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 […]
Archives for 2014
FirstPort – which was Peverel last week – makes debut in Private Eye
September 18, 2014 By
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
September 18, 2014 By
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
September 16, 2014 By
– 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
September 11, 2014 By
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?
September 9, 2014 By
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
September 9, 2014 By
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
September 8, 2014 By
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
September 8, 2014 By
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
September 8, 2014 By
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 […]
Private Eye reports Peverel re-employing Cirrus stooge Glyn Jackson
September 3, 2014 By
Private Eye today reports the Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation story of OFT price-fixing cheat Glyn Jackson being re-employed at a Peverel site. Jackson, whose company went into liquidation and so avoided an OFT fine of £35,700, is back at work at the Adelphi site in Harrogate, which is managed by Peverel. He won’t be […]
AgeUK echoes Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation’s concerns over retirement housing
September 3, 2014 By
The Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation agenda for reform of retirement housing has been given a ringing endorsement by a report published today by AgeUK. The report, Housing in Later Life, arrives just as the Competition and Markets Authority appears to be manoeuvring to downplay concerns in retirement in its leasehold sector inquiry.
