Blog and Guides
Practical property maintenance and construction guides for Thames Valley landlords, managing agents, and homeowners. Fire safety, block management, extensions, compliance.
- ·8 min read
FD30 Fire Doors for Thames Valley Landlords and Managing Agents
FD30 fire doors hold back fire and smoke for 30 minutes. You need them on flat entrance doors, HMO bedrooms, and risers in blocks of flats. This guide covers what the door is, when the law requires it, what a compliant install looks like, and the five most common inspection failures Asuka247 sees across Thames Valley stock.
Read more - ·10 min read
HMO Compliance Checklist for Berkshire Landlords
If you let an HMO in Berkshire, the local council will inspect against a fixed standard before issuing or renewing your licence. This checklist walks you through every area inspectors check. Fire safety, alarms, emergency lighting, amenities, room sizes, management. Covers Slough, Reading, Bracknell Forest, Wokingham, West Berkshire, and RBWM.
Read more - ·9 min read
Section 20 Consultation Explained for Block Freeholders
Section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 forces freeholders and managing agents to consult leaseholders before major works over 250 GBP per flat or long-term contracts over 100 GBP per flat per year. Skip the consultation and you can only recover 250 or 100 per flat, whatever the actual cost. This guide walks you through the three stages, the timelines, and how to structure a consultation that lands cleanly.
Read more - ·9 min read
Extension or Loft Conversion: Choosing the Right Investment for Thames Valley Homes
Extensions add horizontal space and usually cost more. Loft conversions add vertical space and often cost less per square metre. Your answer depends on how your family uses the house, your garden size, your roof pitch, your planning context, and your budget. This guide compares the two options across the factors that matter to Thames Valley homeowners.
Read more - ·11 min read
Fire Safety Act 2021: What Freeholders and Responsible Persons Must Do
The Fire Safety Act 2021 widened the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 to cover flat entrance doors and external walls in blocks of flats. If you are the Responsible Person for a block, you need to know what that means in practice. This guide walks through the new scope, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 that followed, the documentation you must keep, and the practical work most Thames Valley blocks need.
Read more - ·8 min read
Party Wall Agreements Explained: A Thames Valley Homeowner's Guide
The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies when you build on or near a shared boundary or excavate close to a neighbour's foundations. Ignoring it creates legal and practical problems. This guide walks through when the Act applies, the notice timeline, typical surveyor costs across the Thames Valley, what happens when a neighbour dissents, and how to keep the project moving.
Read more - ·9 min read
Planning Permission vs Permitted Development: Which Route for Your Extension?
Most Thames Valley extensions go through one of two routes: Permitted Development or full Planning Permission. Choosing the right route saves 6 to 12 weeks and 500 GBP in fees. This guide explains what each route means, the size limits for Permitted Development, when a Lawful Development Certificate is worth getting, and the cases where a full application is your only option.
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