News

Two recent decisions of the First Tier Tribunal ("FTT") have explored the issues surrounding a Landlord’s ability to recover service charges in relation to the provision of a ‘waking watch’ service.

Under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 qualifying leaseholders have the right to extend their lease for a further 90 years at a peppercorn ground rent. The tenant will have to pay a premium for the new lease and can propose that the new lease is on different terms to the existing lease.

A number of issues need to be considered where a landlord intends to replace the front doors of leaseholders’ flats. The need to replace doors often arises as a result of the requirement to meet recommendations following fire safety assessments.

Question: A leaseholder has a 125 year lease for a flat but has allowed service arrears to build up. Unfortunately, the debt dates back many years. The landlord has approached the leaseholder for payment but they have said that the debt is over 6 years old so no legal action can be taken against them

Fire doors from five out of six suppliers have been identified as failing to meet requisite fire performance standards following an investigation by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

The Government’s proposal to set a minimum three-year term for private rental agreements could benefit tenants and landlords, and trigger investment in the Build-to-Rent sector.

It’s been more than six months since the Government published its response to the ‘Tackling unfair practices in the leasehold market’ consultation. Dominic Bauers discusses the impact, industry reaction and how the Government’s promises stack up. The Government’s consultation ‘tackling unfair practices in the leasehold market’ looked at a range of measures to tackle unfair

All set for summer fundraising

A recent Court of Appeal ruling could open the floodgates to claims against landowners if Japanese knotweed on their site encroaches onto neighbouring properties even if it doesn’t cause any physical damage.

Company Voluntary Arrangements (CVAs) are being used on an unprecedented level but not always in the right way raising concerns across all sectors. CVAs have garnered a number of headlines recently with the retail sector in particular entering turbulent times in line with our changing shopping habits. The ability to buy the latest gadget or

The Right to Buy extension will create two major challenges. Alasdair Muir explains the impact on housing associations involved in the pilot and how they can prepare.

The last 12 months have seen registered providers (RPs) transfer record numbers of stock. Aruna Sarwar, Solicitor in our Real Estate & Projects team explains the strategies being deployed and the potential pitfalls.