Property Management Flashcards
What are the core property management duties in the PMA?
- The collection of rent, service charge and other sums, owing by the occupiers to the landlord.
- The Management of the Property.
What are the remedies for Non-payment of Rent?
First thing a Property Manager should do is to meet with the tenant on site to discuss. Therein, before a decision for potential remedies is made; the PM should ask to see their accounts.
- Negotiate payment plan
- Check if has a Guarantor (S.17 of LL & T act allows the LL to claim against guarantor within 6 months if the guarantor settles the arrears, they are entitled to take an overriding lease.
- Draw down rent deposit
- CRAR
- Serve Statutory Demand (preliminary step for bankruptcy)
- Forfeiture / Surrender
- Court proceedings
What are the basics surrounding forfeiture?
- The lease would be forfeited by the Landlord entering the premises peaceably.
- The T has the right to apply to court for relief from forfeiture and this can be delayed by 6 months.
What is set out in the RICS SC in commercial property?
Mandatory requirements and the core principles
What are the 9 mandatory requirements in Service Charge Professional Statement?
- Recover expenditure in line with lease terms
- Recover no more than 100% of costs
- Annual provide budgets and explanatory notes
- Annually provide service charge accounts (showing actual figures)
- Annually provide service charge apportionment schedule
- Service charge money to be held in separate bank account
- Interest must be credited to SC account
- When acting for tenant, advise that if disputing payment then withold the amount in dispute
Aims of Service Charge Professional Statement?
- Improve best practice, fairness and transparency
- Ensure timely issue of budgets and YE certificates.
- Reduce cause of disputes, and provide guidance on dispute resolution.
Responsibility of Property Manager when issuing service charges?
- Ensure value for money
- Ensure quality services that are regularly reviewed
- Ensure standard of services are monitored
What is the difference between an assignment and a sublet?
Assignment - Tenant transfers legal interest in lease to another tenant. Incoming tenant takes over lease obligations.
Subletting - the new sub-tenant has a direct relationship with the tenant and pays them the rent, who then pays the landlord.
How would you deal with as assignment or sublet?
- Read the lease
- Get undertaking for your costs from the assignee
- What is the covenant strength of the assignee / sub tenant
- What is the proposed rent
- Are there any reasonable grounds to refuse consent
- LL & T Act 1988 - deal with the application PROMPTLY
- If agreed, License for assignment / sub let needs to be written.
Why sub-let rather than assign?
- If market rent is higher than passing rent, then tenant could get profit rent.
- original tenant may want to re-occupy in future and can temporarily grant a shorter term.
When did the LL & T (Covenants) Act come into effect ?
Came into force on the 1st January 1996.
What does the LL & T Act 1995 entail?
- Deals with assignments only
- Only applies to 1 assignment
- Brought in Authorised Guarantee Agreements (AGA) to protect the LL
- The code of leasing business premises says that an AGA should not be a condition of as Assignment unless the proposed assignee is of a weaker covenant.
What are 12 mandatory requirements for members set out in RICS Professional Statement, Real Estate Management 3rd Edition 2016?
Conduct business in honest, fair, transparent manner
Carry out work with skill and due diligence
Ensure clients are provided with clear terms of engagement
Avoid conflict of interest, and when they arise deal with them openly and promptly
Do not discriminate
Ensure communications are fair, clear, timely and transparent
Ensure all advertising and marketing is honest
Ensure client money held in separate accounts
Ensure professional indemnity insurance in place
Ensure scope of obligations of work is provided to all parties
Give realistic assessment of buying/selling/rental price
Ensure all inspections and meetings are carried out in accordance with client wishes
What is Statutory Demand?
Preliminary step to pursuing winding-up proceedings (AKA bankruptcy)
Can be used to put pressure on tenant to pay arrears
Used on undisputed arrears of £750 + where rent deposit has already been used
Benefit of Licence for Alterations?
Protection for LL - requires T to reinstate unit at end of lease, back to how it was originally let
Protection for T - prevents LL from rentalising alterations/improvements at rent review