By Barrack-room Lawyer A company offering bungs to managing agents if they sign up for new gas and electricity supplies is being touted to … all the members of the Association of Residential Managing Agents! An outfit called Energy Renewals is offering what it politely terms “incentive payments” of between £3,000 and £50,000 a year. […]
Buy freeholds to stay rich, says Sunday Times
April 29, 2012 By
Depressing news for anyone living in a leasehold flat: buying up freeholds is one of the best ways the rich can increase their wealth, according to the Sunday Times. One fund rose 5.8 per cent last year. This means freeholds are an attractive alternative to artworks or stamps, although London parking spaces have shown a […]
Wolverhampton flood victims win £16,000 at LVT … and are coming back again for £40,000 more
April 27, 2012 By
Celebrations at Market Square, Wolverhampton More than 100 residents at Wolverhampton city centre’s premier housing development were today(mon) celebrating victory in a battle with the landlord over a £16,000 repair bill – and are now planning to go back into action over a further £40,000 dispute. A tribunal has ruled that people living at seven-storey, […]
“I’m not saying everything everybody did was wonderful — it wasn’t,” says Janet Entwistle of Peverel
April 24, 2012 By
Below is an interview in Property Week with Janet Entwistle, the new chief executive of Peverel. It was originally headlined: New chief plans to put Peverel’s problems in past 20 April 2012 | By Emma Haslett Private equity owners hope Entwistle will combat Tchenguiz effect. Emma Haslett reports Janet Entwistle, newly appointed chief executive of […]
Plenty of opportunities … to load the bill
April 22, 2012 By
The law requires all charges levied by a landlord for services provided to be “reasonable” and “reasonably incurred” and to have been arrived at after a prescribed consultation process. Unfortunately, it is still easy for unscrupulous landlords and managing agents to exploit what is still an inadequately regulated sector, particularly where older residents are concerned. […]
Such a lonely and obstinate Shapps: minister alone against regulation
April 3, 2012 By
The body representing the most powerful interests in British property fully supports greater regulation of the leasehold sector – leaving Housing Minister Grant Shapps isolated in blocking regulation. That was the main finding of LKP’s meeting with the British Property Federation’s chief executive Liz Peace and Ian Fletcher, who heads the BPF’s residential division. The […]
April news headlines
April 1, 2012 By
24.04.2012 Peverel and Tchenguiz named in Parliament Both Peverel and Tchenguiz were named in a wide-ranging debate about leasehold service charges in the House of Lords yesterday. Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation was also praised for its activities in highlighting exploitaton of residents in retirement developments. Read full report here 23.04.2012 Lords debate on leasehold […]
London Assembly damns property management racket
March 1, 2012 By
A London Assembly report into leasehold service charges published today is a devastating attack on the Tchenguiz/Peverel stealth charge business model and it urges the property industry to clean up its act. Referring to “opaque” service charges regimes at numerous London developments, the report can also be read as veiled criticism of Housing Minister Grant […]
