The importance of sustainability to facilities management organisations continues to be very high, according to the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management’s (IWFM) 2018 Sustainability Survey. This year’s survey had 242 respondents. Four in 10 are at managing director and senior management level – the people who hold the most
Lax enforcement and minimal awareness of vital hygiene regulations in both private and public buildings run huge risks with the health of people in Scotland, a leading Scottish facilities maintenance expert has warned. Colin Chambers, managing director of Hamilton-based Platinum Facilities Maintenance, believes that properties in Scotland are vulnerable due
Den has announced the launch of a suite of smart products designed to change the way people control and monitor electrical equipment, lighting and power usage in the home. Den’s vision is to use smart home devices to change the way people control and monitor power usage in homes. Its first
A study undertaken by the team at www.MyJobQuote.co.uk found that nearly one third of British homeowners are not prepared for household emergencies as they don’t have a ‘rainy day fund’. 2,561 people over the age of 18 disclosed that they owned their own home, and have lived in it for at least
An analysis conducted by MediaVision of property brand searches across more than 200 residential, commercial and portal/online companies revealed a market predominantly down year on year with pockets of stellar performance from some. Of the top 10 brands with the highest monthly search volume overall, only four saw a positive uplift in brand demand YoY. Of the top 50 overall, more than half saw a decline in brand demand over the last year, which indicates just
Though the decision to hire painting and decorating services may be an easy one to arrive at, you should take time to select the right company. Without doing so, the risks include spiralling costs and poor quality workmanship. Whether you want to redecorate as part of a total renovation, or
Platinum Facilities Maintenance, a Hamilton-based business which employs twelve staff, has successfully completed a second South Lanarkshire Council (SLC) contract to clean the kitchen canopies and extract ductwork of 68 of its properties, including primary schools, leisure centres and nursing homes. Colin Chambers, managing director of Platinum Facilities Maintenance, said:
According to a study conducted at the start of the year, more than 7,500 affordable homes have been lost in the past two years in England as a result of office redevelopments bypassing affordable housing requirements. Permitted development rights rule that office buildings can be converted into housing without planning
The Workplace Summit is a one-day conference and exhibition which takes place on February 6th2019 at Croke Park. It is the first conference in Ireland to centre on the three key areas of Workplace, – People, Place and Technology, attracting Senior Professionals from Facilities Management, Property, HR & IT. We
The industry’s first property management franchise scheme, SDL Property Partners celebrated its ‘first birthday’ in style at an exclusive Central London location on Friday 12th October. The event which took place at the RAF Club in London’s Mayfair, celebrated all of the year’s achievements with the SDL Property Partners team and
The importance of sustainability to facilities management organisations continues to be very high, according to the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management’s (IWFM) 2018 Sustainability Survey. This year’s survey had 242 respondents. Four in 10 are at managing director and senior management level – the people who hold the most authority to promote the sustainability agenda. Of those surveyed, 31 per cent of respondents said it was extremely important; 35 per cent said it was very important; and 23 per cent said it was important. In total, 89 per cent rated sustainability as at least important – and only 11 per cent as not or not very important. To further underline sustainability’s importance to FM organisations, 71 per cent commented that governance support of sustainability in procurement activities is viewed as either extremely important (13 per cent), very important (27 per cent), or important (31 cent). In the past year 20 per cent of FMs have noted a considerable increase in the number of tenders with sustainability criteria; 42 per cent noticed there’s been some increase; and 38 per cent said there has been no change. Environmental considerations dominate the sustainability criteria on tender forms, with 48 per cent of respondents reporting these as the most frequent criteria. Just over a quarter (26 per cent) of respondents claimed tenders embrace equally a range of sustainability aspects with none given precedence. These aspects are: local economic considerations (16 per cent); social value (8 per cent); and ‘others’, which includes a mixture of sustainability, diversity and pay equality and environmental and economic (2 per cent). The importance of finding new approaches to sustainability is underlined by the latest report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which highlights once again the need for businesses to take urgent action to combat rising global temperatures.
Lax enforcement and minimal awareness of vital hygiene regulations in both private and public buildings run huge risks with the health of people in Scotland, a leading Scottish facilities maintenance expert has warned. Colin Chambers, managing director of Hamilton-based Platinum Facilities Maintenance, believes that properties in Scotland are vulnerable due to a lax enforcement regime and an almost universal ignorance of the legal requirements in both the private and public sectors. He said: “Regular inspection simply doesn’t happen, and the risks are unacceptable. I have been in this sector a while now, but I am still shocked, quite regularly, by the bacteria that is trapped in all too many, water tanks because regular mandatory checks do not take place.” His warning follows reports of a £27,000 fine imposed earlier this month on Tendring District Council in Essex following a Legionella incident in 2016 at a council-run leisure centre at Walton-on-the-Naze in which a man almost died. The court was told that after a Council decision to bring Legionella controls in-house, those responsible were not properly trained. And in a statement which is sure to focus the minds of owners of all privately-run sports and leisure facilities throughout the UK, District Judge John Woollard said Tendring District Council’s fine would have been ten times greater had it not been a public body. Every organization in the UK with over five employees is legally obliged to carry out annual risk assessments, monthly monitoring and regular checks to ensure that no stagnant water, the source of Legionella, is present in their buildings’ systems. The legal obligations on property owners, introduced by the Health and Safety Executive, (HSE) are aimed at making all non-domestic buildings in Scotland safe and clean environments. Mr Chambers said: “I worry about the reality of what we see every day in our built environment. Both Scottish and UK governments, as well as local authorities and the various agencies like the Health and Safety Executive need to beef-up substantially their inspection regimes for compliance with building regulations and hygiene standards in water tanks. “It surprises me that we have not seen more outbreaks of Legionella and other infections in Scotland because the bacteria involved in stagnant water tanks breeds wonderfully well in polluted environments, and if you have a neglected water tank, in a hotel, a leisure centre, a golf club or a nursing home, it will build up horribly”. Mr. Chambers, whose business provides regular facilities maintenance programmes for a range of customers in both the public and private sectors, is also warning non-domestic buildings owners that failure to undertake full inspections, cleaning and maintenance of ventilation systems can have severe financial consequences when disaster strikes. “I have seen instances of insurance claims for damage being pared down significantly from 100 per cent to just that which reflects the proportion of the inspection and maintenance work that has been carried out on the system, and that financial shortfall can be fatal for business continuity. “Non-domestic property owners have a duty of care towards the public and need to be aware of the cost and time implications non-compliance with the regulations could have for their companies. “They need to monitor water temperatures closely, carry-out visual inspections and make sure that their water tanks are cleaned regularly. If in doubt they should seek expert guidance to help mitigate the more damaging potential threats.”
Den has announced the launch of a suite of smart products designed to change the way people control and monitor electrical equipment, lighting and power usage in the home. Den’s vision is to use smart home devices to change the way people control and monitor power usage in homes. Its first wave of products includes Smart Light Switches, Smart Sockets, Motion Sensor, Smart Remote and Den’s Smart Home Hub. Den also includes its revolutionary Smart Tags for tracking the location of appliances even if they are moved around the home & monitoring appliance power usage – whether laptops or phones from room to room or the location of high-risk appliances like irons and hair-straighteners, Den can track them at all times. Den is the only firm in the world with the patent for truly smart switches and plugs that fit seamlessly into the home – deliberately identical to the plugs and switches the UK is most used to. Den deliberately adds modern tech driven functionality without changing the habits and rules of the household. “Conventional light switches and socket outlets have been around for more than 100 years and have barely changed – we’re not the first to build wireless switches, they have been available for more than 20 years, however every single wireless switch in the world today has replaced the switch we’re familiar with for buttons or touch pads that are complicated and hard to use. We’re the only company in the world who’ve built wireless switches without taking away the original switch we’re so familiar with. Super excited having released products today. We are looking forward to following up with additional features and products in the coming months and years,” commented Den’s Founder and Chairman, Yasser Khattak. All devices can be controlled and monitored via a smartphone app, and can integrate with both Amazon Alexa and Google Home as of today. Den’s Smart Tags allow users to track which appliances are draining the most energy and alert users to safety concerns. In the case of irons and hair straighteners, for example, Den can inform users about what they’ve left running too long, and if not responded to, automatically switch them off. Den has also received its latest round of funding of £2 million, bringing its total investment to £5 million. This will be used in the production of the next range of devices for the home, including Den’s Smart Dimmer Switches as well as the entire range with chromed metal finishes. Funds will also be used to expand operations and the team, to enable further product integrations such as Homekit and explore opportunities with further integrations like IFTTT.
A study undertaken by the team at www.MyJobQuote.co.uk found that nearly one third of British homeowners are not prepared for household emergencies as they don’t have a ‘rainy day fund’. 2,561 people over the age of 18 disclosed that they owned their own home, and have lived in it for at least two years. Initially, all respondents were asked if they currently had a ‘rainy day fund’ – i.e. money set aside in case of household emergencies, such as a boiler breakdown. 69% revealed that they did indeed have an emergency fund, whilst 31% said they did not. Respondents with emergency savings were then asked where they kept their savings, to which just over a quarter (27%) revealed it was cash somewhere safe, while 73% choose to keep theirs in a savings account or bank. Those with rainy day funds were asked how much they had saved up for emergencies, with the average amount found to be £1,800. Broken down further: 18% had saved between £0-£500, 15% had £500-£1,000, 26% had £1,000-£1,500, 24% had £1,500-£2,000, and 17% had over £2,000. With the average cost of replacing a boiler at £1,500, 59% of those with an emergency fund would not have enough set aside to cover the cost. Added to the 31% without any savings, this means that 72% of all respondents would not have funds the saved to replace a boiler should they encounter any issues with theirs. Following on from this, all respondents that do not have an emergency fund were then asked the reason why they did not have one, and the most common answers were found to be ‘I/we don’t have enough money to put aside’ (30%), ‘I’m/we’re not worried about having an emergency fund’ (23%), and ‘I/we have enough income coming in to cover any last-minute emergencies’ (17%). Of the participants currently without a rainy day fund, 41% said that they had previously had one, but had needed to dip into it and were yet to replace the amount. When asked what they would do in case of an emergency, 40% said they had no contingency plans, 21% said they would pay out of their current account, and 14% said they would consider a short term loan.
An analysis conducted by MediaVision of property brand searches across more than 200 residential, commercial and portal/online companies revealed a market predominantly down year on year with pockets of stellar performance from some. Of the top 10 brands with the highest monthly search volume overall, only four saw a positive uplift in brand demand YoY. Of the top 50 overall, more than half saw a decline in brand demand over the last year, which indicates just how tough and diverse the landscape is right now. For brands in the fiercely competitive online property sector, an increase or decrease in brand search can be attributed to several things: the effectiveness of the marketing strategy, market-related factors, the economy, changing consumer habits or the efforts of rival brands. Fortunately, positioning from a volume perspective and a robust marketing strategy can have a significant and direct impact on brand demand. Residential brand frontrunner is Dexters with an increase of 6% YoY. The London agency chain beat out Savills, Knight Frank and Foxtons, who all saw a decline in brand demand. Dexters made the news back in 2016 by shedding 20 different brands and a holding business to become a single entity that now has over 70 branches across London. The brand has since expanded even more by co-marketing homes acquiring and rebranding more businesses. With aggressive growth in the market since launching and subsequent status as one of the most valuable start-ups in the world, WeWork leads the way this year with a 58% increase in brand demand. Flexible office space has become a major disruptor in the real estate industry. With spaces offering co-working, shorter leases, stellar coffee and a greater sense of community for small teams and corporates, demand has increased around the globe in recent years. WeWork has tapped into this growing trend by appealing to an industrious audience that wants more from an office than just a desk space. Aside from its massive size – members are projected to hit 400,000 by the end of the year – the brand captures news attention with details like amped up amenities, innovative networking events, beer taps, food bars and more – all tied together by a strong marketing strategy. With an increase in brand demand at 31% YoY, industry disruptor OnTheMarket has become a major competitor to property portals Zoopla and Rightmove, who both slipped from the top spots with a decreasing brand demand. The big portals are still far ahead in terms of volume but there is no doubting OnTheMarket’s trajectory.
Though the decision to hire painting and decorating services may be an easy one to arrive at, you should take time to select the right company. Without doing so, the risks include spiralling costs and poor quality workmanship. Whether you want to redecorate as part of a total renovation, or simply up the value when selling or leasing, house painting is an effective way to give a property a new lease of life. It’s also a difficult task to get right. Although painting your own home might seem simple enough in theory, if you don’t have the experience, there’s a lot which could go wrong. The same is true for hiring painters without proper consideration. Mess up the paintwork, and it will take far longer—and cost far more—to correct than if you simply hired a professional to begin with. Investing in the services of a professional contractor can ensure an immaculate and timely finish that will last for years. Read on for our top tips on how to find good house painters and avoid future regrets. Choose a painting service that comes with insurance and guarantees Just like with any other form of interior design or construction work, house painters should be insured, even if they are self-employed or work on a freelance basis. According to Compare The Market, public liability insurance is the most critical as this covers any costs related to accidental property damage while they are going about their job. As such, you should do thorough research into whether your house painters of choice have comprehensive insurance cover and offer guarantees on work, even if they’ve been highly recommended by a friend. While household names like Checkatrade can be used to find insured tradespeople, it’s advisable to have a guarantee of quality work as well. The property maintenance company Homyze offer insurance and a 12-month guarantee on all painting and decorating jobs. This means you won’t have to find an alternative decorator to redo the work in a few months time. Obtain a quote and check credentials Once you’ve settled on your house painter of choice, the next thing to do is get a quote from them. You may baulk at the initial outlay, but don’t let it put you off. Household Quotes puts the UK’s average cost of painting a 2-bed flat at between £1,500 and £2,000, and in London, you can expect the costs to be even higher. However, quotes that fall way below those costs should be treated with healthy scepticism. It would be far wiser to spend £1,500 on a professional service rather than £500 on a paint job that needs to be done again, more expensively, by a better decorator. You should also be sure to check the credentials of your prospective painter. Ask to see references, and if you decide to get in touch, contact their older clients so you can get a good idea of how durable the work has ended up being. If your painter has been hired from a decorating firm, look into that firm’s certification, as well as their insurance, as noted above. Check for references of past work There’s nothing wrong with taking a recommendation from a friend, as long as you’ve done your homework. However, thanks to the internet, there are far better ways to get the lowdown on a potential painter than simply asking around. Exploring sites like Yelp or TrustATrader should give you all the information you need to find the right house painter for your property. That said, there are a couple of things to bear in mind. Most crucially, you shouldn’t blindly click on the top-rated house painter without actually reading a few of the reviews. As with most customer review platforms, you can easily tell when overly positive profiles have been faked. In fact, in the face of numerous glowing write-ups, a couple of negative reviews can actually be proof that a business is more legitimate, so look out for any responses the business may have offered unhappy customers. For more peace of mind, you should also try and find reviews which have photographs attached, so you can judge the positive write-ups for yourself.
Platinum Facilities Maintenance, a Hamilton-based business which employs twelve staff, has successfully completed a second South Lanarkshire Council (SLC) contract to clean the kitchen canopies and extract ductwork of 68 of its properties, including primary schools, leisure centres and nursing homes. Colin Chambers, managing director of Platinum Facilities Maintenance, said: “This is another council contract we have been awarded with in order to carry out the mandatory compliance works. We successfully undertook a cleaning operation on a similar number of SLC properties earlier this year. “We are delighted that the Council has acknowledged our ability to perform this work by giving us a further contract which we have completed in record time.” Every organization in the UK with commercial kitchens is legally obliged to carry out annual cleans of their canopies and ductwork to make them compliant with legislation. Mr. Chambers, whose business provides comprehensive solutions for all building compliance issues for a range of customers in both the public and private sectors, said: “All property owners have a duty of care towards the public and need to be aware of the cost and time implications non-compliance with the regulations could have for their companies. “Anyone who is uncertain about their situation should seek expert guidance to help mitigate the more damaging potential effects.”
According to a study conducted at the start of the year, more than 7,500 affordable homes have been lost in the past two years in England as a result of office redevelopments bypassing affordable housing requirements. Permitted development rights rule that office buildings can be converted into housing without planning permission, but there is no commitment to building affordable housing as part of these conversions. London already has a shortage of affordable housing, with mayor Sadiq Khan announcing his intention to increase the pace of construction from 29,000 homes a year to 66,000. On top of this, he has vowed to make 65% of these home affordable, a much higher percentage than the current rate of 38%. However, the city’s rate of conversions of former offices into housing dropped from 873,000ft2 in 2014, to just 178,000ft2 in 2016. The housing crisis in London is leading to ‘dog kennel’ flats In order to try and tackle the housing crisis in London, the government took a relaxed approach to planning regulations in order to promote the conversion of underused office spaces. Over the past two financial years, there have been 30,575 homes converted from office blocks, and an estimated 25% of these could have been affordable housing. This means that 7,644 affordable homes could have been created, according to the London Government Association. Hundreds of tiny, studio flats will be squeezed into former office block Barnet House, with 96% of the 254 flats being smaller than the national minimum space standards for one person. The smallest of these ‘dog kennel’ rooms will be just 16 square metres, which is 40% smaller than an average Travelodge single room. On the opposite side of the capital, office buildings in Croydon have also been converted into tiny studio flats, offering as little as 15 square metres per person. Converting office spaces discourages businesses Converting office space into housing also means there are fewer workspaces for new businesses looking to launch in the city. Last year, there were a massive 187,250 new businesses set up in the capital, almost all of which will need some form of office space. Councils are warning that the conversion of office space to housing could leave businesses and startups without physical premises to base themselves in. If office space becomes increasingly hard to come by, the price to let will also increase, leaving startups struggling to have their own office space. A rising number of businesses are looking to telecommuting as a way to combat the rising costs of office space. In a survey taken at last year’s Global Leadership Summit in London, 34% of business leaders stated that more than half of their company’s full-time workers would be working remotely by 2020. Meanwhile, 25% admitted that over three-quarters of workers would not work in a traditional office by the same year. Many workspace providers are already operating in the city, accommodating startups who are looking for short-term leases with minimal space. These hot desking workspaces often run through a membership system, such as Landmark’s club space membership, which offers a communal workspace which members can drop in to as and when they need it. A lack of affordable housing and office space is driving businesses to other cities Birmingham is quickly becoming the most popular city for startups outside of London, and according to BQ Live, 2017 saw the city welcome 12,108 new businesses. Last year marked the fifth year in a row that Birmingham followed London for the number of new businesses launching in the city, thanks to the abundance of affordable office space, access to global markets, and dedicated support provided to entrepreneurs and small firms. On top of this, more and more people are leaving the capital because of the lack of affordable housing and workspace, with the number of Londoners abandoning the city reaching a 10-year high. According to recent figures published by the Guardian, 292,000 people left London during the first half of 2016 alone, with many Londoners turning to Birmingham and Brighton for their new homes, thanks to the cheaper cost of living. While converting office space into affordable housing can be seen as a solution to the city’s growing housing crisis, it also means that fewer businesses have access to affordable physical space. Londoners and entrepreneurs are therefore looking to other cities for homes and office space, as London’s rising prices continue to drive them away.
The Workplace Summit is a one-day conference and exhibition which takes place on February 6th2019 at Croke Park. It is the first conference in Ireland to centre on the three key areas of Workplace, – People, Place and Technology, attracting Senior Professionals from Facilities Management, Property, HR & IT. We intend the Workplace Summit to be innovative, interesting, disruptive and fun! We have some of the best people in their areas to deliver talks which will inspire those involved in the Workplace professions in Ireland to influence their own organisations and push the boundaries of what’s possible. We are delighted to announce Chris Kane(ex -Disney and BBC) will chair the Workplace Summit. Already the following speakers are confirmed: Margot Slattery(Sodexo Country President Ireland); Bashar Kassab(Facilities Director, the Burj Khalifa & Dubai Mall), Hannah Dwyer(Head of Research, JLL), Fionnuala Byrne(Director of Facilities CEMEA, Google), Neil Usher(Workplace Director Sky); Chris Moriarty(Head of Insight, IWFM), Euan Semple(business strategist and facilitator), Hung Lee(CEO, Workshape.io), Mary Connaughton (CIPD Ireland Director), George Harold(CEO, Integrated Facilities Solutions), Martin Pickard(Managing Director, FM GURU), George Muir(Futurist, LiveTiles) . Workplace Summit tickets are available on Eventbrite or contact us on email info@advancedworkplacesolutions.ie
The industry’s first property management franchise scheme, SDL Property Partners celebrated its ‘first birthday’ in style at an exclusive Central London location on Friday 12th October. The event which took place at the RAF Club in London’s Mayfair, celebrated all of the year’s achievements with the SDL Property Partners team and the scheme’s franchisees. As this event was held during the same week as World Mental Health Day (Wednesday 10th October), the day’s agenda reflected this. There was a seminar session with SDL Property Partner’s own Business Development Manager, Fred Hopkins, on how to overcome obstacles and mental barriers, as well as News on the Block’s Louise Newton, treating delegates to an introduction to yoga therapy, meditation and mindfulness. In addition to shining a spotlight on mental health, one seminar focused on how property managers could be key in stopping domestic abuse. The passionate talk given by Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance’s (DAHA) co-founder, Gudrun Burnet, urged the property managers in the room to stop and consider if antisocial behaviour shown by a tenant could be a sign of domestic abuse. The day’s agenda also looked at the franchise’s first year, as Nick Faulkner, managing director of SDL Property Partners took the opportunity to thank his franchisees for all their work and belief in the scheme during its first year. Above all, he thanked their efforts in helping to change the industry’s image with their professional approach. Nick commented: “I have been in the property industry for 26 years and I wanted to give people some of the opportunities I have had along the way. This is a great industry to generate repeat income and provide a quality service to leaseholders. SDL Property Partners has provided an amazing chance to give back, and we have changed the industry in the space of a year. “Our next challenge is to grow this franchise and have a network of over 100 franchisees; that will be when open the champagne again and have our next celebration!”
