium (Condo)

Flats, Apartments and Maisonettes

Apartment

Maisonette

Leasehold and Freehold Properties: A Generalised Distinction

Leasehold Properties: Restrictions and Charges

Service Charges;

Ground Rent;

Building Insurance;

Reserve or Sinking Funds.

Types of Freehold Properties

Terraced House;

Bungalow House.

Types of Leasehold Properties

Flat or Apartment;

Houseboat;

Semi-detached House;

Detached House;

Leasehold Properties: Their Creation and Implications

Lifespan of Leasehold and Freehold Properties

The Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002

Managing Joint Leasehold Properties;

Managing Without Fault-Finding;

Disadvantages of Freehold and Leasehold

Please visit https://www.hrodc.com/

Email: institute@hrodc.com

london@hrodc.com

[opticien2-0]

Morrisons backs bid that values it at £6.3bn and recognises it as well-placed for online shift in the the UK grocery market

During Covid-19 lockdowns, Morrisons supplied NHS workers with click and collect from the hospital car park. Image courtesy of Morrisons

Morrisons this weekend backed a takeover bid from Fortress Investment Group, which says the supermarket is well-placed for emerging trends in the UK grocery market, including the fast shift online.

  The Fortress bid, which offers 254p per share, valuing Morrisons at £6.3bn, would put Morrisons into the same stable as Majestic Wines. The bid is made via a new company, Oppidum Bidco, and backed by CPP Investments and KREI, part of privately-held Koch Industries and comes backed by Morrisons shareholders.

  The acquisition may not run smoothly, however, since other bids for the supermarket may yet be forthcoming. Clayton, Dubilier & Rice made a 230p a share offer that was rejected last month while private equity group Apollo is today reported to be pondering an offer.

  How Fortress makes the case for Morrisons

In its bid, published today on the London Stock Exchange, global investment manager Fortress – a SoftBank Group subsidiary – says it views the UK grocery retail sector as an attractive long-term investment opportunity. It says the rapid shift online coupled with Morrisons’ competitive prices means the supermarket is “well-positioned to take advantage of emerging trends in the UK grocery industry” in a profitable way. It adds: “Whether it is grocery delivery, hiring new staff to help pick and pack customer orders or integrated vertical sourcing of products, Morrisons’ management has taken steps to be at the forefront of these trends rather than trailing them.”

  Looking ahead, it says it will want Morrisons to stick with its current strategy and its current management team, and that its focus on grocery retail, nimble approach to strategic partnerships and vertically integrated model are all “clear differentiators and an excellent basis for continued, long-term growth,” while its financial track record has outperformed the competition. Morrisons, it says, will best develop as a private business, backed by capital and a long-term investment approach.

Fortress also says it respects Morrisons’ commitment to sustainability, strong relationships with small suppliers, and its recent pay award of at least £10 an hour for all staff, and it also has no plans to change the benefits of the Morrisons Pension Schemes. It says that it has been impressed by the way that Morrisons has supported its customers, staff and stakeholders through the Covid-19 crisis.

  It also says that it recognises the benefits of Morrisons owning many of its almost 500 stores. It says in in today’s statement: “Under its ownership, Fortress would expect to engage with Morrisons management on its long-term plans for managing the estate, but does not anticipate engaging in any material store sale and leaseback transactions. As an important reference point, Fortress’ existing portfolio company, Majestic Wine, retains ownership of a significant freehold store estate and has not sold any of its freehold or long leasehold properties under Fortress’ ownership. In addition, since acquiring the business in 2019, Fortress reversed planned job cuts at Majestic Wine in the UK and opened new stores in 2020 and 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic and for the first time since 2015.”

  Joshua A. Pack, managing partner of Fortress Investment Group, says: "We believe in making long-term investments focused on providing strong management teams with the necessary flexibility and support to execute their strategy in a sustainable and value enhancing manner. We fully recognise Morrisons’ rich history and the very important role Morrisons plays for colleagues, customers, members of the Morrisons Pension Schemes, local communities, partner suppliers and farmers. We are committed to being good stewards of Morrisons to best serve its stakeholder groups, and the wider British public, for the long term."

  Morrisons directors are backing the offer. Andrew Higginson, Morrisons’ chairman says the offer “represents a fair and recommendable price for shareholders”. He adds: “Morrisons is an outstanding business and our performance through the pandemic has further improved our standing and enabled us to enter the discussions with Fortress from a hard-won position of strength. We have looked very carefully at Fortress’ approach, their plans for the business and their overall suitability as an owner of a unique British foodmaker and shopkeeper with over 110,000 colleagues and an important role in British food production and farming.

  “It’s clear to us that Fortress has a full understanding and appreciation of the fundamental character of Morrisons. This, together with the very clear intentions they have set out today, has given the Morrisons directors confidence that Fortress will support and accelerate our plans to develop and strengthen Morrisons further.

  “Fortress, CPP Investments and KREI all have strong track records and a long-term approach to investing. They are backing our strategy, our management and our people. Morrisons has a rich history and a special culture and I am convinced that with the long term support of Fortress, the business will continue to prosper in the future.”

  The multichannel context

Morrisons’ multichannel operations currently largely run in partnership with third-party retailers. Ocado supplies the technology and logistics expertise for the Morrisons.com online delivery service, while Morrisons supplies Amazon on a wholesale basis. Amazon delivers Morrisons’ groceries through its Amazon Fresh fast grocery delivery programme, and Morrisons also supplies the groceries for the Amazon Fresh checkout-free stores in London.

  In its latest full-year results, Morrisons said that its online sales had tripled as it diversified its digital channels during the pandemic. The supermarket, ranked Leading in RXUK Top500 research, said that its ecommerce business was already profitable and it aimed to make it more so as it developed its online services further.

  The analyst view: ’Biggest shakeup in a decade’

Commenting on the potential deal, Richard Lim, chief executive of Retail Economics, says: “This signals the biggest shakeup in the UK grocery sector for over a decade. The grocery sector is transitioning through a period of enormous change as the impact of the pandemic has shifted buying behaviour. Navigating the fast-paced change in market dynamics, customer behaviour and the pressures on the food supply chain in a post-Brexit environment will be no easy feat.

  “Success will hinge on the new owners gaining the support of experienced key members of the leadership team to execute on the future strategy. This will be critical given the pace of change sweeping through the industry. However, the shift towards online grocery shopping, the growth of rapid delivery and the cross-over with the takeaway market presents lucrative opportunities if the transition of ownership becomes seamless.”

But the deal still depends on the backing of shareholders – and other bidders have shown they may be interested.

[david-sankey]

Glenkerry + Balfron Tower

Both designed by  Ernő Goldfinger in 1963 for the London County Council, built 1965–67 by the GLC.    2006, Tower Hamlets Council transferred its ownership of Balfron Tower, Carradale House and the surrounding Brownfield Estate to Poplar HARCA, a housing association. They began refurbishment of the buildings in 2011. Residents were to have the option to keep their flats in the blocks, or to move into new low-rise homes nearby, in which case the vacated flats would be sold to finance the works. In October 2010, the residents of both blocks were sent notice that the refurbishment would require all residents to move out, due to fire safety and other risks, with no undertaking on whether they could return.   In 2015 it was announced that there would be no social housing in the new Balfron Tower  http://www.eastendreview.co.uk/2015/03/24/balfron-tower-poplar-harca/

Balfron Tower - still empty 2021 https://www.ft.com/content/f4e7a2c6-5aa1-11e9-939a-341f5ada9d40 

Since 1979 Glenkerry House (above) has been run as a self-managed co-operative housing association.  The freehold is now owned by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Members buy and sell the leaseholds of their homes at half the valuation, as assessed by the District Valuer   https://www.glenkerry.org.uk/our-history   Leaseholders have to be in housing need to qualify to buy BUT they also need to have the money to buy, currently as CASH.....   https://www.glenkerry.org.uk/owning-a-flat We don’t need either of these We NEED council housing  http://www.axethehousingact.org.uk/charter-for-housing-action/

[ukimmigrationmatters]

The major financial lesson coronavirus lockdown has taught us

What changes should you make in 2021?

More articles and money news available at Money Tips Podcast - www.moneytipsdaily.com

·        London goes in Tier 3

·        Tourist tax plan will wipe out jobs

·        Wealth-tax planned on middle class

·        Will stamp duty holiday be extended?

·        Biggest economic decline in 300 years

·        UK national debt now exceeds £2 Trillion

·        Government borrowing will reach £394bn

·        Average house prices reach an all time high

·        Thousands trapped in unsellable leasehold flats

·        Government extends ban on landlords evicting tenants

·        Why UK Property prices rising after stamp duty cut, despite the downturn?

·        New planning rules will open up more opportunities to make money in property

·        You can create a second income during the lockdown…and come out stronger

·        Learn how to make money from property without deposits, mortgages or cash

Millions of people face a bleak future post-Coronavirus lockdown, as businesses disappear and the job furlough scheme eventually comes to an end. However, life doesn’t have to end because of lockdown! You can join thousands of ordinary people who have increased their income and added streams of new income during this period.

Are you ready to adapt to the new economic model?

As lockdown restrictions around the world are being eased, the economic model has subtly changed forever. How will you adapt to this new way of working and running a business, what obstacles and opportunities lies ahead? Will you be a participant or spectator in this revolution?

By Charles Kelly, Wealth Mentor, Property Investor, Author of Yes, Money Can Buy You Happiness and creator of Money Tips Podcast.

There are more examples and practical steps to getting rich and being happy in my book, Yes, money can buy happiness, I cover the 3 R’s of Money Management, the Money B.E.L.I.E.F System and much more. Check it out on Amazon http://bit.ly/2MoneyBook.

If you’d like further information on wealth mentoring and coaching, how to survive the crisis and even quit the rat race, email me at Charles@CharlesKelly.net or send me a message through Facebook or my Money Tips Daily community. See more articles at www.moneytipsdaily.com

[newstfionline]

Christians in Jerusalem’s Old City ‘under threat’ from settlers

Harriet Sherwood in Jerusalem, The Guardian, 1 May 2018

Christians in Jerusalem’s Old City say their presence at the geographical heart of their faith is under threat from intimidation and aggressive property acquisition by hardline Jewish settlers.

According to church leaders, priests are being verbally abused and spat at, and property vandalised.

Tensions have risen this year in the Christian and Armenian quarters of the 1 sq km ancient walled city, which includes the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the holiest place in Christianity where Jesus was believed to be crucified and resurrected. The Old City is also home to places of critical religious importance to Jews and Muslims.

The churches say they are facing onslaught on three fronts: a war of attrition waged by hardline settlers; unprecedented tax demands by Jerusalem city council; and a proposal to allow the expropriation of church land sold to private developers.

Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem and the most senior Christian leader in the Holy Land, told the Guardian: “Today the church faces a most severe threat at the hands of certain settler groups. The settlers are persistent in their attempts to erode the presence of the Christian community in Jerusalem.

“These radical settler groups are highly organised. Over the last years we have witnessed the desecration and vandalism of an unprecedented number of churches and holy sites and receive growing numbers of reports from priests and local worshippers who have been assaulted and attacked.

“Where the authorities are concerned, this behaviour goes largely unchecked and unpunished.”

At Mount Zion, just outside the Old City walls, undeveloped land owned by the church and often referred to as the “Greek garden” is regularly vandalised, according to Moni Shama, a church caretaker.

Trees have been uprooted, garbage left, graffiti scrawled on stones and paint thrown inside the ancient Chapel of Pentecost, he said. Three years ago, a Greek Orthodox seminary at the site was set alight.

The Greek Orthodox church, the oldest Christian presence in the Old City, is also deeply concerned about attempts to gain control of properties it owns close to Jaffa Gate, the main entrance to the Christian and Armenian quarters.

A court ruling is expected later this year on a disputed sale of the historic Imperial and Petra hotels. The church has challenged a deal made by an official under the previous patriarch, which it claims involved bribery and conspiracy and was therefore invalid. The church has already lost one case on the sale, but it is appealing.

It says the settler organisation Ateret Cohanim is behind the purchase of the strategically significant properties as part of its drive to increase the Jewish presence in the Old City. The organisation, dedicated to the “physical and spiritual redemption” of the Old City, has been frequently accused of using third parties to buy properties.

Abu Walid Dajani, whose family has managed the 45-room Imperial Hotel for almost 70 years, said the prospect of ownership changing hands from the Greek Orthodox church to Ateret Cohanim was a “nightmare”.

“If I used to wake up twice a night, now I wake up four times, thinking what if the decision goes in favour of Ateret Cohanim,” said Dajani, 74. “I will try my best to keep this hotel, but I know they want us out.”

Gabi Hani, whose restaurant Versavee is next to the hotel, said: “They [Ateret Cohanim] want to drive Christians out, for sure.

“If you have a hostile organisation sitting in your home, it is no longer your home.”

Daniel Luria of Ateret Cohanim said: “Claims or accusations by the Greek Patriarchate regarding ‘radical settlers’ targeting their priests with verbal abuse etc are absurd, unacceptable and disgraceful.”

He denied that the organisation wanted Christians to leave the Old City, and declined to comment on the issue of the Jaffa Gate sales. “Ateret Cohanim believes in coexistence with Christians and Muslims alike, living side by side without fences or borders, living in any neighbourhood of Jerusalem,” he said.

“The concept of disallowing Jews to live in certain areas is foreign and unacceptable. Christian and Muslim Arabs buy and live quietly side by side with Jews in predominantly Jewish neighbourhoods, so why couldn’t or shouldn’t Jews purchase and live in predominantly Arab neighbourhoods?”

In a separate development--but one that church leaders say is part of a pattern of targeting Christians--Jerusalem city council issued churches with a demand in February for nearly $200m (£143m) in back taxes. In protest, the church denominations closed holy sites, during which thousands of pilgrims were locked out.

The tax bill followed a decision that a tax exemption for places of worship had been wrongly applied to church-owned commercial properties. The churches say they pay taxes on purely commercial properties, such as restaurants and hotels, but many of those that the council says are liable provide educational, medical and welfare facilities for Christians and others.

The closure was lifted only after the intervention of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, who set up a committee to look at the issue of church taxes. He also temporarily halted the progress of a proposed law to expropriate church lands sold to private developers.

The bill has the support of 40 members of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, who say the Greek Orthodox church is selling off land at discount prices to private developers, which puts leaseholders at risk. The Greek Orthodox church owns about a third of land in the Old City and key sites around Jerusalem, including the land on which the Knesset, government offices and the Israel Museum are built.

Theophilos has in the past few months travelled to the UK, the Vatican, the US and elsewhere to seek support for Christian institutions in the heart of the Holy Land. In the UK, he met Prince Charles, government ministers and Christian leaders, including the archbishops of Canterbury and Westminster and the Coptic archbishop of London.

The patriarch wants a commitment to the continuation of the status quo, an agreement which provides protection of, and access to, holy sites in Jerusalem and elsewhere, allowing Christians to live and worship in peace despite the conflicts and divisions in the area.

Pope Francis and other Christian leaders have called for the status quo to be respected.

[architectnews]

Urbanism "is one of the best tools we have" in the fight against climate change

The shift to remote working from suburbs and the countryside due to the Covid-19 pandemic could lead to a huge rise in carbon emissions, according to Taylor Francis of decarbonisation platform Watershed.

The trend could increase migration from cities and lead to less sustainable lifestyles, he told Dezeen.

"One of the best tools we have in decarbonisation is urbanism," said Francis, who is co-founder of Watershed, which helps large companies eliminate their emissions.

"Everyone who lives in a city is way lower carbon than people who live in suburbs."

Remote working could be "quite negative" for climate change

Many companies claim their work-from-home policies have led to lower emissions but that is not necessarily the case, Francis said.

"One thing we're really concerned about is whether this kind of shift to remote work is actually incentivising people to move from San Francisco and London out into more suburban areas where they get a bigger home and buy an SUV," he continued.

"That's the way in which remote work could actually be quite negative from a climate impact perspective."

Taylor Francis of decarbonisation platform Watershed

Remote working could also lead to more work-related travel if companies arrange regular offsite gatherings, he added, pointing to a free calculator on Watershed's website that helps calculate the climate impact of their remote-working policies.

"If we're all going to be doing this sort of thing over Zoom that used to require a flight to London, then the new world is good," he said.

"But if work from home means that people are going to travel more often for quarterly offsites, that actually means work from home is bad."

Watershed aims to "help companies get to zero carbon" 

Watershed was founded in 2019 to help companies understand and eliminate their carbon emissions. Its clients include home-rental platform Airbnb, food delivery company DoorDash, restaurant chain Sweetgreen and fintech brands Revolut and Monzo.

It helped e-commerce platform Shopify develop its $5 million carbon-removal fund and worked with payments platform Stripe on its carbon removal project.

"Watershed is a software platform to help companies get to zero carbon," Francis said. "At a super high level, we think that every business in the world above a certain size over the next 10 years is going to have to integrate climate into how they run their company."

Francis said there is a surge of large companies taking climate seriously and scrambling to develop strategies to achieve net-zero emissions.

"There's a huge wave of companies at the board and exec level thinking about climate in a pretty serious way," he said, following pressure from legislation as well as investors such as BlackRock, the world's biggest financial asset manager, which has committed to make its investment portfolio net-zero by 2050.

"That pressure comes from public market investors like BlackRock and it comes from regulators," he added. "The UK is actually leading the way there. The US is a step or two behind it."

"True net-zero requires carbon removal"

Watershed takes its clients through a four-step process. First, it helps them measure their emissions by uploading data to an online dashboard. Next, it advises them on how to reduce emissions. Thirdly, it assists with atmospheric carbon removal, which involves helping companies "fund permanent, durable, high-impact carbon removal".

Finally, it facilitates reporting so investors, regulators, employees and supply chains can see how they're progressing.

Francis, along with other leading figures in the nascent carbontech industry, uses the phrase "carbon removal" instead of "offsetting" since the latter term is widely used to describe schemes that reduce emissions rather than negating them.

"We strongly believe that true net-zero requires carbon removal, which is taking carbon out of the atmosphere, rather than traditional offsets, which involve paying someone else not to emit carbon into the atmosphere," he said.

Tackling climate change "planet's number one objective"

Carbon removal involves actively removing carbon that has already entered the atmosphere via carbon capture techniques including soil sequestration, biomass and direct air capture.

"Every solution for us getting to zero carbon by 2050 includes five to 10 gigatonnes of durable carbon removal per year by the middle of the century," he explained.

"Right now we're in the thousands of tonnes, tens of thousands of tonnes of credible carbon removal when you strip away all the low-quality, low-impact carbon offsets. So that space needs to scale up enormously."

"I think it will," he added, given that tackling climate change has become "the planet's number one objective". "But that's the pinch point. Where are those five to 10 gigatonnes per year of carbon removal gonna come from?"

He urged companies to set up carbon removal portfolios to help fund the sector so it can develop more efficient sequestration methods and achieve scale. "Funding carbon removal to get around the pinch point is really important," he said.

"Your carbon footprint is primarily the carbon footprint of the companies you work with"

Companies are beginning to realise that their carbon footprints are inextricably entwined with those of their supply chains. This is leading them to demand transparency from suppliers so they can work with them to eliminate the tricky Scope 3 emissions.

These are emissions generated by a company's value chain but over which it does not have direct control. Companies need to eliminate these emissions – or negate them via carbon removal – in order to achieve net-zero.

"The big emerging center of gravity is around engagement between suppliers and their customers because your carbon footprint is primarily the carbon footprint of the companies you work with," he said.

"And that's true for most companies that are not heavy emitters themselves. That whole space is completely nascent. There needs to be a more interoperable standard for how companies share data about their carbon footprints and their carbon plans with their customers. That's part of the Watershed mission."

Overall, the built environment accounts for around 40 per cent of global emissions and the real-estate portfolios of large companies account for a huge proportion of their carbon footprints.

"The built environment is a very, very carbon-intensive space"

Reducing this has become a key focus for Watershed's clients. "When we do carbon footprint assessments for tech companies, their investment in new buildings, fit-outs and leasehold improvements ends up being near the top of the list almost all the time," Francis explained.

"The built environment is a very, very carbon-intensive space," he added, describing the situation as a "huge opportunity" for architects.

These companies "desperately want to fit out buildings in a low-carbon way or build new buildings in a low-carbon way," he added. "The thing that's exciting is that it's a dirty supply chain. But it's also a supply chain where there are low carbon options. There's a lot of possibilities out there."

However, companies tend to "get a blank response" from architects and construction firms.

"The common journey that I see is that customers who would be architects' clients say: 'Whoa, this is a wake-up call. We desperately want to fit out our building in a low-carbon way or build a new building in a low-carbon way'. And then they go to their contractors or architects and kind of get a blank response."

"So I think there's a huge opportunity for architecture firms, builders and contractors to have a low-carbon offering. Because companies are in the market for that."

Pressure building from investors and customers

Large architecture firms have been slow to join the net-zero movement. The profession is one of the least well-represented sectors in the UN's Race to Zero campaign while less than six per cent of UK practices have signed up to the RIBA's net-zero challenge.

Architects tend to respond by saying they can't force their clients to commission net-zero buildings, which are buildings that make no contribution to atmospheric carbon across their whole lifecycle including both construction and use.

Does Francis buy that argument? "No I don't," he replied.

Watershed is not yet working with any of the heavy-emitting companies such as oil-and-gas firms or cement manufacturers. But he believes that pressure from investors, legislators and customers will force them to clean up their acts.

"Our strategy is to work with companies that are at least one step downstream of the heavy emitters," he said. "Because I think there's this really interesting pressure that is building from investors and customers to companies."

"It ends up manifesting in demand for low-carbon solutions from the commodity providers. And so that's where we really spend our time."

Carbon revolution

This article is part of Dezeen's carbon revolution series, which explores how this miracle material could be removed from the atmosphere and put to use on earth. Read all the content at: www.dezeen.com/carbon.

The sky photograph used in the carbon revolution graphic is by Taylor van Riper via Unsplash.

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