estate management

Michael Gove has been named the new Minister for Housing, Communities, and Local Government. The sometimes controversial MP replaces Robert Jenrick, who was removed from the role in Boris Johnson's recent cabinet reshuffle. As the new housing secretary, Mr. Gove will decide where and how new housing should be approved and oversee a new building safety regime and a shake-up of the planning system. Former...

The majority of flats and some houses in England and Wales are leasehold. As a leaseholder you have bought the exclusive right to live in your property for a fixed number of years, which will reduce over time from the date the lease was originally granted. Flats and apartments can never be sold with an absolute freehold title as by nature they are built on top of each other and therefore occupy the same area of land. 

At Watsons we are a team of dedicated property management professionals, supported by a network of approved contractors and local tradespeople. While we undertake regular site visits and interaction with property owners, residents and contractors, sometimes problems arise that we are not aware of.

Having a nice place to live is something we all want and strive for, and as managing agents Watsons consider this a vital aspect of what we achieve.

Housing secretary, Robert Jenrick, has announced a new £3.5bn fund to fix cladding on high-rise buildings in England and further loans for leaseholders to fix similar problems in shorter buildings, with maximum monthly repayments of £50 a month.

There is no one size fits all approach to setting and managing service charges, which is why we build bespoke packages to suit the property blocks we manage. We understand no one likes to pay more than they have to, so we work hard to give you the best value for your service charge. What are service charges? Service charges are levied by property freeholders to recover the costs they incur in providing...