ISO 27001 is the gold standard in information security, requiring ongoing assessment of a business’s data protection policies, risk management, and cybersecurity measures. By obtaining this certification, Websters has shown their ability to manage sensitive information with the highest level of security and compliance.

Benefits to Websters and its Clients

• Enhanced Data Security: Clients can trust that their sensitive financial information is handled with industry-leading security controls, reducing risks related to data breaches and cyber threats.
• Regulatory Compliance: Websters ensures compliance with international data protection regulations, reinforcing confidence among clients who must meet financial and privacy requirements.
• Operational Efficiency: The certification streamlines internal processes, ensuring a structured approach to risk management and continuous improvement in security practices.
• Client Trust and Confidence: This certification gives clients confidence that Websters has made a commitment to maintaining a high standard of data security and privacy. It will strengthen long-term relationships by showing a proactive approach to risk management and compliance.

“At Websters, protecting client data is our top priority,” said Andrew Salmon, Managing Partner at Websters. “Achieving ISO 27001 certification is a testament to our dedication to maintaining the highest standards of information security. Our clients can have complete confidence in the integrity and confidentiality of their financial data that is held by Websters.”

The ISO 27001 certification aligns with Websters’ strategy of embracing innovation and best practices to provide excellent client service. As cyber threats continue to evolve, Websters remains committed to security, compliance, and trust.

The post Websters Achieves ISO 27001 Certification, Strengthening Data Security for Clients appeared first on Websters.

Thousands of fundraising events across the UK have been cancelled due to Covid-19 with a devastating impact on charity income that means many charities are facing closure. There are estimates that the UK charity sector will lose £4 billion in income as a result of the pandemic. The 2019 Virgin London Marathon raised £66.4 million for so many deserving charities, making it the world’s biggest one day annual charity event. However this year, due to the pandemic, it has been postponed until October 2020 and the organisers are promoting the 2.6 Challenge to help save UK charities.

What are Websters doing?

We are supporting the “2.6 Challenge” in our own way with a Websters Lockdown Marathon Relay starting at 9.30am on Sunday 26 April, when the London Marathon was planned to start. We are challenging “Team Birmingham” and “Team London” to complete the combined distance of 262 miles (10 marathons) in 1 hour relay legs. No rivalry obviously, but which team would you like to see win?????

Each relay leg will start from the team member’s home and last 1 hour before (virtually) tagging the next team member. The overall distance covered by each team will be logged and each team finishes when the challenge distance of 131 miles per team is reached.

*The Smallprint: The challenge stays within the #stayathome guidelines with 1 exercise per person per day and will not run through the night with the relay stopping at 8.30pm in the evening and continuing the next day. Social distancing will be practised by all team members.

Who are we supporting?

12 our our team will be spurred on by our five great causes.

Find out more on our Virgin Money Giving page >

Donations

We would be so grateful for any sponsorship or any amount that you are able to donate to these wonderful causes which are so desperate for support in these troubling times.

With any sponsorship pledge, please feel free to show your allegiance to Team Birmingham or Team London!!

Thank you for any support that you are able to give Websters to help to save our UK Charities.

Stay Safe

The Websters Team

Websters send our heartfelt gratitude for the bravery, strength and courage of everyone at the NHS and all frontline and key workers helping to keep us safe. We salute you all.

The post Support Websters Lockdown Marathon Relay! appeared first on Websters.

The BCIS five-year (3rd quarter 2019 to 3rd quarter 2024) forecasts for the facilities management sector are:

• maintenance costs to rise by 19%
• cleaning costs to rise by 26% and
• energy costs to rise by 6% (based on annual averages 2018 to 2023) *.

Find out more here.

The post BCIS forecasts for the FM sector appeared first on Websters.

Owners and developers who had installed cladding in good faith are refusing to pay for remedial works and many are looking to the leaseholders to fund these works under their service charge, should the leases to the flat permit them to do so.

However, leaseholders are inevitably (and understandably) aggrieved; they purchased their flats in the comfort of knowing the building regulations designed to protect their safety and the certification by local authorities of a building’s compliance with those regulations were both fit for purpose. The individual costs of the remedial works through the service charge will likely be life-changing for many.

Click here to read the full article published by News on The Block.

The post Cladding – navigating the funding of remedial works and the ‘waking watch’ appeared first on Websters.

ARMA (the Association of Residential Managing Agents) has been very active on the matter, taking the issue up with the Prime Minister’s Special Adviser, MP’s and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).  It is a member of the cross industry working group on valuations set up by RICS to address the matter.

Click here to see ARMA’s response to the confusion as detailed in an article published by News on The Block.

The post ARMA response to cladding confusion for leaseholders appeared first on Websters.

Joanna Crofts of RICS (registered institure of chartered surveyors) explains the benefits of the new rules for both tenants and landlords, what the global property consultancy has seen to-date, and outlines the changes that have become mandatory.

Read more here.

The post What do the new Service Charges Rules mean for you? appeared first on Websters.

The changes will apply to RICS members and regulated firms throughout the UK. The new service charge requirements are more prescriptive than the current regime and set out mandatory requirements for landlords.  And while much of the guidance remains the same as the previous Code of Practice, there are a number of updates that will affect those in the industry.

It will also have the regulatory effect of formalising the Code within the RICS best practice framework.

The new changes are particularly noteworthy for those involved as disputes between landlords and tenants often relate to the level of service charges levied. Therefore both parties — landlords and tenants — will need to be aware of the requirements of the updated service charge regime.

Find out more from this article published by Capital Law.

The post Are you being served? RICS’ new Service Charge regime will come into force on 1 April 2019 appeared first on Websters.

The article, titled ‘A roundup of 2018‘ covers developments surrounding:

• CVAs
• A new service charge code
• The Electronic Communications Code
• MEES
• Electronic signatures at the Land Registry
• and various case law development.

Kathryn also briefly looks ahead to 2019 and reviews what might be next on the agenda, including radical changes in residential leasehold, and the potential impact of Brexit.

‘This article was first published in Property Law Journal (December 2018/January 2019) and is also available at lawjournals.co.uk’.

Please note that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views, policy or position of Websters.

The post Key developments in commercial landlord and tenant law 2018 appeared first on Websters.

In September, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (“RICS”) published its latest Professional Statement, entitled “Service Charges in Commercial Property” (the “Statement”). The Statement re-states updates and replaces the existing Service Charge Code (the “Code”), and has the regulatory effect of formalising the Code within the RICS best practice framework. The Statement is effective from 1 April 2019 and will apply to all Service Charges across the UK.

The Statement sets out best practice in the management and administration of service charges in commercial property and provides mandatory obligations that RICS members and regulated firms engaged in this area must comply with or potentially face disciplinary proceedings.

The Statement is not capable of overriding the terms of a lease, however, service charge provisions must be read in conjunction with the Statement to help identify the best interpretation of the lease provisions, and ensure compliance with the Statement as far as possible.

The Statement has increased the regulatory weight of the Service Charge Code, and as such the mandatory requirements and core principles should be carefully considered by professional practitioners who advise on the terms of new commercial leases, or who are involved with service charge provisions in leases.

To read more on the Aims & Objectives, Mandatory requirements, Core Principals & Guidance Click here.

The post RICS Professional Statement: service charges in commercial property appeared first on Websters.

As well as being an ‘estate in land’ (looked at in part 1) a lease or tenancy is also a type of contract. So we need to take a look at contract law.

Contract law is a very important area of law which affects all of us in our lives every day.

A contract is an agreement about something which is enforceable by law. To create a contract you need to have three things:

• An offer
• Acceptance of the offer, and
• Consideration going both ways.

A lease or tenancy is created in the same way as a contract, by one party making an offer and the other party accepting it.

Normally there is a written document but not always (more on this later). The consideration, so far as the tenant is concerned, is the rent, and so far as the landlord is concerned, is the property.

The rent does not have to be a market rent. Nor does it have to be money. For example, in the past (and when spices were a lot more valuable) a peppercorn was sometimes used for rent. A ‘peppercorn rent’ is a phrase now used to indicate a payment which is of low value but sufficient to create the tenancy / lease.

Click here to read more

The post Its all in the contract appeared first on Websters.