March 19, 2024

We need retirement ground rent gaming like a hole in the head, says ARCO

Gaming the new ground rents ban by introducing them at the last possible minute was damaging to the entire retirement housing sector and “we need this like a hole in the head”, said the Association of Retirement Community Operators at its annual conference yesterday. Michael Voges, ARCO chief executive, deplored bad practices in retirement housing […]

Stonewater pensioners ‘turn to Freemont Property Managers for right to manage’

Pensioners at two Stonewater housing association retirement sites are said to be seeking right to manage using Freemont Property Managers – the company founded by ex-Peverel politburo members. Some held senior positions in the company when Peverel’s subsidiary Cirrus was systematically cheating pensioners in a price fixing racket that was busted by the Office of […]

Housing and Care 21: We’ve made a mess at Ashfield, so manage the site yourselves

Housing and Care 21 handed over the management to residents at Ashfield, a retirement site in Telford in Shropshire, after admitting that it had been badly run. For the past three months, the complex of 26 semi and detached bungalows with a community centre and flat above has been self-managed by the residents through a […]

Law Commission investigates retirement transfer fees

The Law Commission is reporting its work into the issue of retirement leasehold exit fee here Anyone who has paid these fees, can contact the Law Commission on this email address: transfer_fees@lawcommission.gsi.gov.uk Following a considerable amount of activity by Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation, the issue of exit and subletting fees was taken up by […]

Cooee! Peverel becomes FirstPort and is heading for ARMA-Q … But will it be welcome?

Like the unwanted guest at a party, Peverel has put on some outlandish new clothes and now seeks to crash ARMA-Q. It is rolling out its new FirstPort brand, which means when you click on the Peverel website you are passed on to a new site. The change in name is taking place a year […]

‘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 echoes Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation’s concerns over retirement housing

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.

Beyond belief: price-fixing cheat Glyn Jackson is – AGAIN! – back at Peverel sites

Eight months after the Office of Fair Trading revealed the Cirrus collusive tendering scandal, scamming contractor Glyn Jackson is again working on retirement sites managed by Peverel. Glyn Jackson, whose company did not pay an OFT fine of £35,700 after going into liquidation, is this week installing similar electronic systems with a new company at the Adelphi […]

Competition and Markets Authority issues update on leasehold study

… But it wants further feedback, so let them have it! … Oh, and you are all happier than those in non-retirement flats! The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has today issued an update on its market study (see below) into the provision of residential property management services in England and Wales. LKP / Campaign […]

Seller at Felbridge Court expresses frustration at unending sales fees

Adam Schmidt, who inherited a retirement flat at Felbridge Court in Feltham, has written to the Sunday Times and to Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation about his frustrations at the raft of fees payable when the flat is sold. He has written to 10 MPs, the ARHM, ARMA, FPRA, OFT, the Leasehold Advisory Service, Campaign […]

AHRM: now we DO want to talk about Cirrus …

Within hours of Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation reporting ARHM’s silence over the Peverel / Cirrus price-fixing scandal, we received another email from Paul Silk, chairman of the trade body. On this occasion, he did address the issue of Cirrus sponsoring last month’s ARHM annual conference. His full correspondence is below, and includes the justification […]

After SEVEN months, the ARHM breaks its silence over the Peverel / Cirrus scandal to say … ‘no comment’

… and yes, of course, Cirrus was a co-sponsor to its annual meeting two weeks ago The Association of Retirement Housing Managers has finally made a statement about the Peverel / Cirrus price-fixing racket. But it amounts to making no comment at all. The ARHM chairman Paul Silk, who is employed by the Hanover housing […]