From The Islington Gazette 16.08.2012
Days before a TV expose about leaseholder overcharging featuring Islington Council, a group of Islington Residents hope that their battle is at an end after the council was refused permission to appeal a ruling that it blew £1 million on housing improvements.
Mondays edition of investigative channel 4 show Dispatches features the Tremlett Grove Estate in Archway which was the subject of a leaseholder valuation tribunal ( LVT) in April. It found that the council paid over the odds for work on two blocks.
The ruling meant the council will have to refund around £16000 to each of the 14 leaseholders affected. more council lose appeal again
Dispatches TV pgm c4 -Monday 20 August 8pm – The truth about leaseholds
(set your video recorders)
Islington Council ( PFI) managing agent for street properties “Partners” have recently said that they will only obtain Listed Building Consents (LBC)/ planning permissions on works that they have done on properties in conservation areas or that are listed buildings IF the matter is brought to the attention of Partners directly by the resident concerned.
Islingtons Planning Conservation department on the other hand says that ” that unauthorised works carried out to listed buildings is a criminal offence. As such persons with a material interest in the property may be liable to prosecution”
Leaseholder may also find that they have an issue if they ever wish to sell their properties, and they need to obtains the the LBC’s to give to potential buyers. Trying to get consents from Partners in 2 or 10 year after works have been done may be tricky.
The ILA can’t give advice, so this shouldn’t be taken as such, but If your a leaseholder in a Conservation Area or Listed building you may want to check with the Islington Council conservation section of the Planning Department. whether the Major Works that Partners have done on your property should have had or require LBC., and if so bring it directly to Partners attention.
Please also let the ILA know if the Councils planning department confirm that council’s agents ( e.g. Partners,[the former] HFI etc) or Housing Property Services have done works to your property without getting the appropriate consents. contact
Thursday, 17th November 2011 from newsontheblock.com
In a landmark case that will undoubtedly be a gamechanger for the property management industry, the Upper Tribunal has decided that managing agents must consider the financial impact of major works on lessees and whether to phase works so they become more affordable. More
Upper Tribunal Decision
LVT Decision link
Please see Dr Potters letter published in the Islington Tribune on 20 July 2012 –
Out in the cold in race to be champion.
A report from the Smith Institute last week (quoted by Jules Birch in “Inside Housing”) concluded that over 60 per cent of new homes in central London are currently being bought by overseas investors and that a large proportion of them are being kept empty.
If there is extra overseas demand for limited supply that is already inadequate to meet domestic demand then that must be increasing (or propping up) prices and making the overall affordability situation worse. That has to be a cause of concern for the UK government, especially when overseas governments are taking action in their own markets. Full Story Here
The Leasehold Advisory Service(LEASE) recently made a presentation to an ILA meeting on Right to Buy – Residential Leases.
The ILA are pleased to make this LEASE presentation available which includes an example of a typical Local Council lease which would be made on a Council property purchased under the Right to Buy (RTB). and an explanation in plain English what each Clause means. more