Short-term Lets and Fire Safety Q: While our management is confident that our fire safety systems and procedures are entirely appropriate for 90 per cent of our flats which are owner occupied or let long term, we have a concern about a very small number of flats which are occasionally used for short term letting […]
Home of Multiple Occupation Q: Our property is a four-storey detached Victorian house, divided into four self-contained flats. The basement flat has its own entrance. The three other flats have a common entrance (the original front door of the house) and share the entrance lobby and original staircase to the upper floors. The basement flat […]
Insurance Q: Our residential block comprises 43 flats over nine floors and is part of a complex that includes commercial units at ground and first floor levels. The complex is owned by the freeholder, he has granted a 125-year lease from 1989 to our landlord. He then leases the flats on the same term to […]
Statutory Recognition Q: Can you suggest how to get statuary recognition? FPRA Chairman Bob Smytherman replies: This is a decision for your Freeholder to grant which should be straight forward as your RA has 15 members out of 22 which is a clear majority We should have a template letter on the members’ section of […]
First Refusal Q: Our landlord has made a right of first refusal offer to sell us the freehold. It is my understanding that during the 12 months following the notice he cannot sell to a third party at a lower price without re-offering it to the tenants. Should the 12 months expire without a sale […]
Unsafe Gates Q: We have three sets of swing vehicle gates with automatic opening. We have been advised by the gate maintenance company that the gates are not compliant with the new rules on gate safety (notably the need for safety edges) and need to be upgraded. The precise scope of the upgrade is not […]
Electric Car Charging Q: The Government has stated its intent to see all electric vehicles on the roads of the UK by 2040, so we need to find a solution. Would one solution be for our RA to seek permission from the leaseholder to have electrical points installed by an accredited company, and for individuals […]
Aerials Q: Since our last AGM I have set up a folder for risk assessment/relevant details for outside contractors, should we employ them. There are a couple of matters that each of our flat owners deals with themselves, ie windows, tv aerials, and it was in this context that we had a discussion. If we […]
Collection Fees Q: Our Managing Agents have just advised leaseholders that, as they are no longer allowed to charge credit cards fees to individuals, following 2017 Payment Services Legislation, they will now put all credit card charges onto the service charge under a line named ‘Collection Fees’, in effect, requiring leaseholders to pay their neighbour’s […]
Out of Time Q: I have been made aware that the 2013 service charge accounts for our block included a charge for professional fees which prima facia were not an eligible service charge cost. Can we make a claim against the then management company (our RTM only happened last year) for reimbursement of our share […]
