News and insight
Practice news and notes on the standards, legislation and decisions that affect the buildings we look after. For worked examples, see our case studies.
Basements Next Door: What the Party Wall Act Gives Adjoining Owners
Basement and extension projects often mean digging close to a neighbour’s foundations. If you have been served a notice, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 gives you real protections: a surveyor, a schedule of condition, monitoring where justified, and security for expenses.
Escape of Water: The Most Common Claim, and How to Get It Right
Escape of water is one of the most frequent building insurance claims, especially in blocks of flats. Why the visible damage is only the start, and how one evidence chain from cause to final certificate keeps the claim on track.
Protecting a Trading Shop Through a Neighbour’s Building Work
In March 2026 we agreed a party wall award for the owner of a high street shop in east London while the neighbour raised and underpinned the party wall. What an adjoining owner’s surveyor adds to a draft award, and why it matters when a business has to stay open.
Awaab’s Law Is Now in Force: Diagnose Damp Before You Treat It
The first phase of Awaab’s Law came into force on 27 October 2025. Social landlords must now act on significant damp and mould hazards within fixed timescales. The landlords who meet them well will be the ones who get the cause right first time.
Listed Building Consent: Getting It Right Before the Scaffold Goes Up
Works that affect the character of a listed building need listed building consent, and carrying them out without it is a criminal offence. What owners and managing agents of listed buildings need to know before repairs begin.
The 2025 RICS Consultant Appointments: What You Are Signing
RICS issued April 2025 editions of its Standard Form and Short Form of Consultant’s Appointment for England and Wales. How the forms work with the RICS service schedules, and why ticking the right services matters.
A Ten Year Plan Before a Ten Year Bill: Planned Maintenance for Managing Agents
As service charges came under closer scrutiny in 2024, a costed planned maintenance plan became one of the most useful documents a managing agent could hold. What a good plan contains and how it supports reserve funds and Section 20.
Leasehold Reform: What the 2024 Act Means for Service Charges and Major Works
The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 received Royal Assent on 24 May 2024. Many of its changes needed regulations before they could take effect, but its direction was clear: more transparency for leaseholders about what they paid and why.
JCT 2024: What Changes for Smaller Building Contracts
The JCT 2024 edition brought updated versions of its contracts, including the Minor Works family used on most smaller repair and refurbishment projects. What employers should look out for when the new forms are used.
Dilapidations in England and Wales Becomes an RICS Professional Standard
RICS reissued the 7th edition of Dilapidations in England and Wales, first published in 2016 as a guidance note, as a professional standard. What it means for landlords and tenants, and why a claim has to be built on evidence and the landlord’s real intentions.
The New Building Regulations Dutyholders: Client, Principal Designer, Principal Contractor
From 1 October 2023, new dutyholder roles for Building Regulations compliance applied to building work in England. What clients now have to do, and why the Principal Designer under Building Regulations is not the same role as under CDM.
RAAC: What Owners of Older Buildings Should Check
On 31 August 2023 more than 100 schools in England were told to close buildings containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete. RAAC is not only a schools problem. What it is, where it is found, and what owners should do.
Section 20 Done Properly: The Notices, the Timings and the £250 Limit
With service charges under growing scrutiny, getting Section 20 consultation right matters more than ever. A plain guide to the stages, the timings, and what happens if the process is not followed.
Minimum Energy Standards Now Apply to Every Commercial Let
From 1 April 2023, landlords of commercial property in England and Wales could not continue to let premises with an EPC rating below E, even under an existing lease, unless an exemption applied. What landlords and tenants needed to check.
Is Your Building Insured for What It Would Cost to Rebuild Today?
Construction costs rose sharply through 2022, and many buildings were left insured for less than they would cost to rebuild. Why the sum insured matters, how the average clause works, and when to commission a reinstatement cost assessment.
A Record Heatwave and the Cracks That Can Follow
The record heatwave of July 2022 dried out clay soils across the south east, and subsidence often follows. How to tell seasonal movement from subsidence, and why proving the cause is the most important part of any claim.
Part L 2022: Insulation and Energy When You Repair or Extend
New energy efficiency and ventilation requirements in the Building Regulations came into force on 15 June 2022. They apply not only to new buildings but to extensions, replacement windows, new roofs and other work to existing buildings.
The New RICS Rules of Conduct: What Clients Can Expect of Their Surveyor
New RICS Rules of Conduct came into effect on 2 February 2022, setting five standards every RICS member and regulated firm must meet. What they mean for the people who instruct a chartered surveyor.