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By Des Taylor One of the most contentious matters in the Housing Bill is the proposal by the Government to “simplify” selling residential property (like flats) by proposing home information packs (HIPs). The Government is concerned to cut out the delays and prevent unnecessary failed transactions and appears to believe that the problem rests with the fact that crucial information affecting the decision to buy and sell becomes too late in the transaction, when everything has been negotiated and agreed. Th

Although voting is not only an important issue, it can also lead to rows and prolonged discord, as a recent meeting of European Union leaders demonstrated back in December 2003. Discussions about the new European Constitution were hampered by attempts by Spain and Poland to maintain their voting influence as the new European states are admitted to membership in the coming years. Under the new voting proposals, the amount of votes available to be cast per country would be allocated according to populatio

A Tenant’s Association is a group of flat owners who have flats either on lease or tenancy from the same Landlord on similar terms which make provision for the payment of service charges. To ensure maximum effectiveness such an Association needs to be “recognised”. Once “recognised” then the Association can do certain things on behalf of the members such as asking for a summary of the costs incurred by the Landlord in connection with matters for which a service charge is being levied; inspect the releva

ROCHESTER ROW POLICE STATION SOLD TO FAIRPOINT PROPERTIES The Metropolitan Police Authority, advised by DTZ Residential, has sold the former Rochester Row Police Station, SW1 to specialist residential developer Fairpoint Properties Ltd, a joint venture between FairBriar PLC and CPL (UK) Ltd. The former Rochester Row Police Station, Magistrates Court and associated buildings in Vincent Square, London, SW1, are to be converted into luxury residential properties. The development will provide about 70 one, t

By Des Taylor An interesting case found its way to the Court of Appeal earlier this summer which perhaps contains a few lessons for the unwary. The Appellant was an entrepreneur involved in property development who bought a building and converted it into 13 self contained flats. The building had an existing central oil-fired boiler but the Appellant did not think that was feasible in the context of 13 individually owned flats and he wanted a boiler in each flat. He rejected 13 separate oil tanks for eac

CDC2020’s new collection of 14, two-bedroom apartments in Lovelace Road, one of Surbiton’s most established tree-lined avenues, is bringing real style to modern suburbia. With the official opening of the show apartment on 25th October and with only ten properties remaining, it is time to take a closer look behind the doors of Albany House. Esther Thompson, interior designer for Vogue Interiors who designed the show apartment says: “The main theme of the scheme focuses on a modern, fresh colour pallet, the

They say wherever you are in the UK, you are never more than 9 metres away from a rat. It was only when speaking with a pest control officer that the extent of the problem became clear - rats have inhabited every part of the capital. Rats have proliferated at an alarming rate in the last five years with the rat population increasing by 53 per cent. Global warming and this summer’s heat wave have caused rat problems to explode nationwide but especially in London. Experts estimate that there are now 60 mi

With the present housing market in a stagnate state, sellers and buyers of property are more prepared to negotiate hard to secure that elusive sale or dream purchase. First time buyers, finding it more difficult than ever before to tiptoe onto the property ladder, are being offered cheap mortgage financing as an inducement to taking the plunge. By contrast, at the top of the ladder, sellers of high value properties are dropping their prices (sometimes by as much as £250,000) in order to generate interest

Following the launch of St James’ latest Docklands' development, 'The Light House', over 40% of the apartments have been sold off plan. The scheme has attracted a diverse range of purchasers and has proved particularly popular with investors, who anticipate capital growth. The completion of 'The Light House' in 2005 coincides with the opening of Barclays' new offices in Churchill Place, adjacent to Canada Square. 'The Light House' is a collection of 85 one, two and three bedroom apartments, including pent

I have been following Cornel Chin's excellent series of exercises in the 'No gym workout' section of your magazine. Although I have found his exercises to be very effective in building tone and strength to my body, what can Cornel suggest for helping me to improve my overall stamina without going to a gym. At present, I do some skipping and jogging on the spot for about 15 minutes, but have recently received complaints about the noise I make from my neighbour below. His suggestions would be most welcome.P

With at least six pieces of landlord and tenant legislation, a sixty page code of practice and all the complex covenants contained in a lease, the management of long leasehold blocks of flats is not an easy task, and is now set to become even more challenging as the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 is gradually introduced by the government. Recognising this changing and challenging world of block management, the 8th Annual Conference run by the Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA)

Suppose the flat above you is occupied by leaseholders who make a lot of noise, stamp around on the ceiling late at night, play loud music and generally make life unpleasant. Or, suppose the next door flat is notorious for having lots of visitors often into the early hours of the morning that can be disturbing with doors opening and shutting. Perhaps these are the reasons why you wish to sell. You then get from your Solicitor what is called a ‘Seller’s Property Information Form’ (SPIF). It will ask you ab