Given the increase in recent years in Britain of floods and the misery it causes it seems wise to ask a relevant question. What is your flood risk?

There are flood maps which should enable you to better understand flood risk and take action to reduce the risk.  These include:

• Prepare a flood plan
• Undertake property level protection measures
• Check the flood risk information made available by the Environmental Agency https://www.gov.uk/check-flood-risk

If you contact the Environmental Agency they will be able to tell you if you are covered by the Floodline Warnings Direct service.  Sign up if you can – they provide a free service which sends you a direct message by telephone, mobile, email, text or fax, when flooding is expected and may affect your property. These heads up will give you time to put the flood plan into action which could save time, money and heartache.

If you are not covered by the Floodline Warnings Direct service there are other warning systems such as the Met Office which gives indirect warning of potential flooding. Warnings can be given up to several days in advance and flash warnings are issued 2-6 hours in advance.  Click the link below for the website or phone Floodline 0345-988-1188.

https://www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings

  All RTMs and RMCs should place a high degree of importance on having a robust risk assessment policy.  This applies to flooding as much as it does to any other type of risk.  If your assessment shows significant risk, creating a plan will be that much more wise.  It may even be required by your insurers.

Local authorities are the lead authority for surface water flooding. Work with your local council when creating a plan to establish such things as finding a place to evacuate and whether it is best to evacuate or stay put.  They may have an officer to assist.

As a back up the Environment Agency provides a guide for preparing a Flood Plan and offers a template to follow.  Click below for their website.

https://www.gov.uk/prepare-for-flooding/future-flooding

A business guide titled ‘would your business stay afloat’ is also provided for those of you who are interested.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/410606/LIT_5284.pdfho

If you are an RTM or RMC with a riverside property such as a river, culvert, brook or mill stream click the following link for guidance:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/riverside-ownership-rights-and-responsibilities

  If you are unfortunate and have suffered a flood and the risk continues it is recommended and may be required by the insurers to carry out flood mitigation works.  A more detailed risk assessment will reveal the following:

• A list of all vulnerable doors, windows, air bricks
• A list of all wall ingress points like pipes, BT/cable entry points, boiler vents
• An inspection of the wall to see if it will withstand standing water for a period in excess of 24 hours and includes brickwork and mortar.
• A check on utility meters below a 900mm threshold.
• A check on the internal floor of the property.  Obviously properties with raised floors, cellars and basements are more prone to flooding.
• A check is made on sewerage systems which is particularly important if the property has downstairs toilets and showers.

There are companies which carry out flood mitigation surveys

Some general advice is on the link below:

https://www.gov.uk/check-flood-risk

And the Blue Pages from the National Flood Forum has some useful advice:

http://www.nationalfloodforum.org.uk/

Floods are not fun, but there are plenty of constructive things we can do to help ourselves and each other.

 

 

 

 

 

  The Health and Safety Executive encourages a common sense approach when it comes to the issue of icy weather and keeping safe.

• Ask your managing agent to arrange a health and safety risk assessment
• From this, develop procedures for snow and ice clearance or gritting
• Arrange gritting or clearing on the essentially identified paved areas
• Communicate to the residents and accept that no system delivers 100% protection and in some places it may be impossible to make arrangements.
• Get your managing agent to check with the attitude of your insurers and their policy.
• If you want your managing agent to arrange the gritting make sure you have communicated this to them.
• What is practical given the layout of your scheme – should you employ contractors or staff to do this?
• Assess your scheme’s risk and put a simple system in place.
• Use your best endeavours to protect residents, contractors and other visitors from possible injury if they attempt to clear snow and ice.
• Obtain and maintain suitable safety warning notices.
• Ensure that the notices are placed at all normal exit routes and those identified by a risk assessment.
• Remove the notices when conditions improve
• If you do decide to employ contractors to clear snow and ice, or spread grit, employ them in a cost effective manner.
• Develop and maintain emergency contact listing for contractors on the approved list.
• Ensure adequate stocks of salt and grit are available and located within a suitable storage container.
• The most practical solution may be to allow residents to help by spreading grit around their doors and any part of the pathway at their door.

Lastly, if you are responsible for clearing ice the Met Office snow code gives general advice about helping with snow clearance.

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/barometer/get-ready-for-winter/your-home-in-winter/the-snow-code

  Thanks to the medium of the internet we can now all receive weather alerts straight to the phone.  If you’re an RMC or RTM director responsible for getting the salt out in the snow to reduce the risk of slips on ice, frost or snow you can sign up to receive Twitter alerts from the Met Office.  https://twitter.com/metoffice/alerts is the link.

It makes sense to do some sort of assessment, like identifying the areas most used by pedestrians, like building entrances, car parks, shortcuts, walkways even sloped areas constantly in the shade or wet.

The best time for gritting is early in the evening before the frost settles and early in the morning before the pedestrian areas start to be used.  Salt does not work instantly, it needs time to dissolve into the moisture on the floor.

Regularly maintain vehicles, checking on water, oil and anti freeze levels.  Checking tyre condition and windscreen wipers will also help to ensure you are ready for whatever may happen.  If you have to drive in snowy conditions a summary of advice is:

• Take care around gritters. Don’t be tempted to overtake
• Slow down as it can take 10 times longer to stop in snowy conditions
• Use the highest gear possible to avoid wheel spin and manoeuvre gently. Avoid harsh braking and acceleration.
• If you start to skid, gently ease off the accelerator and avoid braking.  If necessary pump brakes, don’t slam them on.
• If you get stuck, stay with the car and tie something brightly coloured to the aerial.
• Outside wear several layers of clothes and keep dry to prevent loss of body heat.
• Watch for signs of hypothermia like uncontrollable shivering, slow speech, memory lapse and frostbite.  Keep moving arms and legs to help the blood circulate.

A brilliant fact sheet on safe driving tips is available from ROSPA. Click below. http://www.rospa.com/rospaweb/docs/advice-services/road-safety/drivers/winter-driving-tips.pdf 

 

  S20 is part of the legislation which was designed to ensure that managing agents could not spend large amounts of money either on major works or long term contracts without the knowledge and input of the residents.  There is a set procedure of consultation which has to be followed during which residents can put forward their reservations, queries and objections.

However it is a common misconception that the billing for major works may only take place after S20 consultation.  This is not correct.  The practice of issuing special levies for major works is usually not compliant with the terms of leases unless there is a lease clause allowing special levies.  It is perfectly correct to add the estimated cost of major works to the annual budget and then collect the monies due as part of the service charge (or explaining that reserve funds will be used) BEFORE commencing S20 consultation.

So there are indeed 2 aspects to costs for major works and long term leases.  It must be allowed in the lease AND if the costs are more than £100 per resident for long term contracts and £250 per resident for major works the S20 procedures have to be followed.

 

 

  When it comes to health and safety most of us are inclined to groan.

It seems like a never ending homily of do’s and don’ts sent to make our lives a scary misery.  But here’s a nasty story which is why we will always have to put up with it.

A fine totalling £42 966 has been landed on a care home company which had no fire risk assessment, blocked fire escapes with combustible materials, wedged fire doors open and failed to keep fire equipment in working order.

The result of this was a blaze at a residential care home in Penge which left an elderly woman seriously injured.  At 2 Rivers we recommend Cardinus Risk management to all our clients.  Having the correct assessments and policies in place keeps all of us on the right side of the law, but more importantly, saves lives.

Of other issues on H&S key figures for Great Britain:

• 1.3 million working people suffered from a work related illness
• 2515 mesothelioma deaths due to past asbestos exposures – 2014
• 144 workers were killed at work
• 72 702 other injuries to employees reported under RIDDOR
• 621 000 injuries occurred at work according to the Labour Force Survey
• 30.4 million working days lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury
• £14.1 billion estimated cost of injuries and ill health from current working conditions (2014/15)

These put the issue in perspective.

  Money is important to all of us and more so around April and October each year, when the Chancellor sets the increases for the various payment structures.  As every business knows wages are by far the biggest bill on their profit and loss statement.  Investing in people however can create a climate of high production and employee satisfaction.  They say that the customer is always king.  With that we say our workers are our greatest asset.

The national living wage for those over 25 will increase from £7.20 to £7.50 per hour.  This will add over £1400 a year more for a full time worker previously on the national minimum wage.

The national minimum wage will also increase:

• 21-24 year olds will go from £6.95 to £7.05 per hour
• 18-20 year olds will go from £5.55 to £5.60 per hour
• 16-17 year olds will go from £4.00 to £4.05 per hour
• Apprentices will go from £3.40 to £3.50 per hour

  As part of concern for workers the HSE is hosting a Stress Summit in 2017 bringing together keynote speakers and industry leading lights.  Organisational approach to preventing known stressors in the work place can delivery benefits.  One of these for both employee and employer is to reduce sickness absence.

Where:  Queen Elizabeth II Centre

When: 16 March 2017

Price: Earlybird £350 up to 6 Jan and Standard £425 thereafter

 

 

  If it sometimes feels as if your letting agent needs a briefcase to hold all the money they ask from you, help is at hand.

The 2015 Consumer Rights Act clearly states that agents must display their fees. The Property Ombudsman has launched a national campaign with the Chartered Trading Standards Institute to tackle letting agents who are breaking the law by not displaying their fees.  Trading Standards Officers have the powers to impose fines of up to £5000 on agents which fail to display fees.

There is good news too. More than 85% of all UK letting agents are signed up with TPO and follow the industry’s Lettings Code of Practice.  Ensure your agent is one of them.

 

 The Competition and Markets authority, whose work on a survey in December 2014, we have based our business ethos, has published research amongst UK businesses which reveals that 54% of those surveyed don’t fully understand the rules on unfair terms.  This directly affects how they treat their customers.

This is likely to be a problem for most people and not only in residential property management.  Who has the time to read and keep updated the rules on unfair terms?

In response to this problem the CMA has launched a new campaign consisting of videos and guides to inform businesses about what makes a term ‘unfair’ and help them to treat customers fairly.

Consumer friendly and very interesting click here for the videos and here for the guides.

 

 

 

 

 Recent reports in the Guardian, the Telegraph and the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership have highlighted some new leasehold houses have clauses allowing ground rent currently £295 per year to double every 10 years.  Early buyers with such clauses in their leases will have trouble selling them as a simple arithmetic calculation shows that by 2060 the ground rent would be £9 440 per year.

Such leases are likely to be challenged in the FTT in the years to come and provide the fertile material for ground breaking court cases when such clauses become unsustainable.  Challenge by the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership asked why any houses should be sold leasehold and that £1.9 billion of leasehold houses were built last year according to the Land Registry.

Leasehold for houses or flats continues because it provides ongoing income for property developers and contributes to a constant supply of new homes being built.