A housebuilder has been fined £800,000 after a teen apprentice was injured when a temporary stairwell covering collapsed. Charlie Marsh, 17, had been working as a contractor on a Taylor Wimpey UK Limited site as it built around 450 new homes on its Meadfields site in Weston-Super-Mare. The apprentice bricklayer,
Full-service law firm Shakespeare Martineau has advised Great Places Housing Group on a landmark £104 million development scheme at Mosley Common in Wigan – a major housing scheme that will deliver more than 1,000 new homes, including 369 affordable properties. The deal involved the purchase of the first 100 acres
A construction company has been fined after a kitchen fitter was crushed to death by a pack of concrete blocks at a site in the Cotswolds. Martin Dunford, who was 33, was ‘very much loved’ by his family who say they miss him ‘every day’ since the incident on 23
A London property developer has been fined £63,000 plus costs after Britain’s workplace regulator found multiple failures at a construction site in Dalston. Nofax Enterprises Limited was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following four visits to its site on Dalston Lane over a 13 month period between
Lawyers are urgently warning that the ‘clock may run out’ before an international claim is successfully served, as severe backlogs at the UK’s Foreign Process Section (FPS) continue to impact those in the construction industry dealing with overseas clients. The FPS, which handles the service of claims abroad in compliance
FPA Commercial Director Chris Miles considers the compliance of construction products and the impact the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report will have on this sector In the first article in this series, entitled ‘Inquiry Phase 2 Response – Time for change’, Dr Gavin Dunn takes a wide view of the
WTW, a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company today announced a partnership between its Affinity Insurance business and Kayna, the award-winning insurance infrastructure platform. The partnership has been developed to enable delivery of innovative WTW insurance solutions to SME clients in the UK and US through Vertical Software-as-a-Service (‘vSaaS’)
Yesterday’s publication of the final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry is a long-awaited milestone in the response to the tragic loss of 72 lives in June 2017. It is another difficult and traumatic moment for the bereaved, the survivors and relatives of the Grenfell Tower victims and the Construction
Hire Association Europe & Event Hire Association (HAE EHA) has announced that it is developing a new Theft & Fraud Reporting Portal as it calls for vigilance ahead of the August Bank Holiday, a time typically rife with criminal activity against the construction sector. The portal could support the recovery
Deposit alternative specialists flatfair have announced a bumper month with Build To Rent (BTR) sector landlords. And CEO Gary Wright says that smaller, private landlords should follow the lead of the corporate providers in choosing the additional protection offered by their No Deposit scheme. He said: “Understandably, landlords feel they
A housebuilder has been fined £800,000 after a teen apprentice was injured when a temporary stairwell covering collapsed. Charlie Marsh, 17, had been working as a contractor on a Taylor Wimpey UK Limited site as it built around 450 new homes on its Meadfields site in Weston-Super-Mare. The apprentice bricklayer, from Whitchurch in Bristol, was less than 12 months into his career when the incident happened. An investigator for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said the teen was lucky to escape serious injury. On 22 August 2023 Charlie had been loading concrete blocks onto the temporary flooring on the first floor of one of the newly built homes. The blocks were being loaded into stacks of between 10 and 20, one of which was on or near to a temporary stairwell covering. This was a large area covered with a timber sheet material laid over joists – both of which would be later removed to install the staircase. However, the area collapsed, causing Charlie and around 20kg of the concrete blocks to fall more than two metres to the ground below. He sustained injuries to his fingers, hand, wrist and shoulder. The subsequent HSE investigation found that the joists under the timber sheet material should have been back propped. This was mentioned a number of times in Taylor Wimpey’s own health and safety manual for the site, however, it had been missed on this particular plot. Had suitably designed back propping been used, it is unlikely the incident would have occurred. Taylor Wimpey UK Limited pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £800,000 and ordered to pay £6,240.25 costs with a £2000 victim surcharge at the North Somerset Magistrates’ Court on 3 June 2025. HSE inspector Derek Mclauchlan said “Everyone working in construction has a responsibility to ensure people are safe. “Any work involving structural stability is potentially high risk and proper planning and implementation should be given. “This incident could have been avoided had the right steps been taken. “The failures of Taylor Wimpey resulted in a young man at the very beginning of his career being injured. Charlie was lucky those injuries were not far more serious. “Lessons should be learned.” This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE Enforcement Lawyer Samantha Tiger and Paralegal Officer Rebecca Withell. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Full-service law firm Shakespeare Martineau has advised Great Places Housing Group on a landmark £104 million development scheme at Mosley Common in Wigan – a major housing scheme that will deliver more than 1,000 new homes, including 369 affordable properties. The deal involved the purchase of the first 100 acres of the site from Peel Land by Kellen Homes. Of the 1,044 homes planned for the full development, 815 will be built on this initial phase by Kellen Homes in partnership with Great Places and Taylor Wimpey. With planning permission already secured, the Mosley Common scheme will provide a mix of tenures and housing types alongside investment in transport links, green spaces and local infrastructure – creating a sustainable, well-connected new neighbourhood in Wigan. Hazel Doolan, development programme manager at Great Places, said: “This is a fantastic example of how collaboration across sectors can deliver real impact. Mosley Common will provide a wide range of much-needed homes – including 369 affordable properties – in a thriving, sustainable community. “Our thanks go to Shakespeare Martineau for their expert support in navigating a complex transaction and helping us secure our role in this transformative scheme. We’re pleased to be working alongside Peel Land, Kellen Homes, Taylor Wimpey and Wigan Council to bring this ambitious vision to life.” The complex deal was completed under tight timescales and required extensive cross-discipline collaboration. It was led by land partner Jack Kelly and social housing legal director Anita Rasaratnam, supported by residential development associate Joe Davies. The Shakespeare Martineau team advised on 13 separate legal documents across the transaction, ensuring Great Places was well positioned to play a leading role in the development. Jack said: “We’re proud to have supported Great Places on a deal that will have a lasting impact on the Wigan community. This development delivers not just new homes but vital infrastructure and affordable housing, all aligned with regional growth plans. It’s a brilliant example of the value that can be unlocked when housing and land experts collaborate closely. “This work reflects our commitment to supporting housing associations and public interest developments. This deal ensures Great Places will continue to play a vital role in shaping inclusive, sustainable communities.” The Mosley Common site was allocated in the Places for Everyone framework and is expected to move into the construction phase later this year. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
A construction company has been fined after a kitchen fitter was crushed to death by a pack of concrete blocks at a site in the Cotswolds. Martin Dunford, who was 33, was ‘very much loved’ by his family who say they miss him ‘every day’ since the incident on 23 January 2020. Martin, from Pocklington in Yorkshire, was killed after being pinned against the side of a lorry loader as two stacks of concrete blocks fell onto him. Martin’s sister, Tracey Hunter, provided a statement on behalf of his family. She said: “Martin went to work and never came home. His life was unjustly cut short. “Little did he know on that date that he was going to work on a site that had ongoing issues and was not following HSE guidelines for working safely on a construction site. “Martin was very much loved by his family and friends. He is missed every day and nothing can ever fill the hole that is left by him no longer being here. “We, his family, and friends are still all navigating throughout this endless period of grief and today’s verdict is the start of some sense of justice towards his senseless death.” Martin had been working at Ebrington Rise, near Chipping Campden – a development of 16 three, four and five bedroomed houses being built by Piper Homes Construction Limited. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Martin had walked around a lorry loader to talk to a driver about how long he would be on site, as he needed access to one of the properties being built. A stack of concrete blocks which had been placed on top of another stack of blocks, which was also supported by a wooden pallet, toppled over onto him, pinning him against the side of the lorry. He sustained severe internal and head injuries and died on site. Piper Homes Construction Limited, who were the principal contractor on the site, had failed to ensure that a suitable, level storage area was provided for the safe offloading of construction materials. The company had also failed to ensure that wooden pallets in a suitable condition were used for the storage of construction materials and that persons were excluded from delivery areas. HSE guidance on pallet safety is available. Piper Homes Construction Limited, which is currently in liquidation, of Lace Market Square, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 13(1) of the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2015. The company was fined £300,000 and ordered to pay £5,236 in costs at Cheltenham Magistrates Court on 29 April 2025. HSE inspector James Lucas said: “This was an entirely avoidable incident and our thoughts remain with Martin’s family. “Storage of construction materials should be properly planned and managed, to ensure that if materials are stored at height the necessary measures are in place to prevent them from falling and potentially injuring persons. “Storage areas should be level and accessories such as wooden pallets should be regularly inspected to ensure that they are in suitable condition to be used to store materials. “Had this been done on this particular site, Martin would have returned home safely to his family.” This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Arfaq Nabi and paralegal officer Jason Dix Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
A London property developer has been fined £63,000 plus costs after Britain’s workplace regulator found multiple failures at a construction site in Dalston. Nofax Enterprises Limited was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following four visits to its site on Dalston Lane over a 13 month period between 2020 and 2021. The company was overseeing the construction of a four storey building on the site, containing nine flats and large basement to house a youth club. However, the failures identified by HSE inspectors – including multiple working at height risks, poor fire precautions and exposure to large amounts of silica dust – were so serious, that they resulted in the site being closed down on two separate occasions. Other breaches of the law included failing to protect workers from exposure to wood dust, as well as insufficient covid and welfare controls. In total, 9 enforcement notices were served against the company for the Dalston Lane site, including five prohibition notices. The subsequent HSE investigation included inspections at other sites operated by the company, identifying a poor health and safety culture and systemic management failings. Owing to the repeated poor performance and lack of compliance to basic health and safety, Nofax Enterprises Limited, of Maldon, Essex pleaded guilty to breaches of sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.Following the hearing at Southwark Crown Court on 18th March 2025, the company was ordered to pay a total of £88,812.68 which included a fine of £63,000, costs of £25,622. In summing up, the judge stated that despite repeated visits by HSE and multiple notices being served, risks subsisted over a long period and the company failed to make any appropriate changes. The judge concluded by saying that there had been a systemic failure within the organisation to manage health and safety. After the hearing, HSE inspector Gordon Nixon said: “This company showed a total disregard to keeping its workers safe. “They failed to meet even the most basic health and safety standards, continually exposing operatives to serious risks. “HSE will not wait until workers are seriously injured, or worse and will take appropriate action including prosecutions when health and safety regulations are so blatantly flouted.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Lawyers are urgently warning that the ‘clock may run out’ before an international claim is successfully served, as severe backlogs at the UK’s Foreign Process Section (FPS) continue to impact those in the construction industry dealing with overseas clients. The FPS, which handles the service of claims abroad in compliance with the Hague Convention, is grappling with processing times that could take several months. Businesses in the construction industry hoping to serve documents abroad could run the risk of not successfully serving a claim within the Civil Procedure Rules’ (CPR) six-month deadline, potentially prejudicing their position. Sneha Nainwal, partner at law firm Shakespeare Martineau, who specialises in cross-border disputes, said: “The FPS handles a range of international disputes, with commercial claims being the most common. “Typical cases involve a UK-based claimant seeking to recover contractual debts or damages from foreign defendants. “These cross-border claims, regardless of industry, are increasingly subject to delays due to the FPS backlog.” The FPS plays a pivotal role in the initial stages of litigation involving the service of documents overseas. When a claimant issues proceedings in the UK and the defendant resides abroad, the FPS ensures legal documents are served accurately and in compliance with international protocols. This crucial function is central to the ‘international service of claim’ phase – a vital step that sets the stage for the progression of the case towards resolution or settlement. By facilitating this process, the FPS supports the efficient administration of justice across borders. The current backlog stems from the residual effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Due to global lockdowns and restrictions, the FPS was temporarily suspended, leading to an accumulation of claims waiting to be processed. This delay has compounded over time, with a growing volume of claims requiring international service. Sneha said: “The most pressing risk for businesses issuing a claim is the expiration of the six-month period for serving the claim form. Failure to serve within this timeframe could result in the claim being deemed invalid or struck out. “The best way to mitigate this risk is for claimants to act proactively by ensuring their application to the FPS for serving documents abroad is watertight. “The FPS enforces strict procedural rules, and any oversight or misstep could result in the rejection of the application, forcing the claimant to restart the process and face further delays in an already backlogged system. “To avoid this, ensure all documents are in perfect order and apply promptly for an extension if you anticipate difficulty serving within the six-month deadline. “Don’t leave things to the last minute. For the best chance of success and to avoid unnecessary complications, seek professional advice.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
FPA Commercial Director Chris Miles considers the compliance of construction products and the impact the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report will have on this sector In the first article in this series, entitled ‘Inquiry Phase 2 Response – Time for change’, Dr Gavin Dunn takes a wide view of the content and implications of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report. It is worth (re)reading to enable the following article to be contextualised. One of the key areas that the Inquiry Phase 2 report looks at in some depth is that of the compliance of construction products and systems and how the process can be improved, noting that using relevant, robust standards is essential. This article will look at the current process, some of the issues identified in the report and progress made in improving it, and will then examine ways in which the recommendations made in the Phase 2 report can be implemented. There are multiple elements to the compliance of products and systems, including how the process is governed and regulated, and the report includes a number of recommendations related to this. Some of the elements forming the recommendations in the report include: Current compliance If we look at the various routes to compliance that are currently available to the construction product industry we find multiple options – e.g. testing by the manufacturer/supplier, independent testing by a third party, sampling of products from the market (surveillance), and third party product certification. Whilst the third-party product certification route is often seen as the highest current level, there are variations between the providers offering various qualities such as user-friendliness, locality, project/market needs, costs, and turnaround time. However, the Inquiry report showed that too often the need for quality and thoroughness were a lower consideration when selecting which option was to be used. Analysis of the lead up to the Grenfell Tower fire by the Inquiry showed that examples of poor practice in the compliance processes led to inappropriate products, critical to the safety performance of the system, ended up on the building, namely the use of aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding. The Inquiry report states that: “The choice of combustible materials for the cladding of Grenfell Tower resulted from a series of errors caused by the incompetence of the organisations and individuals involved in the refurbishment… “Everyone involved in the choice of the materials to be used in the external wall thought that responsibility for their suitability and safety lay with someone else.” These issues can be shown to stem from a weak governance of the system that the testing laboratories and certification bodies operated under. This demonstrates that the governance of the compliance process is critical to an effective system. Applying recommendations The Inquiry report provides a clear recommendation that the construction regulator should be responsible for assessing the conformity of construction products with the requirements of legislation, statutory guidance, and industry standards. The regulator would then, perhaps, issue certificates to cover products, as appropriate, with a proposal that these certificates would become pre-eminent in the market. This would, in effect, create a new independent authority to regulate construction product safety (see figure 1), and whoever takes on this task must ensure there are clear responsibilities on product manufacturers and must also set out the consequences of acting outside the required system. To give this system real teeth, it must have the ability to set statutory liabilities and be able to enforce them through criminal proceedings if necessary. To improve the system overall it is important to have this recourse to legal action if a company or individual does not follow the proscribed system. If a serious mechanical failure occurred on an aeroplane, there would be a thorough investigation as a matter of course, and where fault was found there would be statutory implications. However, currently none of that happens routinely with construction products. This needs to change and it will need government and legislative support as part of their response to the Inquiry report recommendations. It should be noted however, that taking on the role of construction products regulator is a huge task and one which should not be undertaken lightly by any organisation, even by government. There are hundreds of certificates produced each month by the various current certification bodies and, as a response to the events at Grenfell and the subsequent Hackitt report, these numbers have grown significantly in the past seven years as the authorities started asking for more proof of compliance. To replace and/or replicate this through a newly founded construction products regulator will be a major undertaking requiring significant investment. If government decide that this is the way forward they wish to take, they will need to ensure this new body has access to sufficient numbers of competent staff in an area where we are all aware of the current lack of this type of resource. Therefore to rush into this could be a major mis-step and cause delay and confusion at a time when the construction sector as a whole is looking for clarity after the Inquiry report’s publication. The Inquiry Phase 2 report recommendations under section 113.23 are: Looking at each of these points individually highlights the difficulties faced when trying to implement a system to meet these recommendations. Recommendation 113.23a recommends that copies of all test reports supporting any certificate issued by the construction regulator are included, however product manufacturers will often go through numerous test cycles during the R&D process of a product or system. Many of these test reports do not represent the final product and are used to prove variations in the design. This will result in a large number of failed results showing on the certificate for prototypes that may bear little resemblance to the final product to be sold on the market. If these R&D results are included in a certificate they could be a red herring, confusing potential product users as to the ultimate safety of a product or system. This may in
WTW, a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company today announced a partnership between its Affinity Insurance business and Kayna, the award-winning insurance infrastructure platform. The partnership has been developed to enable delivery of innovative WTW insurance solutions to SME clients in the UK and US through Vertical Software-as-a-Service (‘vSaaS’) platforms. Vertical SaaS platforms provide types of software solutions which are created for specific industries and the partnership between WTW and Kayna intends to provide full program administration for US and UK-based industry-specific platforms in the construction, legal, salon/spa, fitness and field service sectors, distributing tailored insurance solutions. Specialist WTW teams in the UK and US will lead the product development and broker all insurance offerings as the company affirms its primary focus to delivering next generation distribution for the fast-growing Affinity Insurance sector. The partnership between WTW Affinity and Kayna will enable WTW to distribute property, general liability, workers’ compensation, commercial auto and umbrella liability insurance solutions to industry-specific vSaaS platforms. The partnership aims to drive top-line growth for vSaaS platform providers by leveraging platform data to serve relevant, tailored insurance through a streamlined process direct to the customer base that use such platforms to run their day-to-day business operations. “This is Affinity Insurance 2.0”, said Paul Lubbers, Head of Affinity and Programs US at WTW. “Insurance at your fingertips, forms derived from the actual key data that informs insurance metrics, and a facilitated process that goes beyond the policy purchase to trigger alerts if coverage level needs to be updated to mitigate risk. Both WTW and Kayna are playing to our respective strengths in delivering a world-class solution that is set to play a pivotal role in our consumer and commercial programs across the US.” Anthony Borgman, Head of Affinity GB at WTW concluded, “WTW Affinity have been able to add our unique value and expertise to the delivery of a data-led, end-to-end insurance service to not only deliver value but provide greater confidence to SME’s seeking appropriate levels of protection. I am delighted to see our UK Affinity capabilities expand in this exciting way and to have this opportunity to build on our partnership for the long-term.” Commenting on the partnership, Paul Prendergast, CEO and Kayna co-founder, said, “This is all about driving lots of new types of data-led, automated, simplified insurance business, tapping into huge distribution opportunities and doing all the heavy lifting for vSaaS platforms and their customers. WTW powered by Kayna will be providing trusted full service, tailored insurance solutions direct to SMEs via platforms whose core business is not insurance but whose rich, curated SME data is the critical success factor in ensuring right-sized insurance cover.” Key aspects of the partnership include: ● Kayna technology empowers WTW-brokered products on any vSaaS platform. ● Kayna deploys low-code end-to-end orchestration layer. ● Kayna technology enables WTW insurance distribution and the ability for platform customers to engage with indicative quotes, pre-filled applications, and policy generation. ● vSaaS platform leverages its data via Kayna technology to provide relevant, right-sized policy offers for SME customers. ● Kayna technology allows WTW to provide real-time alerts on coverage exposure based on dynamic business changes across the life-time of the policy. ● vSaaS SME customers can manage their insurance policy portfolios with full access on the WTW platform to: Insurance documentation, certificate of Insurance and general account information – fees paid, renewal dates, claims status. ● vSaaS platform has oversight on activity via a comprehensive admin portal. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Yesterday’s publication of the final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry is a long-awaited milestone in the response to the tragic loss of 72 lives in June 2017. It is another difficult and traumatic moment for the bereaved, the survivors and relatives of the Grenfell Tower victims and the Construction Industry Council (CIC) recognises once again all that they have suffered and we extend our sympathy once more to all the victims. Sir Martin Moore Bick has made many recommendations for further action in the report, based on a careful analysis of the evidence presented to the Inquiry by hundreds of witnesses and in hundreds of thousands of documents. CIC and its member organisations are now reviewing the full report and its recommendations and carefully considering the further actions that we will need to take. Whilst much work has already been done through the independent review of building regulations and fire safety undertaken by Dame Judith Hackitt and the consequent programme of regulatory reform that has been introduced and which the industry is working hard to implement, Sir Martin has clearly identified several further matters that require attention and CIC will be working with its members, the wider industry and government to develop appropriate responses to those matters, ensuring that they are given the critical and expedient attention that they demand. It will take time to give the thought and consideration that the report requires and for the action that is needed to address the various recommendations Sir Martin has brought forward. It is essential that government and the construction sector recognise the findings he has reported and that we learn the lessons and continue to respond to create an industry and a culture where safety, competence and compliance with the law is an absolute priority. Only then will public trust in the sector be restored. CIC believes that every construction professional should fully familiarise themselves with the report and its recommendations, and we will work closely with our members to facilitate this process as we develop an appropriate detailed response to the report. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Hire Association Europe & Event Hire Association (HAE EHA) has announced that it is developing a new Theft & Fraud Reporting Portal as it calls for vigilance ahead of the August Bank Holiday, a time typically rife with criminal activity against the construction sector. The portal could support the recovery of almost £3m worth of equipment within the year*. Working in conjunction with the National Construction & Agricultural Theft Team (NCATT) and The Official Construction and Agricultural Equipment Security & Registration Scheme (CESAR) the new Theft & Fraud Reporting Portal will be aimed at HAE EHA members. They will be able to effectively share information on incidents with each other and specialist policing teams, enabling HAE EHA members to better safeguard their businesses against the rising threat of crime. Construction and agricultural machinery theft has increased by 200 per cent since February 20221, with global events, like the war in Ukraine, driving up demand for stolen goods of this type. With Bank Holidays typically rife with crimes of this sort, as businesses close up shop for longer periods, making them prime targets for criminals, the hire industry is disproportionately impacted. At the same time, the equipment hire sector is experiencing a huge spike in fraudulent hires. The collaborative initiative, which HAE is supporting with a significant investment over a three-year commitment, is made up of businesses, police and industry bodies, to tackle the growing crime rates against industry. A report, published by NCATT and CESAR, revealed that the total value of tools and equipment recovered from the sector in just the first quarter of this year was almost £700k. The report also shared that 32 arrests had been made and 127 items recovered in Q1 2024, with some as far afield as Romania and Italy. It also revealed that Essex was a prime target area for these crimes, with the regional police force being supported by CESAR and NCATT in 12 cases in Q1 2024. This is followed by Kent (eight cases), and Lancashire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and South Yorkshire forces being supported six times each in the same period. Mark Bradshaw, public affairs manager at HAE EHA, said: “The rising crime rates against businesses in the hire sector is very worrying but the progress that the CESAR and NCATT teams have made is truly commendable and we are very proud at HAE to be part of this drive to combat crime affecting hire companies. “Ensuring that we can gather as much information as possible about these crimes and work collaboratively across industry and the police is key to tackling this wave of organised crime against our hire sector. That’s why we are creating the Theft & Fraud Reporting Portal for our members to ensure that they have a way of getting this information directly to the policing teams that can help, as well as sharing their experience with other members, something which could help someone else to reduce their risk and keep their team and business safe. “As the August Bank Holiday approaches, this will undoubtedly be an anxious time for those in the hire sector as a long weekend. I urge all these businesses to ensure that security procedures are followed, and that staff are fully briefed on how to make the sites as safe as possible. If incidents do occur, please do report them, both to the police and to us, the information will go directly into supporting the activity of the CESAR and NCATT teams.” Superintendent Andy Huddleston, head of the NCATT and head of the National Rural Crime Unit, said: “NCATT finished its first year of operation with over £6 million in seizures of stolen machinery from criminals. This is as much an indication of the scale of the threat we face as well as well as a measure of the success of NCATT. The high level of seizures and recoveries has continued throughout 2024 and crucially we are seeing more arrests and, with the support of the CESAR donor board including HAE funding support, the team now have a financial investigation capability. “The Hire Association Europe’s three-year funding commitment to help fight plant equipment theft and fraud is absolutely crucial to us continuing this work and targeting construction machinery thieves. Having this specialist team of police officers that cover the whole of the country not only identifying stolen equipment but also coordinating forces and pushing legislative changes is making a difference in tackling organised criminal groups that target HAE members. We are a small unit and whilst we can’t support every theft investigation, what we are able to do is make a tangible difference and I thank the industry for its crucial support in helping us do this.” HAE EHA is a Birmingham-based industry-leading trade association for the plant, tool, equipment and event hire sectors with membership representing businesses from new startups to some of Europe’s largest hire companies. It has over 700 member companies based in the UK, Europe and across other parts of the world. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Deposit alternative specialists flatfair have announced a bumper month with Build To Rent (BTR) sector landlords. And CEO Gary Wright says that smaller, private landlords should follow the lead of the corporate providers in choosing the additional protection offered by their No Deposit scheme. He said: “Understandably, landlords feel they are living in uncertain times. Local authority licensing is on the increase and the Renters Rights Bill is just around the corner. “It’s not surprising that the bigger providers are looking at the rental landscape and seeking out as much protection as they can for their investments.” July was a record month for No Deposit plans from flatfair’s BTR partners with 80% more plans sold than the same month last year. Their deposit alternative option is offered at approximately 77% of live BTR units and their customers include many of the most respected names in the industry, such as Greystar, Native Residential and urbanbubble. Wright explained that flatfair offers free protection of up to 10 weeks’ worth of damages and/or rent arrears for landlords and if the amount owed exceeds this, flatfair pays the landlords upfront while recovering the debts themselves. Fully recovered “With the extra protection offered with our deposit alternative, there can be a misconception that it costs landlords money. But it is completely free for both agents and landlords and they unlock double the amount of protection in the event of damage to property or rent arrears at the end of the tenancy. “There can also be a mistaken belief that deposit alternatives attract a poorer quality of tenant but in our case, the vast majority of No Deposit tenancies have closed without charges or they have been settled in full by the tenant. “The remainder have set up repayment plans for the money to be fully recovered on behalf of the landlord. “A month on after the election, we can clearly see the direction of travel – that is very tenant-focused – landlords will be bound to be feeling pressure. “The BTR sector – as a group of very large landlords – are absolutely committed to this product and see the value of it and we firmly believe that agents and smaller landlords would feel the benefit if they followed suit. They are the lifeblood of the Private Rented Sector (PRS) and they should feel that their businesses are safe and secure.” Wright recounted the story of an agent client who also let their own property with No Deposit: “Their tenants’ charges exceeded 10 weeks’ worth of damages and unpaid rent. In this particular case, they received 5 weeks’ worth of rent plus additional payment for redecoration, cleaning and repairs – full recovery. They said they were paid more than they would have received through a traditional deposit scheme and it saved them a lot of hassle chasing down the debt. “The bigger BTR players have already realised this and there is no reason why private landlords should miss out.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
