Islington Leaseholders Association
For the convenience of its members the ILA has persuaded the council to provide a simple schematic outline (see below) of their current managment structure…
…It should be noted however that council employees occupying these positionsfrequently change without prior warning…Therefore since only the titles can be relied upon at any given point in time, identification of officers currently in posthas been deliberately ommitted… Islington Council Housing Staff Structure
Gazette reports more than £20million could be raised for new homes if Islington Council take up Dr Brian Potter ( ILA chair) suggestion and offers leaseholders a one-off chance to extend their leases by 99 years at a knock-down price. more
Islington Gazette reported that Homeowners have declared victory after Islington council announced it will not contest a ruling that it blew £1million overpaying on repair work more
To: Catherine West (catherine.west@islington.gov.uk), james.murray@islington.gov.uk, paul.convery@islingtonlabour.org.uk, richard.greening@islington.gov.uk, richard.watts@islington.gov.uk
Dear Catherine.
Since the ILA’s last proposal to raise cash for Islington (99 year Lease Extensions) appears to have drawn so much attention (including from other borough’s!) we hope that you will also consider another of our schemes, which although not as lucrative as the first, will potentially raise a great deal of much needed cash, very quickly.
Very briefly…
A/ In Islington’s leases, Leaseholders only own the glass, not the window frames!
B/ A major source of problems has been due to window repairs/replacement for which contractorsgrossly over charge. (Most windows have under gone extensive work through the Decent Homes Project already)
C/ So..When contacting leaseholders re a 99 year lease Extension…also offer to sell them their windows…at a discount…as a one off offer…in the same time frame as the lease extension?
Back ground…
Formally, to buy your windows through HFI you were required to seek planning permission and alicense…all of which cost money and involved administrative costs to the order of approximately £1000-2000 per property.
The ILA has finally convinced HFI that both the planning permission and license were an unnecessary cash burden, which prevented leaseholders from buying their windows via a “Deed of Variation”. However, as a result of years of negotiations with HFI, leaseholders can now purchase the DOV within a couple of weeks, at a total cost of £380. (I purchased mine last month).
If this sum was reduced to £180 in a one off promotion, I am sure that the majority of Islington’s leaseholders would be happy to take part.
Peripheral advantages to this scheme…
1/ Many more leaseholders would be inclined to use the small local builders…thereby generating bothcash and employment in the borough, and reduce both the council’s responsibility and contractual work load!
2/ The large contracts currently being allocated cost the borough a fortune, and are totally un-manageable and impossible to monitor…and, invariably uses sub-contracted labour from…who knows where?
3/ If the leaseholders are satisfied with this arrangement they will have no need to challenge the billing at law (LVT), so saving the borough a great deal of cash during the course of the year in defending issues related to cost and quality of works by employing very expensive external firms of solicitors. See Tremlett Grove…!!!
Legal safe guards…
In order to ensure that the leaseholders comply with council requirements in regard to conservation areas etc…Caveats can be included, if and when required…
Possible income of…non-ring fenced cash…
Math…11,000 x £180 = £??????????
Brian.
Lease Extension Presentation ILA 10 Oct 2012 by Nadeem Hussain of LEASE.
Download here Lease Extension Presentation ILA 10 Oct 2012
(This is a Power Point file, so you must have that app on your computer for file to open)
Below is a link to LEASE’S online booklet on lease extensions.
http://www.lease-advice.org/publications/documents/document.asp?item=8
on
Wednesday 10 Oct 2012
in
Islington Town Hall
at
7pm – 9pm
Hosting the meeting: Dr Brian Potter Chairman ILA
Guest Speakers: A power point presentation by two ‘LEASE’ solicitors on on how to extend your lease (by 99 years), including any problems and cost. Also, all of the information needed to “take ownership” of your windows…
Website www.ila.org.uk
Twitter @ilaorguk
Face Book http://on.fb.me/mWzios
ILA – volunteers wanted
The ILA is looking for a ‘secretary’ to take minutes and distribute them regularly to all the directors and asks for a volunteer to undertake this essential part of the work, to assist the smooth running of the organisation. If your interested please contact us here.
If you wish to join or renew your membership please contact our website where you can obtain the appropriate membership forms here .
Please impress upon any other leaseholders that it is in their interest to attend these meetings regularly…….
For those of you unable to obtain last weeks Islington Gazette dated 20 September 2012, please click here.
Islington Assembly Hall
(next to Town Hall)
Tues 16 october
3pm-7.30pm
ILA wil be represented at their stall.
If your there come along and speak to us.
Keith Greensted, MRICS of Warmans Surveying has provided the attached guide with FAQ and illustration of how premiums are calculated for Leasehold Extensions, which will hopefully deal with the main issues and leaseholders rights under the 1993 Leasehold Reform & Urban Development Act (As Amended).
There is also a sample report which is indicative of a typical valuation and advice provided.
For those of you unable to obtain last weeks Islington Gazette dated 6 September 2012.
Please click here IslingtonGazetteLetters06.09.12
The Islington Gazette – Thursday 6 September 2012 , Page 18 – Letters
1) Letter of the week – ‘Legalised money laundering’ by Council
By Dr Brian Potter, Islington Leaseholders Association/
Federation of Islington Tenants Association
2) Leaseholders – A silence that is far from golden
By Kay Newsom, Islington Leaseholders Association member
3) Democracy – Champions must not be chumps
By Richard Rosser Highbury New Park. N5
Send your letters to islingtongazette.letters@archant.co.uk