Residential Property Block Management Regulation – 34 Into 6 Doesn’t Go

The 34 New Residential Estate Property Management Regulations

There have been a staggering 34 new regulation changes introduced by the government in just 6 years affecting residential freehold and leasehold management agents and their estate management property services. And this list excludes any changes to employment law covering property services companies in employing their own staff.

The main regulatory and statutory changes impacting on landlords, freeholders, resident property estate management companies and their agents are set out below.

Whilst this list is not intended to be exhaustive, the extent of government interference in this sector is clear to see. It is granted that much of this legislation brings with it undoubted improvements however the scale and pace of the introduction of change is staggering.

There must be few industry sectors which have been subjected to such radical and wholesale statutory amendment in such a short time frame. It is little wonder why so many freehold and leasehold management companies, landlords and their leaseholders have been turning to residential property block management agents for professional help and advice regarding service charges.

Many residential freeholds, leaseholds, resident management companies, Right to Manage (RTM) and property management organisations are run by volunteers and others who may be relatively inexperienced in the property estate management field. It is understandable that these organizations along with landlords will wish to know that their freeholds and residential block management firms are professionally run, ensuring suitable protection under both new and existing legislation.

There are 34 headings set out below which have been recently affected. This list concerns property agents, landlord service charges and lease management of freehold and leasehold property. Some or all of these changes will have a significant impact on property companies and the maintenance and running of leasehold and freehold estates:-

1. Ground rent notices for landlord and freehold companies

2. Changes to consultation procedures for property services and major works

3. Consultation on long term agreements for landlords and freeholders

4. Service Charge Demands for block management agents, leaseholders and freeholders

5. Administration charges for landlord property agents

6. Forfeiture for leaseholders

7. Breaches of Covenant affecting the landlord and leaseholders

8. Asbestos property services legislation

9. Working at height

10. Risk Assessments and property services health and safety

11. Regulation of residential block insurance by the F S A

12. Taxation of Trusts for Service Charge Monies for managing agents and residential estate property management companies

13. Digital Switchover

14. Licensing of wheel clamping and other security staff for freehold and leasehold companies

15. Separate bank accounts for each residential property scheme

16. Prescribed statements of account for property service changes

17. Independent certification of all service charge scheme accounts

18. Licensing of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs)

19. Home Information Packs

20. Fire safety for leasehold or freehold estate property management companies

21. Disability Discrimination and property block management

22. Electrical Safety Testing for blocks of flats and freeholds

23. Water testing and legionella for common and shared estate property services

24. Gas Safety for common and shared property services

25. Hazardous Substances in the common areas and the workplace

26. Rules for appointment of contractors for property and estate management organisations

27. Lifts, elevators and their regulation and block maintenance

28. Health and safety planning for all freehold and leasehold maintenance work

29. Data Protection for managing agents and residential property estate management

30. Money Laundering for estate managing agents and residential property landlord businesses

31. No smoking rules in blocks of flats and common facilities

32. Disposal of electrical items affecting estate managing agents and residential property

33. Health and Safety Offences Act 2008 affecting management agents and residential property estate management

34. Administration services for residents leasehold blocks of flats and apartments

In view of the above extensive list it is clear that professional guidance should be sought to help leaseholders and freeholders begin to understand the effects of the above recent changes affecting the running of estates and lease arrangements.

When it comes to service charges, maintaining and ensuring the smooth running of freeholds for blocks of flats or apartments, few things are more essential than securing the services of a professional property block management agent. Professional expertise in the field of block management service charges and property services have proven immensely popular with time pressed landlords, directors and leaseholders of freehold property management companies. Please refer to the details below to find out more.

Lifestyle – Joan Fonebone’s 10 Point ‘Live-Life-to-the-Full’ Ultimate Lifestyle Plan

Joan Fonebone is a 48 year old, three times divorced, mother of seven who lives in a trailer home on the outskirts of a large city in mid-western USA. She shares her “lovenest” with her 28 year-old drug addict boyfriend, Trevor.

Joan drives a green and rust Datsun 120Y with three tyres down to the canvas and a “slightly” smoky exhaust. She is 63 pounds overweight, smokes two packs of “low tar” cigarettes per day and gets through two cartons of full strength beer and two bottles of Johnny Walker red label per week.

Now that you know Joan’s “qualifications” here is her 10 point plan so that you, too, can lead a similar lifestyle to the one that she has forged for herself.

I asked Joan about a range of subjects including reading books, attending seminars, associating with influential people, budgeting and a number of other issues. In her own words, here are her candid answers:

  • Joan’s lifestyle tip #1: “Books. I ain’t never read a book since school. Come to think of it… I ain’t never read ‘em there either. They only mess with yer mind. Don’t believe in ‘em. Never have. Books are fer geeks and nerds.”
  • Joan’s lifestyle tip #2: “Seminars. Huh? Yer mean those meetin’ things? Nah. Wouldn’t be caught dead goin’ to any of that crap.”
  • Joan’s lifestyle tip #3: “Hang around wealthy people? Those snotty nosed bastards? Not likely. They’re all crooks an’ cheats an’ liars. Look at the houses they live in … an’ the cars they drive. No honest people have those things. They gotta be crooks, don’t they?”
  • Joan’s lifestyle tip #4: “Take advice? You gotta be joking! Advice? What could anybody tell me that I ain’t already heard of?”
  • Joan’s lifestyle tip #5: “Mentor. What’s that? Oh, role-model. Gotcha. Nah. Wouldn’t waste me time. Why would I want to copy some other freak?”
  • Joan’s lifestyle tip #6: “Take-aways. Seven days a week. Take-aways means no mess, no fuss, no cleanin’ up. Ya don’t need no knives an’ forks an’ plates an’ things. Saves money. Tastes real good too.”
  • Joan’s lifestyle tip #7: “Smokin’? Nah… can’t give up me smokes. Tried to cut down once but couldn’t. Anyway, I only smoke two packs a day. That ain’t that much!”
  • Joan’s lifestyle tip #8: “Me kids? Yeah, well, they’s all growed up now. They don’t need me no more. Give ‘em the best years of me life, I did. And fer what? Never see the little bastards any more. Me oldest, Calvin, he calls me a loser. Ungrateful little ****!”
  • Joan’s lifestyle tip #9: “Trev? Oh, he’s outer it mostly. Sleeps durin’ the day. Does some odd jobs at night – only when it takes his fancy, mind you. He just makes enough for his next hit. Good ole Trev. He ain’t never hurt no-one. Had a tough life. Poor little love.”
  • Joan’s lifestyle tip #10: “Me best bit of advice? Hmm. Let me think a minute… well I buy lotsa lottery tickets. One day a girl’s gotta win. Yer gotta be in it to win it. That’s what I always says. ‘Course, yer could always pretend to slip over at the casino or tha local shoppin’ center. Should be good fer some easy compensation money. Watch those damn kids come moochin’ back then!”

Now that you know Joan’s ten-point lifestyle plan you will be able to follow it and live life to the full just like she does.

Seriously, Joan Fonebone is just a figment of my rampant imagination. Sadly, there are plenty of people like her in this world. I actually meet people like this from time to time. They blame everyone and everything for their lot in life. Too bad they cannot see that they are the architects of their own lifestyles.

Transferable Home Furniture

Moving with transferrable property

As people are moving from home to home the property ladder, they need furniture that can move with them. One of the things that you might want to buy if you are moving regularly is the bunk bed mattress. Buying that item is just the beginning of a long process of development that can culminate in a great stock of items that are flexible enough to support your lifestyle. If you are lucky enough to get into contact with a reputable supplier, they will give you the right directions when you are trying to get the mattress for the move of your choice. They will also give you some tips on how you can get the best out of your new purchase.

The first thing that you have to remember is the fact that the portable mattress is relatively invisible. In the first instance it is covered by other bedding. It would really be weird if you invited your guests to come and look at the quality of material that you have beneath your covers. This would suggest a level of intimacy that is not commonplace. That means that the looks of the product for camping always have to be secondary to the comfort levels that they bring to you as the buyer. Even where they are covered in a hideous color it will not matter if you can get the bedding of your choice. The only problem will arise if the item is not comfortable to sleep on.

When we are talking about bedding you do not really need something that looks nice yet it is very uncomfortable to sleep on. That would defeat the entire purpose of what you are trying to do. It is better to find something that meets both criteria. If this is no possible then you buy the easy furniture that is most comfortable. The looks can be covered up by appropriate beddings. That is a task that you can take on with relish and commitment. The people that have been able to get the best out of the system are the ones that work well with their instincts for comfort above style. An uncomfortable bed is a waste of space.

It is very important that you look after your new travelling kit so that it is not infested with bugs. Once the bugs take a hold of your living area then it is an absolute nightmare to try and get rid of them. They will irritate you to death and you might even have to bring in professional services in order to get rid of them. You should ensure that you have a regular bathing schedule and that you keep your room generally clean. Avoid sharing beds with people that have questionable hygiene habits. It is also a good idea to check out the different elements that go into the creation of the materials for travel so that you are not exposing yourself to allergic reactions that are avoidable.

Travel Planning? Currency Exchange? Here’s How Not to Get Ripped Off

If you are planning on doing some International travel, you’ll be faced with converting dollars to the local currency. I’m going to show you some traps and pitfalls you may encounter, and then I’ll give you a few helpful tips that could make your travel go very smoothly.

When I first started traveling, it was always a hassle to go to my bank a month or so before departure and get a bundle of cash converted to my destination’s local currency. The alternative was to convert a few hundred dollars at the airport “Foreign Exchange” booths. I came to find out that it was not only dangerous to carry large blocks of cash, it was also unnecessary.

Along the way I discovered that Las Vegas didn’t have a lock on “One-Armed Bandits”!

Scam Artists

I can not emphasize too much that the world out there is ready, willing, and able to scam you ferociously. Money scams abound. Some are right there in plain sight.

Let’s talk first about the “uncommon scams”.

You’re traveling through, say, a park near the Louvre in Paris, when someone comes up to you with a sob story in broken English and a bundle of local cash. He/she needs dollars for ‘something’ and he/she’s willing to give you a fantastic exchange rate to get it. You bite. Money changes hands. They leave. You open the bundle and Surprise!!! It’s a stack of newsprint with a real bill on the top and bottom.

GOTCHA!

Bank-O-Mat

The second ‘legitimate scam’ is waiting on the corner for you: it’s a stand-alone ATM machine. It might even say “Friendly Bank-O-Mat”. Believe me, friends, it’s anything but. The hidden fees that little darlin’ will extract will make Bonnie and Clyde proud! Don’t do it!!!

Currency Exchange

The third, which is more of a rip-off than a scam, in my book, is the “Foreign Currency Exchanges” places. They’re legitimate businesses, but since they are businesses, the have to charge a fee for their services. Even though they say “No commission,” They are still pulling money from your pocket.

Bank ATM

My suggestion? Go to a bank ATM. It will cost you about 3% to take money from the bank ATM. The good news is that the ATM operates at the current official exchange rate, and since it’s a bank, its fees are regulated. Check with your home bank to find out which banking symbol to look for. In my case, my bank is a member of Interbank, so I use ATMs that display the Interbank symbol. I know the fees are fixed, fair, and the exchange rate is the best I can get.

How to Find Banks

Before I travel, I use Google Maps to look at my destination city. I locate my hotel, and then I use Google’s “Bank” filter to locate and make a list of all banks close to my hotel. On the day I arrive, I ask the desk clerk where the nearest bank is. If it matches one my list, we’re off to the bank!

Other Considerations

I have found that no matter where I travel, I can always buy a taxi ride from the airport to my hotel with dollars. So I carry a minimal amount of dollars. (I’ll need a few dollars when we get back to the States to pay for taxis and other transportation).

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