New Leasehold Law approved

We are pleased to report that Royal Assent has been given to the Leasehold Reform (Amendment) Act 2014 and that the Bill came into force on 13 May.

Under the new legislation, instead of having to obtain the personal signatures of lessees for Initial Notices in collective enfranchisement claims or for s42 notices for lease extensions, the signature of a duly authorised person, such as a solicitor or attorney, will suffice to replace that of the lessees concerned.

The Act will be of particular benefit to those who are unable to personally sign a notice either due to physical or mental disability, and to those lessees not physically in the country. Previously if a lessee was unable to personally sign such notices they would inevitably miss out.

At just 41 words, the Act is also one of the shortest to come before Parliament for almost a century

Kind regards,

Johanne

Save the Date (again!)

Regular readers will be aware that the long-awaited appeal in the Phillips v Francis matter was scheduled to commence 15 May.

Frustratingly, at that the eleventh hour, the appeal was removed from the Court listing and provisional re-scheduled for a hearing on 13 October!

Until then, the decision of the Chancellor of the High Court still stands. It is therefore imperative that those involved in property and estate management should continue to keep a close eye on their repairs and maintenance budgets, and to take appropriate action where costs reach £250 per lessee.

For practical advice and solutions to any major works or consultation issues, please don’t hesitate to contact our experienced team who will be pleased to help.

Kind regards,

Johanne