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Central St Martins' new campus is fizzing and the first of 2,000 homes are launched, as 67 acres of King's Cross becomes London's hottest district.
Property insider: Kingston upon Thames
There is something of a buy-to-let boom quietly rumbling away in Kingston upon Thames, the family favourite south-west London suburb. We get the property lowdown.
Spotlight on Stoke Newington
Young professionals and families are attracted to "Stokey" by the mainly Victorian housing stock and the neighbourhood's arty and bohemian vibe.
Spotlight on Harpenden
Close to woods and parkland, with good links to London, this small town has a lot to offer those looking to start a new life out of the city.
Design trends: loving red
We've found five red-hot gifts and gadgets to let your Valentine know that home is where the heart is.
Find a rated tradesman
Want to add value to your property, make your house a home, or sell your place fast? With 1,000s of tradesmen nationwide, rated and recommended by previous customers, this is the smart way to find a reputable tradesman.
Buy of the week: Streatham Hill
On leafy Downton Avenue in SW2, plenty of family space can be yours for £550,000 at this Edwardian home. There are four bedrooms and a convertible loft space, and the open-plan kitchen/breakfast room has French windows to a good-size garden.
Swap of the week: Dalwood, Devon
Cosy up by woodburning stoves or cook a feast in the vaulted kitchen/breakfast room of this 18th-century thatch for £525,000. Three bedrooms overlook cottage gardens and a timber studio makes a perfect home office.
Life-changer: St Erth Praze, Cornwall
Tregenhorne Farm (£550,000) has four acres of paddocks, stables and valley views, minutes from Cornwall's north coast. You can run your own equestrian business from the garden office and the four-bedroom home has a country kitchen with an Aga.
Spotlight on Harpenden
Close to woods and parkland, with good links to London, this small town has a lot to offer those looking to start a new life out of the city.
Property search
The power and the glory
Our lawyer Fiona McNulty looks at the legal rights of tenants when a landlord is not correctly managing the property under the terms of the lease
© Malcolm Willett (www.willett-ink.co.uk)
What can we do to force him to carry out the work that needs doing?
Answer: Situations like yours, where landlords don’t fulfil their duties, or even become insolvent, are bound to become more common in the current financial climate.
The Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 may help you.
If the main problem is simply that the landlord is not correctly managing the property under the terms of the lease, then the Right to Manage rules may allow the lessees to collectively take over the management of the building by forming a Right to Manage company.
The landlord needs to be served with a notice, and if you do not know where to find the landlord, then it is possible to apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal for an order allowing your Right to Manage company to take on the running of the building.
In some circumstances it is also possible for the lessees to club together to buy the freehold, though this option is likely to be more expensive. This is known as “collective enfranchisement”, and again, where the landlord can’t be found, an application can be made to a court to pass the freehold to a consortium of the lessees.
The LVT would have to decide the terms and price of any transfer, and money would have to be paid in to court to cover these costs. But do contact a lawyer who specialises in this sort of work as it can be a complicated area of law.
What's your problem?
If you have a question for Fiona McNulty, email legalsolutions@standard.co.uk. We regret that questions cannot be answered individually.
Fiona is a partner in the property team at Thring Townsend Lee & Pembertons Solicitors www.ttuk.com.
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