Archive for Category: News

  Residential Property Management & Electrical Safety   Introduction   Following the Grenfell Tower tragedy Government minds are more focussed than ever on safety matters in the private rented sector. The Housing & Planning Act 2016 gives the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government the power...

ARLA membership is critical Ever wondered what letting agents do and why they charge fees? Residential letting agents must be trained and aware in an ever changing landscape in order to protect you, our clients. ARLA expect their members to be knowledgeable in a wide range of matters and provide information to...

Planning Applications From today, Wednesday 17 January 2018, there will be an increase of 20% to all existing fees for planning applications, as signposted in the recent Housing White Paper. It was expected to come into effect last summer but has been delayed because the necessary legislation was not...

Click the following link to see some before and after photos Block Management Before and After

Tiuta International Limited (in liquidation) (Respondent) v De Villiers Surveyors Limited (Appellant) UKSC 77 The parties The appellant company, De Villiers, was a surveyor/valuer. (‘appellant’ means the person that applied to a higher court to reverse the decision of a lower court). The respondent, Tiuta International, was a...

Click the following link to read our Building Control Case Study

Is our plan led system working in terms of planning? Planning should be a positive tool used to form strategies which accommodate for growth in the population and therefore housing and business. It is also a management tool which includes controlling and directing resources. Ultimately it balances acceptance and...

Having recently attended a Professional Conference I wanted to share with you a case that I found really interesting. I honestly think CPD is great as you get to learn new things that other people have tested in Court and this makes you stronger when your thinking of your...

The Right to Rent scheme was first trialled in the West Midlands when the Immigration Act 2014 was introduced to England. It requires landlords to check prospective tenants immigration status before they let a property to them. If they don’t meet the requirements, the property should not be let to...

The source of the fire at Grenfell Tower was a fridge-freezer, a Hotpoint model FF175BP or FF175BG. Neither model had been subject to a product recall. Current advice to appliance owners is:- always to register your appliance when you buy one. leave space between the back of the appliance...

Annual Canvass 2017 It is time for Annual Canvass for the Electoral Register again in Medway, it runs from 1st July to 30th November, with the Register being published on 1st December. A household Enquiry Form is sent to every residential property in Medway to check who lives there...

Freelance/Consultant Planner Michael Parkes Surveyors Ltd are based in Medway. We are a small practice with a friendly nature and our Director of Planning Pieter De Villiers needs a competent planning consultant to work with him providing additional support. In this interesting and varied role, you’ll assist with the...

Interim measures recommended by independent panel of experts Inform your local fire and rescue service fire safety/protection department. Failure to do so may put fire-fighters as well as residents at risk. The fire and rescue service will carry out an urgent inspection with the ‘responsible person’ to ensure that...

IRPM have issued guidance to Property Managers as follows. If you are a resident in a block of flats this is just as useful for you to read too; Engage with residents to ensure they fully understand the emergency fire procedures in the building, particularly the meaning of “stay...

Following the horrific Grenfell Tower fire, the DCLG have issued urgent instructions to Councils and Housing Associations and advised that all residential landlords should also be informed. We wanted to share this information too. If you have any concerns, please speak to your managing agents. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/620227/170618_local_authorities_and_housing_associations_re_checks.pdf  

Michael Parkes Surveyors Ltd has been shortlisted in the category of Civils and Infrastructure with our entry; Great Lines Heritage Park, for the Medway Design and Regeneration Awards. There is a People’s Choice Award – and we would love you to vote for us and our project. Please go and...

As members of ARLA Propertymark, we receive regular updates from them and we’d like to share this one with you as we thought it really set out what’s involved in referencing.   The case for referencing “Referencing ensures that tenants do not take on a financial commitment which is...

COMMERCIAL VALUER Click here for more information: Valuer   Consultant/Freelance/Employment all considered   Please forward your CV to,   Michael Parkes Surveyors Ltd Reading House, Waterside Court Neptune Close, Rochester, Kent, ME2 4NZ   Email: [email protected]   No Agencies Please  

Why might I need a Valuation? If you bought your home through a scheme which gave you an equity loan to help towards the purchase, then when you sell you will need to repay the loan.  This is usually calculated as a percentage of the value when you sell. ...