Rent Collection - Good news for Landlords...     Despite all the doom and gloom there is at least some good news for Commercial Landlords. On 17th March 2009 the Justice Minister announced the delay in implementation of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 Commercial Rent Arrears Recovery (CRAR for short) until at least April 2012. This daft attempt at regulating the use of Bailiffs for recovery of commercial rent arrears was set to water down one of the most effective weapons in the landlord's armoury. As such, the sensible use of Certificated Bailiffs can continue unimpeded although this is only one of a number of methods used in the effective recovery of rent.   decreased liquidity and squeezed cashflows it is essential that rental collection is effective, efficient and robust enough to maximize your income returns whilst remaining ethical and within the realms of the ever changing law applying to both commercial and residential property both in England and Scotland. At Fairhurst Estates we successfully operate a rent collection facility for a growing number of clients throughout the UK including Scotland where the law is different. This is managed and driven through our bespoke, highly sophisticated Qube Property Management Database. Our systems are regulated by ISO 9001 quality management standards and by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. We tailor our service to suit the requirements of individual clients and our record on rent collection and minimizing arrears is exceptional. We are well experienced in all areas of arrears management and have close relationships with a wide range of complimentary professionals such as Bailiffs, Solicitors and Security Companies. Call us for an informal chat if you would like help to maximise income and minimize rental arrears. We would be delighted to share with you our experience and extensive knowledge. Please contact Nigel Blyth or John Thornley on 0161 476 9476 For further information visit www.fairhurst-estates.co.uk/rent_collection.asp     Whilst you should never forget that your tenants have entered into a legally binding and enforceable legal contract to pay you rent on agreed terms set out within a lease or licence agreement, effective rent collection requires more strategy than ever before as the recession bites. Push too hard and you may lose your tenant and find yourself liable for 100% empty rates, don't push hard enough and your tenant may be taking advantage of the economic situation and maximizing his own cash flow at your expense. Rent collection does not necessarily need to be adversarial and is about building relationships with tenants but being forceful when required. If managed properly a good landlord and tenant relationship can help keep tenants and encourage them to renew or even re-gear leases which can derive wider benefits for property owners and landlords. In the context of the current challenging economic circumstances being on top of your rent collection has never been more important...In a market characterized by requests for ever extending payment terms,           Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2007     The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007, replaced the 1994 CDM Regulations and came into force on 6th April 2007. Significant changes have been brought in under the act which places the burden of responsibility fairly and squarely on the client. The client is now responsible for ensuring that suitable management arrangements are in place throughout the term of the project so that the works can be carried out safely and without risk to health. The CDM Regulations apply to all construction work undertaken to a "structure". In circumstances where a project will last more than 30 days or involves more than 500 person days, the resulting changes now mean that the client is responsible for the appointment of the CDM Coordinator, a principal contractor and designers. Each of these roles have specific duties to perform on behalf of the client. Key changes included: • Planning Supervisor replaced with CDM Coordinator role. • CDM 07 encourages flexibility and a reduction of paperwork reflective of the risks/complexity of the task. • Encourages planning/management. • Clients cannot appoint an Agent to mitigate legal duties. • CDM 94 and Construction (Health, Safety Welfare) Regulations 1996 (CSHW) revoked and CDM 07 replaces. • Duty holders have to undertake a competence assessment of appointees. Fairhurst Estates have considerable knowledge acting for clients in respect of adherence to the CDM Regulations - our experienced team can advise your business on the most suitable approach, act on your behalf as CDM Coordinator and if required audit your current Health & Safety provisions. Please contact Howard Derbyshire or Andrew Booth on 0161 476 9476 For further information visit www.fairhurst-estates.co.uk/cdm.asp