March 29, 2024

Archives for January 2015

Andy Davey promoted. He headed Cirrus during Peverel’s price-fixing

Andy Davey, Peverel’s former head of business excellence and Cirrus executive, has been appointed MD of Appello Davey was the head of operations for Cirrus from 2002 and became head of the business from 2007 to 2009. The Peverel / Cirrus price-fixing scandal involved cheating pensioners at 65 sites by installing Cirrus equipment through bogus […]

Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation at Number 10

LKP / Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation were invited to 10 Downing Street for a meeting this afternoon to discuss the leasehold sector and the need for reform. Every area of the sector was discussed – including, at length, retirement housing – at a meeting that was held at the request of Sir Peter Bottomley, […]

Roger Southam ‘conflict of interest’ as LEASE chair, leaseholder tells housing minister

A leaseholder in north London today has written to Housing Minister Brandon Lewis saying that the appointment of Roger Southam as chairman of LEASE creates a “serious conflict of interest”. Agnes Kory, who copied her email in to MPs Glenda Jackson MP and Sir Peter Bottomley, as well as the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership, lives at […]

All Peverel companies applying to ARMA-Q

Statement from Peverel received this morning: All of our ARMA members have applied for ARMA-Q accreditation. These applications are currently being processed by ARMA. Peverel Retirement has applied for ARMA membership and this application is also being processed by ARMA. The statement concerning Peverel companies does not address Peverel retirement referred to the ARMA regulator Keith […]

Now we are told Countrywide is STILL an ARMA member … well, until February 1

Staff working overtime to process applications “to take our members on a journey …” LKP / Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation has received a statement at 11.14am today from ARMA addressing its peculiar manner of announcing the membership of ARMA-Q. Previously, we were informed that any company that had not applied to the more rigorous […]

Countrywide Estate Management is OUT of ARMA

Countrywide Estate Management, second only to Peverel / FirstPort in terms of size, did not apply to join ARMA-Q before the January 1 deadline and is therefore no longer a member of the trade body. ARMA itself had repeatedly declined to clarify the status of Countrywide, which last month was dumped by Bovis Homes at […]

ARMA membership … find out on Twitter!

In piecemeal fashion, ARMA is announcing companies that have signed-up to the new regulatory regime ARMA-Q on Twitter. These are the new criteria for membership of the trade body. The decision marks an abrupt reversal of a decision last week by Michelle Banks, the CEO, to announce the accredited companies in February once all applications […]

London LEASE conference on February 4

The annual conference of the Leasehold Advisory Service takes place on February 4. The free evening conference for leaseholders takes place from 18.15 and the venue is: etc venues, 200 Aldersgate, St. Paul’s, London EC1A 4HD Those wishing to attend need to pre-register here LEASE says: “This conference aims to inform, educate and offer support […]

Interview with LEASE chairman Roger Southam

Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation / LKP welcomes the appointment of Roger Southam, a successful block managing agent, as chairman of the Leasehold Advisory Service. Changes have long been required at the quango, and at least we can now have dialogue with someone who has publicly and repeatedly acknowledged that there are defects in the […]

Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation is under spam attack

Unfortunately, Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation is suffering a plague of spam: with spam comments on the website, bogus sign-ups to our newsletter and attempts to break into the website. This can affect genuine readers when their comments for publication do not appear and wrongly get dumped in the spam folder. This has happened even […]

Peverel Retirement up before the ARMA regulator before it can join ARMA-Q

A complaint about Peverel Retirement is being considered by ARMA regulator Keith Hill even before the trade body rules on whether it meets the criteria of ARMA-Q. The complaint comes from Alex Ellison, whose mother lives in Mere Court, in Knutsford, Cheshire. It concerns Peverel’s ownership and disposal of house managers’ flats.

Gateway Property Management takes over as Countrywide is dumped by Bovis Homes

Gateway Property Management has taken over the Swindon sites of Bovis Homes after Countrywide was given its marching orders last month. Owing to the intervention of the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership, Bovis Homes finally lost patience with Countrywide and dumped it at all sites across the country.