Announcing the launch of News on the Block’s ‘Recruitment Bulletin’

Recruiting property managers and professionals for your property management company is difficult and time consuming. But thanks to News on the Block your property management company will be able to place recruitment advertisements in our new ‘Recruitment Bulletin’. It will be sent electronically to our email database of more than 1,800 property professionals every two weeks.

Special introductory rates apply. Price for each insertion – 1/4 page: £350, 1/2 page: £500, full page: £750

As an added bonus the ‘Recruitment Bulletin’ will be available online at www.newsontheblock.com. The ‘Recruitment Bulletin’ – published every two weeks to solve all your recruitment needs.

Please call Tony on 0207 616 5290 or email tony@newsontheblock.com to sign up.

Flat owners get a lease of life with new leaseholder support service

The Ringley Group has launched a new on-line solution, www.leaseholdersupport.co.uk, written by surveyors and property managers. This one-stop-shop for property management advice has tools for planning budgets and reserves, and legal and valuation procedures, to get out of tricky situations such as defective or short leases or recovery of ground rent/service charge arrears.

www.leaseholdersupport.co.uk takes away the 4 main burdens of self-managing:

1. Chasing your neighbour for unpaid service charges;
2. Legal compliance: the lease, shares, company secretarial work;
3. Not knowing how to plan for major works;
4. Financial administration and getting accounts prepared and filed.

www.leaseholdersupport.co.uk acts as a safety net for blocks of flats by managing deadlines for payments, making payments by direct debit, providing financial and legal documentation and advice to recover late payments.

NEWS ON THE BLOCK MAGAZINE

Read all about it

News on the Block magazine, launched in 2002, is published for all those who manage, invest in, finance, develop and live in apartments. Breaking news in the industry is supplemented with incisive analysis and in-depth editorial features covering a wide range of subjects, as well as one-to-one interviews.

Subscribe today and receive all the benefits of on-the-spot vital information relating to leaseholders. The next issue, distributed in early March, will have a new look and new editorial features.

Visit www.newsontheblock.com and simply 'click' subscribe or call our subscription hotline 08700 600 663 with your credit card/debit card to hand. Subscribe today and also receive one month’s access to www.newsontheblock.com. Total cost just £30. (Remember, if you are a company you can claim this cost as a business expense.)

COMMENT & OPINION

Important tips on HIPs

The National Association of Estate Agents’ (NAEA) e-petition against home information packs (HIPs) has now topped 5,000 signatures as strong feelings continue to be demonstrated against the government’s controversial plans. A consultation document released by the DCLG last week took steps to begin addressing some of the issues surrounding HIPs, but has not gone far enough to allay protestors’ serious concerns.

Peter Bolton King, Chief Executive at the NAEA, comments: “We were pleased to see the government begin take some of the issues we have raised over HIPs seriously in its latest consultation document. The fact remains, however, that there are still a number of fundamental flaws with the HIP plans.

“The lack of ability to market a property without a HIP will have a major impact on the property market, despite the government’s recent concessions.

“The voluntary nature of the home condition report will create an uneven playing field. Sellers are unlikely to want to spend the extra few hundred pounds on a report if they do not have to. For those who do, there is still not significant evidence that the report will be a benefit in real market conditions.

“The energy performance certificate is the only part of the Pack that will actually add value and could in fact easily be dealt with outside of HIPs.”

“These are just some of the major issues facing the government over home information packs. We hope that they will see sense and go back to the drawing board.”

If you would like to sign up please visit http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/repealofHIPs.

AND FINALLY…

Cut your bills

Rising house prices, increasing travel costs and bigger bills mean that shaving pounds from regular outgoings is high on the list for consumers and businesses. Billscutter (http://www.billscutter.com) is an online service that compares prices between energy suppliers, and can save hundreds of pounds on gas and electricity bills each year.

Billscutter provides a free and impartial UK Energywatch Accredited residential energy comparison service, using all available suppliers of household gas and electricity.

Since the energy market opened up to private investors two decades ago, culminating in full deregulation of the sector by July 1999, consumers can change suppliers easily. And they are only bound by 28-day rolling contracts with any one provider and are able to switch frequently.

Entering details into the Billscutter site takes five minutes and in the case of individuals opting to switch, Billscutter handles the entire administrative process.

Billscutter has retained the services of Yorkshire-based franchise consultancy firm, Franchise Pro Ltd. Andrew Cheetham, CEO, Franchise Pro, says: “It’s not just money that can be saved. Because energy prices are constantly shifting, the cheapest supplier today may not be the cheapest supplier tomorrow. Billscutter can be used as a valuable resource to check market prices and remain on the most favourable terms available.”

Billscutter can also be used to transfer to a green supplier and lessen the impact of energy consumption on the environment; although a small premium is known to be paid for this green energy, it is largely offset by exemption from the Climate Change Levy added to other tariffs.

DISCLAIMER/LEGAL etc.