December 13, 2024

Archives for September 2014

‘Curtains for exit and sublet fees’ by Law Commission … but not until March 2017

Leasehold exit and sublet fees have been referred to the Law Commission, which will almost certainly be the end of them. This means anyone selling or renting out a retirement or non-retirement flat should keep all documentation with a view to making a claim in two and half years time.

AgeUK: Retirement leasehold IS NOT WORKING and needs urgent reform

– Self-regulation (by ARHM, ARMA, RICS) has failed – Leasehold tenure itself disempowers residents and makes them vulnerable – Commonhold should be explored – Right to manage needs to be made easier for the elderly – LEASE’s ‘problematic’ role serving all sides in leasehold – CMA’s skimpy Ipsos MORI poll ‘should not be used as the basis […]

Hanover: 21 house manager flats sold ‘after taking advice’

The Hanover housing association has no set procedure for selling off house manager flats at its 104 retirement sites. It has already sold 21 flats – more here. As leases vary, each site is assessed individually and advice is obtained, Hanover has told Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation in a statement: “There is some variation […]

FirstPort – which was Peverel last week – makes debut in Private Eye

The satirical magazine Private Eye has featured Peverel’s name-change to FirstPort today. Referring to previous reports on Peverel as see “Eyes passim ad nauseam” it treats readers to a resume of Peverel’s recent unfortunate history. “FirstPort may turn out to be LastResort for the troubled management company,” is the pessimistic conclusion.

Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation submission to CMA leasehold inquiry

Why did the CMA study take place? The CMA study into residential management services partly originated in the public criticism expressed over the Office of Fair Trading investigation into the Peverel / Cirrus collusive tendering scandal. Owing to the prime minister’s response to a direct appeal by Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation, this resulted in […]

Skimpy opinion poll used in CMA study of leasehold

– Only 131 retirement leaseholders quizzed – 17 leaseholders ONLY discussed Property Tribunal – MORI has to correct criticism of LKP leasehold figures (which are accepted by DCLG) – BUT poll does confirm that there is more contentment when leaseholder manage their sites in an RTM or RMC compared with those that are freeholder-controlled Alarm […]

Mounting concern as Hanover has sold 21 house manager flats

Hanover residents are becoming increasingly concerned that the supposedly not-for-profit housing association is mining value out of their sites by flogging off the house manager flats. Leonard Hackett Court in Bournemouth had its house manager flat sold in June for £105,000, while others report Hanover seeking planning consent to enhance value before putting the properties […]

Peverel rebrand: is something up for sale?

The new company structure after the Peverel rebrand strongly suggests something is going to be sold. A useful schematic of the existing and future company structures is given here and above:

Any port in a storm … as Peverel changes its name to FirstPort

In what appears a desperate measure, Peverel is renaming itself FirstPort. In an announcement today all its property services businesses will be rebranded FirstPort, uniting them together under one brand. An expensive logo is doubtless underway, and be prepared for a deluge of queasy photographs of elderly residents in a state of rapture and joy. It […]

Ex-Peverel CEO Nigel Bannister sets up Freemont Property Management

Former leading executives of Peverel have set up a new company, Freemont Property Management. Headed by former Peverel CEO Nigel Bannister and former head of Peverel Retirement Keith Edgar, the company is registered to an office in Lymington in Hampshire. It has already secured the management of the large Aqua site on the waterfront in Poole, Dorset.

London and Quadrant resident seeks contact with others

This today to Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation:   My partner and I live in a block managed by L & Q (London and Quadrant). We are concerned that our management service costs are escalating at a rate far beyond inflation each year. Concerns raised by the residents here are very, very slow to be […]

Janet Entwistle says no staff ‘involved directly’ in Cirrus scam – or even ‘linked’ – are still employed

Janet Entwistle, the Peverel CEO, assured Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation earlier this year that no one involved directly in the Cirrus price-fixing scam – or even “linked” – was still employed by the company. Janet Entwistle’s was speaking at a meeting with Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation / LKP at the Commons on February […]