Expert insights for landlords, leaseholders, RTM directors, and freeholders — updated weekly
Fire Doors in Residential Blocks: What the Law Now Requires of RTM Directors | Neon Property Services Building Safety Fire Doors in Residential Blocks: What the Law Now Requires of RTM Directors Before the Fire Safety Act 2021, there was legal uncertainty about whether flat entrance doors in residential blocks fell within the responsible person’s […]
Emergency Works and Section 20 Exemptions: When the Consultation Rules Do Not Apply | Neon Property Services Block Management Emergency Works and Section 20 Exemptions: When the Consultation Rules Do Not Apply Section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 requires landlords to consult leaseholders before carrying out qualifying works that exceed the per-leaseholder […]
Student Lets After the Renters’ Rights Act: What Landlords Need to Know | Neon Property Services Renters’ Rights Act Student Lets After the Renters’ Rights Act: What Landlords Need to Know The Renters’ Rights Act contains no student exemption. From 1 May 2026, student tenancies in England are periodic. The fixed-term agreements that student landlords […]
Contractor Procurement in Block Management: How to Avoid Overcharging and Conflicts of Interest | Neon Property Services Block Management Contractor Procurement in Block Management: How to Avoid Overcharging and Conflicts of Interest Managing agent preferred contractor networks are one of the most persistent sources of service charge overpayment in residential block management. They are also […]
Service Charge Accounts Under the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024: What Has Changed | Neon Property Services Leasehold Reform Service Charge Accounts Under the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024: What Has Changed Service charges in residential leasehold have always been contested territory. The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 strengthened leaseholders’ rights to […]
HMO Licensing and the Renters’ Rights Act: What Changes for Landlords | Neon Property Services Renters’ Rights Act HMO Licensing and the Renters’ Rights Act: What Changes for Landlords HMO landlords in East London face a compliance picture more complex than almost anywhere else in England: mandatory HMO licensing applies nationally, many boroughs add further […]
Asbestos in Older Blocks: What Managing Agents Must Have in Place | Neon Property Services Block Management Asbestos in Older Blocks: What Managing Agents Must Have in Place The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 impose a duty to manage asbestos on whoever controls the common parts of non-domestic premises. The communal areas of residential blocks […]
Cladding Remediation Funding: Who Pays and How Leaseholders Can Access It | Neon Property Services Building Safety Cladding Remediation Funding: Who Pays and How Leaseholders Can Access It Millions of pounds of cladding remediation costs are being wrongly passed to leaseholders through service charges, years after the Building Safety Act 2022 created a clear liability […]
Forfeiture of Lease: Is It Still Possible After Leasehold Reform? | Neon Property Services Leasehold Reform Forfeiture of Lease: Is It Still Possible After Leasehold Reform? Forfeiture is the most dramatic remedy available in residential leasehold law: the termination of a long lease for breach of covenant. A leaseholder who loses their lease loses the […]
Lift Maintenance in Blocks of Flats: Legal Obligations and Common Failures | Neon Property Services Block Management Lift Maintenance in Blocks of Flats: Legal Obligations and Common Failures A lift in a residential block is not just a convenience for residents — it is a piece of lifting equipment carrying the full weight of the […]
Decent Homes Standard: What the Private Rented Sector Rules Mean for Landlords | Neon Property Services Renters’ Rights Act Decent Homes Standard: What the Private Rented Sector Rules Mean for Landlords The Decent Homes Standard has applied to social housing since 2001. The Renters’ Rights Act extended it to the private rented sector, bringing minimum […]
Deposit Protection After the Renters’ Rights Act: The Mistakes Landlords Keep Making | Neon Property Services Renters’ Rights Act Deposit Protection After the Renters’ Rights Act: The Mistakes Landlords Keep Making Deposit protection failures are the single most common compliance error among private landlords. They have been since the rules came in during 2007. And […]
Right of First Refusal: When Your Freeholder Must Offer Leaseholders the Freehold First | Neon Property Services Leasehold Reform Right of First Refusal: When Your Freeholder Must Offer Leaseholders the Freehold First The Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 created a right that many leaseholders have never heard of: the right of first refusal. Before a […]
AGM Guide for RTM Companies: What the Law Requires and What Actually Works | Neon Property Services Block Management AGM Guide for RTM Companies: What the Law Requires and What Actually Works An RTM company is a registered company. It has directors, members, and the same Companies Act obligations as any other private company limited […]
EWS1 in 2026: Where Does the Cladding Certificate Stand Now? | Neon Property Services Building Safety EWS1 in 2026: Where Does the Cladding Certificate Stand Now? The EWS1 form was introduced in 2019 as an emergency measure after Grenfell. Since then its scope has been narrowed, re-expanded, and narrowed again as government guidance, lender policies, […]
Rent Increases After the Renters’ Rights Act: Section 13, the Tribunal, and What Landlords Must Know | Neon Property Services Renters’ Rights Act Rent Increases After the Renters’ Rights Act: Section 13, the Tribunal, and What Landlords Must Know Since 1 May 2026, there is only one legal way to raise rent on a periodic […]
Managing Short-Term Lets in a Block: The Airbnb Problem for RTM Directors | Neon Property Services Block Management Managing Short-Term Lets in a Block: The Airbnb Problem for RTM Directors A leaseholder listing their flat on Airbnb is no longer unusual. In East London and inner city blocks it is increasingly common, and it creates […]
Lease Extension Under the New Rules: How the 990-Year Process Works in Practice | Neon Property Services Leasehold Reform Lease Extension Under the New Rules: How the 990-Year Process Works in Practice The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 made two changes that matter enormously to leaseholders with short leases: it extended the statutory term […]
Structural Defects vs Wear and Tear: Who Is Responsible for Repairs in a Block of Flats? | Neon Property Services Block Management Structural Defects vs Wear and Tear: Who Is Responsible for Repairs in a Block of Flats? When something goes wrong in a block of flats, the first question is always who pays. The […]
Commonhold After the Consultation: What Leaseholders Need to Know in 2026 | Neon Property Services Leasehold Reform Commonhold After the Consultation: What Leaseholders Need to Know in 2026 The government’s commonhold consultation closed on 24 April 2026. It is the most substantive engagement with commonhold reform since the Law Commission’s 2020 report and the most […]
The Building Safety Act and 11–18m Blocks: What RTM Directors Must Do Now | Neon Property Services Building Safety The Building Safety Act and 11–18m Blocks: What RTM Directors Must Do Now The Building Safety Act 2022 is widely associated with the cladding crisis and high-rise towers. It is less widely understood that the Act […]
Leasehold Enfranchisement in 2026: How to Force Your Freeholder to Sell the Freehold | Neon Property Services Leasehold Reform Leasehold Enfranchisement in 2026: How to Force Your Freeholder to Sell the Freehold Collective enfranchisement is the statutory right that allows leaseholders in a block to compel their freeholder to sell the freehold — at a […]
Section 8 After the Renters’ Rights Act: What the First Cases Are Telling Landlords | Neon Property Services Renters’ Rights Act Section 8 After the Renters’ Rights Act: What the First Cases Are Telling Landlords Section 21 is gone. Every possession action in England now runs through Section 8 — and the pattern emerging from […]
What Makes a Good Managing Agent? 10 Questions Every RTM Director Should Ask | Neon Property Services Block Management What Makes a Good Managing Agent? 10 Questions Every RTM Director Should Ask Most RTM directors didn’t choose their managing agent — they inherited one when they took over management of the block, or appointed whoever […]
Structural Repairs in Blocks of Flats: Who Pays and How Section 20 Protects You | Neon Property Services Block Management Structural Repairs in Blocks of Flats: Who Pays and How Section 20 Protects You A failing roof, a condemned lift, subsidence cracking in an external wall — structural repairs in a block of flats are […]
The Renters’ Rights Act Is Live: What Happens Now (Week 1 Reality Check) | Neon Property Services RENTERS’ RIGHTS ACT — NOW IN FORCE · Published 28 April 2026 · This post reflects the position as of commencement Renters’ Rights Act The Renters’ Rights Act Is Live: What Happens Now (Week 1 Reality Check) It […]
Block Insurance in 2026: What’s Changed and Why Premiums Keep Rising | Neon Property Services Block Management Block Insurance in 2026: What’s Changed and Why Premiums Keep Rising Block insurance premiums have risen sharply over the past three years — driven by construction cost inflation, climate claims, and post-Grenfell fire risk reassessment across the residential […]
What Is Commonhold? The Future of Flat Ownership Explained | Neon Property Services Leasehold Reform What Is Commonhold? The Future of Flat Ownership Explained Commonhold has been on the statute books since 2002 and used almost nowhere. That is about to change. The Government has committed to making commonhold the default model for new flat […]
The Tenant Information Sheet: What Landlords Must Send Before May 31st 2026 | Neon Property Services Renters’ Rights Act The Tenant Information Sheet: What Landlords Must Send Before May 31st 2026 The Renters’ Rights Act abolishes Section 21 and replaces the entire tenancy framework — including what information landlords must give tenants at the start […]
Pets, Benefits & Children: New Tenant Rights from May 2026 | Neon Property Services Pets, Benefits, and Children: The New Tenant Rights You Cannot Refuse from May 2026 📅 Last updated: March 2026 ⏱ Reading time: 13 minutes Three changes in the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 will affect how you market properties, select tenants, and […]
Ground Rent Cap 2026: What the New £250 Limit Means for Leaseholders | Neon Property Services Leasehold Reform Ground Rent Cap 2026: What the New £250 Limit Means for Leaseholders Ground rent has been one of the most damaging features of the leasehold system — with some leaseholders locked into clauses that double their rent […]
Reserve Funds and Sinking Funds: How Much Should Your Block Be Saving? | Neon Property Services Block Management Reserve Funds and Sinking Funds: How Much Should Your Block Be Saving? Most residential blocks are under-saving — and RTM directors typically don’t find out until a roof replacement bill arrives and the fund is empty. This […]
Building Safety Compliance for Mid-Rise Blocks: What RTM Directors Need to Know | Neon Property Services Building Safety Building Safety Compliance for Mid-Rise Blocks: What RTM Directors Need to Know The Building Safety Regulator is expanding its oversight beyond 18-metre towers — and most RTM directors managing 11-18 metre blocks don’t know they are already […]
Draft Commonhold & Leasehold Reform Bill 2026: What It Means | Neon Property Services Leasehold Reform The Draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill 2026: What It Means for Leaseholders and Freeholders Published on 27 January 2026, the Draft Bill is the most significant proposed reform to flat ownership in England in decades. Here is what […]
Block Management Costs: What You Should (and Shouldn’t) Be Paying | Neon Property Services Block Management Costs: What You Should (and Shouldn’t) Be Paying 📅 Last updated: April 2026 ⏱ Reading time: 12 minutes 📍 London and Essex Most RMC and RTM directors have no reliable benchmark for what block management should cost. Managing agents […]
How to Switch Managing Agents Without Losing Control | Guide | Neon Property Services How to Switch Managing Agents Without Losing Control of Your Building 📅 Last updated: March 2026 ⏱ Reading time: 11 minutes Most RMC and RTM directors know their managing agent is not good enough. They know the service charge accounts are […]
Right to Manage: How Leaseholders Can Take Control of Their Building in 2026 | Neon Property Services Right to Manage: How Leaseholders Can Take Control of Their Building in 2026 📅 Last updated: March 2026 ⏱ Reading time: 15 minutes 🏛 Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 Right to Manage is one of the most […]
Rent Increases After May 2026: Section 13 Notices Explained | Neon Property Services Rent Increases After May 2026: How Section 13 Notices Actually Work Now 📅 Last updated: March 2026 ⏱ Reading time: 12 minutes From 1 May 2026, Section 13 of the Housing Act 1988 is the only legal mechanism for increasing rent on […]
Service Charges Explained: What Leaseholders Are Actually Paying For | Neon Property Services Block Management Service Charges Explained: What Leaseholders Are Actually Paying For Service charges are the most frequently disputed item in residential leasehold — and the source of more Tribunal applications than any other aspect of block management. Yet most leaseholders cannot fully […]
Fire Risk Assessments for Residential Blocks: What’s Required in 2026 | Neon Property Services Fire Risk Assessments for Residential Blocks: What’s Required in 2026 📅 Last updated: March 2026 ⏱ Reading time: 13 minutes 🏛 RRO 2005 · Building Safety Act 2022 Fire safety law for residential blocks has changed more in the last four […]
Assured Periodic Tenancy 2026: What Your Agreement Must Include | Neon Property Services The New Assured Periodic Tenancy: What Your Agreement Must Include from May 2026 📅 Last updated: March 2026 ⏱ Reading time: 10 minutes On 1 May 2026, the assured shorthold tenancy ceases to exist. Every private tenancy in England — new and […]
What Is a Section 20 Consultation? Complete Guide for Leaseholders and Freeholders | Neon Property Services What Is a Section 20 Consultation? The Complete Guide for Leaseholders and Freeholders 📅 Last updated: March 2026 ⏱ Reading time: 14 minutes 🏛 Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 Section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 is […]
Section 21 Abolished: How Section 8 Eviction Works in 2026 | Neon Property Services Section 21 Is Dead: What Replaces It and How Section 8 Actually Works Now 📅 Last updated: March 2026 ⏱ Reading time: 12 minutes From 1 May 2026, Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 ceases to exist. The ‘no-fault’ eviction […]
How to Switch Managing Agents Without Losing Control | Guide | Neon Property Services How to Switch Managing Agents Without Losing Control of Your Building 📅 Last updated: March 2026 ⏱ Reading time: 11 minutes Most RMC and RTM directors know their managing agent is not good enough. They know the service charge accounts are […]
Renters’ Rights Act 2025: Complete Landlord Guide to May 2026 | Neon Property Services Renters’ Rights Act 2025: The Complete Landlord Countdown to May 1st 2026 📅 Last updated: March 2026 ⏱ Reading time: 14 minutes On 1 May 2026, the private rented sector in England undergoes its most significant transformation since the Housing Act 1988. The […]
Waking Watch: When Is It Required, How Long Does It Last, and What Does It Cost? | Neon Property Services Building Safety Waking Watch: When Is It Required, How Long Does It Last, and What Does It Cost? Waking watch is round-the-clock fire monitoring by trained personnel patrolling a building to detect fire and alert […]
Noise Complaints and Nuisance in Blocks of Flats: The RTM Director’s Legal Position | Neon Property Services Block Management Noise Complaints and Nuisance in Blocks of Flats: The RTM Director’s Legal Position Noise complaints are the most frequently raised management issue in residential blocks of flats. They are also among the most frequently mishandled — […]
Rent Repayment Orders in 2026: How Tenants Are Using Them Against Landlords | Neon Property Services Renters’ Rights Act Rent Repayment Orders in 2026: How Tenants Are Using Them Against Landlords Rent Repayment Orders allow tenants to recover up to 12 months of rent from a landlord who has committed one of the specified trigger […]
Leaseholder Protections on Building Safety Costs: The Complete Guide | Neon Property Services Building Safety Leaseholder Protections on Building Safety Costs: The Complete Guide The Building Safety Act 2022 introduced a set of protections that prevent qualifying leaseholders from being charged through the service charge for the costs of remediating relevant building safety defects. These […]
Communal Areas in Blocks of Flats: Who Is Responsible? | Neon Property Services Block Management Communal Areas in Blocks of Flats: Who Is Responsible? Responsibility for communal areas in a residential block of flats sits at the intersection of the lease, the service charge, and the day-to-day management decisions of the RTM company or managing […]
Section 21 at Six Months: What Possession Now Looks Like for Landlords | Neon Property Services Renters’ Rights Act Section 21 at Six Months: What Possession Now Looks Like for Landlords Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 was repealed on 1 May 2026. Six months on, the first wave of possession claims under the […]
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