This month, we shine a spotlight on how software and technology are transforming the world of leasehold. Our contributors explore the opportunities and real-world benefits that come from using digital tools effectively in block management.

In the News!

  • As heat networks become a more common way of supplying energy-efficient heating and hot water to homes across the UK, it is increasingly important for residents and stakeholders to understand how heat tariffs are structured and billed.
  • LRG has promoted Hannah Cooper, previously Group HR Director, to Chief People Officer (CPO), recognising her leadership of the Group’s people strategy as the business continues to grow and evolve across sales, lettings, property management and living markets.

Featured Articles

Under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA), all company directors and people with significant control (PSCs) must verify their identity with Companies House. Learn more in the article brought to you by Companies House.

In fire safety, some of the most critical protections are the least visible. Compartmentation (the use of fire-resistant barriers within a building) is a great example. The team at 4Site Consulting provide more detail in their article.

JB Leitch’s Associate Director of Legal Katie Edwards looks at a recent case Upper Tribunal case, which asked that where an RTM Company is obliged to undertake major works, variations could be made to leases to allow the RTM Company to recover its expenditure.

Does the publication of the Draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill make any change to the amount I will pay when extending my lease or buying the freehold? Mark Chick, Senior Partner at Bishop & Sewell and a member of the Landlord & Tenant team explains more.

For residential blocks, good maintenance is rarely about reacting fast; it is about planning well. Roofs age, lifts wear out, fire systems need renewal and external decorations need to be refreshed. When these costs are not planned for, service charges spike, residents become frustrated and disputes follow. Learn more from the team at Residentsline Flats Insurance.

For years, the property management tech stack has grown in silos. We have one system for repairs, another for finance, a third for compliance, and a sprawling digital junk drawer for documents. The team at FixFlo provide more detail in their article.

The team at ILECS Lift Consultants look at how for property managers and managing agents, lift performance has always been measured in simple terms: Does it work? Is it compliant? How much will it cost me this year?

Technology in the built environment is no longer a future concept or a “nice to have”. It is now fundamental to how we understand buildings, how we manage risk and how we communicate with the people who live in them. Read more from the team at Earl Kendrick.

When we talk about technology in residential blocks, it is usually about online portals, service charge accounts and maintenance updates. But there is another side to technology that matters just as much – personal safety. You can learn more from the team at JMJ Asset Management in their article.

In an era of heightened regulatory scrutiny and rising expectations around building safety, demonstrating compliance is no longer a periodic exercise. It is a continuous obligation, as discussed by FirstPort.

This month’s edition of Flat Living Magazine focuses on software and technology, and the team at ARDENT consider what this means within the lift industry.

The article from Residentsline Flats Insurance explores how resident communication is evolving, why it matters and how managing agents and directors can use technology to improve engagement across the block.

Technology is changing how residential buildings are managed. In blocks of flats, sensors and Internet of Things (IoT) devices are now being used to detect leaks, monitor smoke, track structural movement and check water temperatures for legionella control. The article by Block in a Box explains how IoT works in blocks of flats, where it is most useful, and why it is quickly becoming part of modern block management.

In their article, the team at Flat Living Insurance explains how technology can improve incident management, what should be recorded, and why good data benefits everyone in the block.

The team at London Flats Insurance explore what managing agents need at handover, why digital systems matter, and how proper transition planning supports safer, more resilient blocks.

Read all of these articles and more, in the latest edition of Flat Living Magazine.