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All posts by Verri Berri

28
Feb 2022

Who pays for a home buyer’s survey 

In the process of buying a house, you will undoubtedly be looking to get a home buyer’s survey to assist you in your buying decision. This survey will tell you the condition of a property, allowing you to assess any repairs that will need to be made and be notified of potential risks to the property. This will be able to help you with negotiating a purchase price. For example, if there are £10k worth of repairs to be made, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to ask for £10k off the asking price.  Due to the home buyer’s survey generally benefitting […]

Who pays for a home buyer's survey
21
Feb 2022

Do you need party wall advice? 

The Party Wall Act allows homeowners to carry out certain developments on their property, whilst protecting neighbouring properties from adverse effects. This legislation has been put in place to pre-empt any disagreements that could arise from construction work taking place near to another person’s property. Should there be any disputes surrounding the work, this Act also provides the legal framework to allow for a resolution. This Act is generally applied to work carried out on semi-detached houses, flats or terraced properties, as these all have adjoining walls. It also covers floors and ceilings between properties. This can also be applied […]

building with a party wall
14
Feb 2022

How to deal with property boundary disputes 

Whilst it is true that good neighbours can indeed become good friends, the opposite is also true. Discourse with neighbours can quickly become fraught and you can end up with a fractious relationship. One thing that crops up time and time again to cause issues between neighbours is along the property boundary. Specifically, disputes arise around who owns fences or plants and are therefore entitled to, or responsible for, making alterations to them.  What are the guidelines for fences in the UK? Issues with fences normally arise when the fence was existing before either party moved into the adjoining properties. […]

property boundary dispute - fencing / fences
7
Feb 2022

What to consider when building a home extension

There are many reasons you may want to get a home extension. Perhaps you require more space, but don’t want to move. Maybe you need an area to bring more natural light into the house and are looking for a conservatory, which technically isn’t an extension, but we digress. Whatever your situation, we have some advice to follow to ensure you don’t fall into any of the pitfalls that can surprise homeowners as they try and improve their homes.  Munday + Cramer have been designing and project managing building extensions (both commercial and home extensions) for many years. Throughout this […]

Building an extension
31
Jan 2022

Landlords affected by new EPC regulations proposed for 2025

The government has proposed that the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) should be increased for rental properties across England and Wales. The proposal is to increase the minimum Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating from an E up to a C by 2025. This is in line with the government’s plans to cut carbon waste and hit net-zero targets over the next couple of decades.  These changes would not be instantaneous for all properties, but new tenancies would have to comply in 2025. Following this would be all domestic and private rental properties from 2028. Failure to comply with the new […]

New EPC rules from 2025
24
Jan 2022

How Important are Building Regulations?

Building regulations are in place for the safety and wellbeing of the people that use the building. Depending on the type of building, they can cover many things, ranging from foundations, insulation and sanitation on domestic buildings to accessibility and escape routes for business/public buildings.  Without building regulations a building could be unsafe and not fit-for-purpose. This puts occupants and potentially the public at risk. They also prevent “cowboy” builders from getting away with shoddy workmanship. They provide a minimum standard for construction, so if they try to cut corners, they aren’t getting paid.  These standards also help to inform […]

Building Regulations
17
Jan 2022

Important Education funding dates and deadlines 2022

A new year brings new rounds of funding for the education sector’s buildings and facilities. Below we have listed some information on different types of funding and the important dates to take note of if you are looking to apply this year.  T Level Capital Fund (TLCF) TLCF is available to help eligible further education providers implement top-of-the-range facilities to enable a high quality of delivery for T-Levels. This funding is split into Specialist Equipment Allocation (SEA) and the Buildings and Facilities Improvement Grant (BFIG).  To apply for BFIG you need to be able to demonstrate that your facilities are […]

important dates and deadlines for education funding 2022
10
Jan 2022

What is included in a RICS Homebuyer Survey? 

A RICS homebuyer survey is a survey carried out by a RICS registered surveyor. They are available for people looking to purchase a property. They provide information on the property to aid with purchasing decisions and can help to find issues with the property that could lead to complications. In terms of what is actually included in a survey depends on which level you opt for.  What are the different levels of RICS building surveys?  There are 3 different levels of building surveys for homes offered by RICS certified surveyors. These are:  Level 1 – This is also known as […]

Level 2 RICS homebuyer survey
3
Jan 2022

New year, New Tech: How architectural technology has evolved over time

Once upon a time an architect’s toolkit would have only contained a mere pencil and a ruler, but this is far from the case in current times. As we move into 2022, it’s the perfect time to reflect on how things have changed in the architectural world and how incredible advances in technology have taken the profession and its creations to the next level. Examples of how far we’ve come can be seen at every stage of an architectural project. The simple introduction of computer aided design (CAD) has brought the design world from 2D hand drawings to 3D modelling. […]

architectural technology
27
Dec 2021

Christmas Architecture – Strasbourg

We’re feeling very festive here at Munday + Cramer. To celebrate, we are taking a look at the architecture of the capital of Christmas itself, Strasbourg in France. You may be wondering where Strasbourg gets this auspicious title, considering there are many other Christmassy towns and cities around the world. Well, it all dates back to 1570, where Strasbourg held the first ever Christmas market. Christkindelsmärik (Market of the Infant Jesus), as it was known, has expanded to attract over 2 million visitors every year. That’s not bad, considering the town has a population of less than 300,000 people!  The […]

Strasbourg skyline