NEW ENERGY EFFICIENCY RULES: A FIFTH OF PROPERTY IN LINE TO BE EXCLUDED FROM RENTAL AND LEASE MARKET.

MCBAINS COOPER

PROPERTY & CONSTRUCTION CONSULTANCY

PRESS RELEASE

April 23, 2012.

NEW ENERGY EFFICIENCY RULES: A FIFTH OF PROPERTY IN LINE TO BE EXCLUDED FROM RENTAL AND LEASE MARKET.

A fifth of commercial and residential property may be excluded from the rental and lease market as soon as 2015 unless owners move to comply with energy efficiency rules.

Legislation is already in place which states buildings with a rating of F or G on their Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) cannot be let out after 2018 without works having been carried out to raise the rating level.

But property and construction consultancy McBains Cooper says it has reason to believe the measure may actually be introduced as early as 2015 as part of the UK’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions – something which ties in with the government’s track record of bringing forward some elements of new legislation.

“It might be considered an asset, but it may actually be a liability – and sooner than expected; in summary, if a commercial or residential property doesn’t comply, and its owner for whatever reason wants to switch it to being let out after the anticipated deadline, then he can’t. The owner can, however, renew existing leases, but that owner is potentially exposed should tenants decide to move out of an F- or G-rated building after the deadline date,” said Anthony Coumidis of McBains Cooper.

“We estimate that around one in five buildings fall into the F/G EPC category, including many listed or historical properties. Property owners therefore have only around 1,000 days to raise the efficiency ratings of F/G level buildings, or face them having to stand empty. In some cases, planning permission may be required, which, bearing in mind upgrade designs may need to be drawn up, can mean months of delays before work can actually start.”

In a bid to partly reduce the potential cost impact of the new EPC rules, the government’s “Green Deal” plan comes into operation in October 2012 - the basic concept being that residential and commercial property owners will be encouraged to upgrade the thermal values of the building fabric and to introduce higher efficiency, or renewable-based, HVAC (heating, ventilation, air-conditioning) technology.

Under the Green Deal, the capital cost of the approved works can be covered in the form of a loan which will be repaid over a set time period as an additional sum on the property’s energy bills.  The Green Deal finance is attached to the property rather than the occupant, and if a building is sold or let, the liability for repayment of outstanding Green Deal finance will fall upon the new incoming owner or tenant.

“But for some commercial properties in particular, the most appropriate and cost-effective means of upgrading efficiency ratings may not fall within the Green Deal criteria. What’s more, some owners and tenants may be uncomfortable with what is essentially a loan secured on their property - and may wish to fund improvement work direct,” said Anthony Coumidis.

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

07788 978800 

im@pressrelations.co.uk

www.mcbainscooper.com

@McBainsCooper

Notes.

McBains Cooper

McBains Cooper is an inter-discipline consultancy, specialising in property, infrastructure and construction, offering a wide range of consulting and design services including architectural, aesthetic or technical design, problem solving, budget management, facilities management, health and safety, sustainability consultancy and on-the-ground civil engineering. Driving and supporting projects ranging from minor works to major contracts worth more than £100 million, McBains Cooper operates across a variety of sectors throughout the UK, Europe and Latin America. McBains Cooper is committed to environmental, social and economic sustainable development and their integrated approach means they deliver effective, award-winning solutions to their clients. The Group employs 150 people. McBains Cooper has regional headquarters in London (head office), Glasgow, Manchester, Oxford, Windsor, Lima (Peru), Miami and Mexico, with associate offices in Belfast and Dublin. www.mcbainscooper.com

FAMILY LAWYER COMMENTS ON THE “THREE-YEAR DITCH”.

GEORGE DAVIES SOLICITORS LLP

FAMILY LAW TEAM

COMMENT

April 19, 2012.

FAMILY LAWYER COMMENTS ON THE “THREE-YEAR DITCH”.

Commenting on NetMums www.netmums.com study into early marriage failures, family lawyer Kim Aucott, of George Davies Solicitors LLP www.georgedavies.co.uk, said:

“Marriage sustainability moves with the times. Having children used to be a sign that couples were ready to settle, the environment around them was conducive to that, and that they’d done their sums and worked out that with some economies they could cope with the cost of kids.

“But the fact is that the environment is choppy, the financial sums don’t add up, and far from settling things down, the arrival of a baby in the 21^st century can heap stress upon stress for people enduring tough times.

“In our recent experience, the average length of a relationship before it ends in divorce is more like five or six years, with most of the couples whose marriages break down likely to have lived together for two or three years beforehand.

“Bringing up a child can be physically and emotionally draining in the UK, and with 21^st century work demands in what is acknowledged to be the most stressful working environment in Europe, this can often result in couples struggling to spend quality time with each other – so the results of this study are not surprising.”

Ends

For further information:

Lindsey Farrelly

LindseyFarrelly@georgedavies.co.uk

0161 234 8802

07717 177609

Iain Macauley

im@pressrelations.co.uk

07788 978800

Notes to editor:

About George Davies Solicitors LLP: George Davies Solicitors LLP is a 19 partner law firm based in the heart of Manchester. Established more than 70 years ago, the firm provides an extensive range of legal services to a national client base. Recent awards and accreditations include ratings in independent legal directories - Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners UK; Winner of the Pro Bono/Community Initiative Award, Trainee of the Year Award and shortlisted for Medium Law Firm of the Year, Partner of the Year, Corporate/Commercial Team of the Year and Private Client Team of the Year at the 2012 Manchester Legal Awards; Winner of the Medium Law Firm of the Year 2011 in the Manchester Legal Awards; Winner of the Managing Partner of the Year award at the 2011 LawNet Awards; Winner of the Innovation in Dealmaking award and shortlisted for Corporate Law Firm of the Year at the 2011 Insider Dealmakers Awards; Winner of the North West Employment Team of the Year in the Corporate INTL Magazine Awards 2010; adviser on the Deal of the Year sub £5million at the 2010 Insider Dealmakers Awards and is one of only five legal firms in the country to hold the Investors in People Silver standard.

MCBAINS COOPER MEXICO PRISONS PROJECT NAMED IN LATIN AMERICAN TOP 100

MCBAINS COOPER

PROPERTY & CONSTRUCTION CONSULTANCY

PRESS RELEASE

April 16, 2012.

MCBAINS COOPER MEXICO PRISONS PROJECT NAMED IN LATIN AMERICAN TOP 100.

A construction and development programme in Mexico advised upon by property and construction consultancy McBains Cooper has been named amongst the Top 100 Infrastructure Projects in Latin America.

The Mexican Government’s Public-Private Partnership programme of prison developments has been given the ranking by one of the region’s leading business magazines – America Economica.

McBains Cooper is based in London, but has a Latin American operation based in Miami, and has now been invited to make a presentation about the programme to the Latin American Infrastructure Forum in Lima, Peru, in May. McBains Cooper was technical advisor to the Mexican Ministry of Security which project managed the developments.

Santiago Klein, managing director of McBains Cooper International, says there’s a steady but growing flow of demand for UK construction consultancy expertise in Latin America for both public and private sector related projects with an especially positive forecast for Public-Private Partnerships.

“Every region of the world has a different way of going about doing business, and Latin America’s way is a complex mix of who you know, what language you speak and the pedigree of professional expertise. Latin America is dominated by two languages and a deep-seated enthusiasm for UK professionals – so we tick lots of boxes,” said Santiago Klein.

“We’re a long-established UK company, with on-the-ground presence and local business experience in several Latin American countries – and that makes us of great interest to the decision-makers.

“But crucial to the whole process is the who-you-know: in Latin America the deals are done between businesses and organisations who know and trust one-another, which is fundamental to protecting the integrity of the contract - and a general rule of thumb is that it’s necessary to have an in-depth understanding and business intelligence of the local markets to be successful in the region.

“We have vast experience across Latin America on both inward investment support and PPP bids and contracts – we have a compelling proposition to businesses and organisations not just in Mexico, but much further afield in Latin America.”

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

07788 978800 im@pressrelations.co.uk

www.mcbainscooper.com

@McBainsCooper

Notes.

McBains Cooper

McBains Cooper is an inter-discipline consultancy, specialising in property, infrastructure and construction, offering a wide range of consulting and design services including architectural, aesthetic or technical design, problem solving, budget management, facilities management, health and safety, sustainability consultancy and on-the-ground civil engineering. Driving and supporting projects ranging from minor works to major contracts worth more than £100 million, McBains Cooper operates across a variety of sectors throughout the UK, Europe and Latin America. McBains Cooper is committed to environmental, social and economic sustainable development and their integrated approach means they deliver effective, award-winning solutions to their clients. The Group employs 150 people. McBains Cooper has regional headquarters in London (head office), Glasgow, Manchester, Oxford, Windsor, Lima (Peru), Miami and Mexico, with associate offices in Belfast and Dublin. www.mcbainscooper.com

PHONE DROWNINGS UP AS SQUABBLING COUPLES, WORKAHOLICS AND STROPPY PUB LANDLORDS DROWN 430,000 MOBILE PHONES A YEAR.

GADGET-COVER.COM

MOBILE PHONE & GADGET INSURANCE

PRESS RELEASE

April 23, 2012.

PHONE DROWNINGS UP AS SQUABBLING COUPLES, WORKAHOLICS AND STROPPY PUB LANDLORDS DROWN 430,000 MOBILE PHONES A YEAR.

Squabbling couples, prankster colleagues, children and stroppy bar staff are responsible for nearly 430,000 insurance claims a year in the UK for mobile phones being dropped in drinks.

www.gadget-cover.com  the UK’s longest-established mobile phone insurance provider, estimates around 30,000 more claims for phone dunkings were made in 2011-12 financial year compared to 2009-2010.

Gadget-Cover asked a cross-section of customers how their phones ended up being drowned, and there’s been a slight change in reasons for water-, wine- and beer-logging.

“For men, the main cause remains stretching across a desk or table and their phone falling out of their shirt pocket into a drink, or a phone being knocked into a drink during a meeting – people wave their arms around in meetings, often with a phone in their hand, and some contrive to lose grip on their phones and get a bull’s-eye on a cup of tea or coffee they could never manage if they tried,” said Carmi Korine of www.gadget-cover.com.

“For women, the main cause is a child, toddler or baby playing with a phone that they drop into a cup or glass, but with an emerging trend for children to wash phones they’ve gooped, or to put them in washing machines.

“Those are the two single biggest causes at around 40% each (170,000 each, 340,000 total) – primarily because more people have more phones, and have them in their hands more of the time; but there is a fall-off in phone rage or phone envy when the owner of the phone is not directly responsible for it finding its way into a drink – down from around 45,000 to around 36,500.

“Arguments between couples have resulted in a doubling in the number of phones being dropped into drinks deliberately – up to 11,000 a year compared to 5,500 a year in 2009. Working on holiday, or simply working too hard are other issues – that’s also doubled to around 2,000 incidents of that nature.

“Office parties and drinking sessions with work colleagues can result in an ever-ringing phone being dropped in a pint, and we do get quite a few claims when a client or customer has dropped a supplier or adviser’s phone in a drink because they keep answering it during meetings – if we gross up our claims levels pro-rata nationally, then this would equate to around 2,000 claims.

“People ‘posing’ or showing off their phones, or talking embarrassingly loud in bars or restaurants resulted in around a thousand incidences of snatch-and-dunk.

“But at least once a day a stroppy pub landlord will take a phone off a customer and drop it in a drink – usually in the north, and usually because the pub has a phone ban.”

The remainder of claims arise from phones being left on table tops and being drowned in spreading pools of spilt drinks, phones left in bags with leaky drinks containers, or unexplained incidents in which phones are swamped.

www.gadget-cover.com is part of Supercover Insurance, the UK’s longest-established insurer of mobile phones and high-intrinsic-value consumer electronics. Launched in 1995, the company offers theft, loss and damage insurance, as well as up to 3GB gadget content backup, for laptops, PCs, satellite navigation equipment, MP3 players including iPods, and other such communication, storage and gaming equipment.

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

im@pressrelations.co.uk

07788 978800

www.gadget-cover.com

DIVORCE: EASTER BREAK IS THE FIRST 2012 TEST FOR TEETERING MARRIAGES.

GEORGE DAVIES SOLICITORS LLP

PRESS RELEASE

April 3, 2012.

DIVORCE: EASTER BREAK IS THE FIRST 2012 TEST FOR TEETERING MARRIAGES.

The Easter break will be the first big test of wedding vows for thousands of couples in 2012 – and a measure of how many marriages are at breaking point.

Family lawyer Kim Aucott of Manchester-based George Davies Solicitors LLP says so many couples have been distracted from dealing with a decaying relationship through fire-fighting such a huge array of financial and economic challenges since Christmas, that time off together at Easter could push some relationships over the edge.

“Easter will be a breathing space after a winter of huge financial challenge and discontent. There is tremendous tension amongst couples under financial pressure, and that means any sort of holiday or break could be anything but that for families battling the stress of downturn, job worries, paying council tax bills and facing fuel price issues – the vow of ‘for richer, for poorer’ will come under serious strain,” said Kim Aucott of the Manchester-based firm.

“Suddenly being crammed together at a potentially big-spending time when money is tight, and without work to distract, could result in frustrations being vented and some cards being laid on tables.

“These things can happen very suddenly – especially if there’s a cocktail of good Easter weather and a few drinks in the sun with emotions running high.

“But no matter how fast or bitter the split, it is rarely a good idea to start court proceedings immediately – a common knee-jerk when for many people this is uncharted territory.

“They may have made the decision to part, but the full potential for aggression should be allowed to subside before acting.

“Divorces are often started when couples are feeling angry, hurt, sometimes betrayed, and their first reaction is to think about going to court – but there are other options, not least collaborative law which means proceedings don’t go anywhere near a courtroom and can therefore stay both amicable and private,” said Kim.

“We’ve seen many people who, once they’ve reached the decision they want to divorce, go headlong into the legal process without actually weighing up what is going to be best long-term for their entire family.

“They need to get comprehensive advice of what the options are, and they need to get advice on the pros and cons of each of those routes – how much each is going to cost, how long they’re going to take to get to the end, is there any level of compulsion, and how much level of contention there’s going to be.

“Couples are often unaware that their disputes can be resolved through mediation, through collaborative law, and, as a fallback, there’s the court process.”

But Kim says a non-adversarial collaborative type approach could cost far less and avoid the bad feeling a courtroom encounter generates.

Ends

For further information:

Lindsey Farrelly

LindseyFarrelly@georgedavies.co.uk

0161 234 8802

07717 177609

Iain Macauley

im@pressrelations.co.uk

07788 978800

Notes to editor:

About George Davies Solicitors LLP: George Davies Solicitors LLP is a 19 partner law firm based in the heart of Manchester. Established more than 70 years ago, the firm provides an extensive range of legal services to a national client base. Recent awards and accreditations include ratings in independent legal directories - Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners UK; Winner of the Pro Bono/Community Initiative Award, Trainee of the Year Award and shortlisted for Medium Law Firm of the Year, Partner of the Year, Corporate/Commercial Team of the Year and Private Client Team of the Year at the 2012 Manchester Legal Awards; Winner of the Medium Law Firm of the Year 2011 in the Manchester Legal Awards; Winner of the Managing Partner of the Year award at the 2011 LawNet Awards; Winner of the Innovation in Dealmaking award and shortlisted for Corporate Law Firm of the Year at the 2011 Insider Dealmakers Awards; Winner of the North West Employment Team of the Year in the Corporate INTL Magazine Awards 2010; adviser on the Deal of the Year sub £5million at the 2010 Insider Dealmakers Awards and is one of only five legal firms in the country to hold the Investors in People Silver standard.