PMBC

Building Safety Act - What’s your view? I was asked by a landlord to measure the height of a block of flats as one of the leaseholders were selling their flat and their purchasers solicitor had asked for a landlord’s certificate. From the photo you will see that the property is in excess of 100 years old and the landlord confirmed that the last major works to convert the property into flats was completed in excess of 40 years ago. Whilst I have calculated the building height to be c. 12.6m, the protection afforded to leaseholders (for ‘Relevant Defects’) under the Building Safety Act 2022 covers "any defect caused during the construction or refurbishment of a building in the past 30 years that causes a risk to people’s safety from the spread of fire, or the collapse of some or all, of the building". Therefore, in my opinion I do not believe the protection afforded to leaseholders for ‘Relevant Defects’ under the Building Safety Act 2022 applies to the leaseholder as the last substantial construction or refurbishment was in excess of 40 years. As a consequence, a Landlord’s certificate is not required. Do you agree? #buildingsafetyact #buildingsurveying #legalopinion

Navigating Workplaces Thanks to the team at Knight for hosting a presentation by their CEO David Beech.  One thing that resonated with me is how they positively deal with “difficult colleagues” or in the words of David – ‘Dickheads’ – which they don’t tolerate regardless of status, fee earning potential and the like.  He quoted Gilbert Enoka’s (All Blacks mental coach for 16 years and 204 tests) definition as “people putting themselves ahead of the team, people who think they are entitled to things or expect the rules to be different for them, people operating deceitfully in the dark, or being unnecessarily loud about their work.”  I think unfortuneately we all have experienced this behaviour in colleagues above and below us in our working careers and agree that a culture that accepts this form of behaviour is not creating a sustainable strategy in the long run. In my experience of managing people, negative interactions can lead to decreased motivation, increased stress levels, and even affect their mental well-being whilst from a business perspective productivity also suffers as you navigate conflicts or attempt to mitigate the negative effects of their actions.  As a manager, you need to be strong and confronting challenging situations head-on is something that comes with the role and one that I have learnt to deal with to create positive outcomes. For example, team collaboration is becoming more and more important in our multidiscipline working environment where unfortunately I had to recently deal with the removal of a ‘dickhead’ who was creating a toxic atmosphere and hindering the effective communication, collaboration, and ultimately, the progress of the project. So, when faced with the choice of working with ‘dickheads’, consider the long-term implications as it is not a sustainable strategy for a business or its people. However, do prioritise your professional well-being by surrounding yourself with colleagues who empower and challenge you to be your best self.

Society Of Construction Law With over 1200 in attendance it was great to see so many friends, clients and peers last Friday at The SCL Annual London Lunch. It was a good lunch and thanks to my host David Bordoli at Burofour. The after dinner speaker David Fishwick of the Bank of Dave was inspiring - never give up!

Our estates team have been busy delivering funded project work for the MOD, such as at Raglan Barracks, where the £1.6m project to build new garaging facilities for 104th Regiment Royal Artillery guns was built to time and within budget. Let’s take a look inside the gun shed and find out what this new facility means to the reservists at 104.👉👉 https://ow.ly/t7FT50Qk4k9

What a great city - but can you tell where I am? I’m in town helping a tenant that occupies an office with terminal dilapidations (breaches of a lease) at lease expiry. There is no one size fits all when it comes to dilapidation claims but having reviewed the plans, read all the lease and associated documentation, the next step to formulating a dilapidation strategy is the inspection. By carefully planning and execution of the strategy we will minimise the tenants dilapidation liability. If you want to learn more or need help with any property dilapidation advice please contact me. #dilapidations #diminution #strategy