Articles

The deadline for initial submissions under the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme is 31st July. Melita explored some of the potential effects of the legislation on service charges in her June article for Lexis Nexis' Facilities Management Monthly.

It provides a summary of legislation and a short guide to the implications for property & facility manager and tenants.

Read the article (PDF)

Lexis Nexis - The Automation Maze

In Lexis Nexis' Facilities Management Monthly, Melita Thomas summarises the key points that Facilities Managers need to consider when selecting IT systems.

Lexis Nexis - Not just for teenagers

In Lexis Nexis - Facilities Management, Melita Thomas explores the benefits and drawbacks of using sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to communicate with building occupants, share knowledge and develop relationships with industry contacts. Read more...

Process manuals - not just compliance

Cost savings, performance measurement, compliance, risk management and continuous improvement - all at once? Rudi Römisch from our Munich office looks at how one project can address many issues. Read more...

RICS Journal of Commercial Property - Occupier systems

The RICS published Andrew's article about selecting and using property management systems for corporate occupier estates in their March/April 2010 edition. A copy of the article is on our website here.

The Role of Social Media in Property - RICS Paper

Although Social Media's best known applications might be Twitter and Facebook, this new wave of applications is much more than just Social. Hammerson and Grosvenor are using Twitter in their shopping centres and Aviva is using Facebook to manage a property portfolio. Business networks are being built on industry platforms such as CREOpoint and companies are using Crowdsourcing to reduce the cost and time taken to resource projects.

This RICS Information Paper will help you prepare for the opportunities, and often risky consequences, of Social Media - it is here to stay: use it wisely. Read the paper (PDF)...

Also see our Social Media page for more details

Facilities Management - Health & Safety risk in contracts

Clients cannot pass on the responsibility for poor health and safety to their contractors, warns Melita Thomas in her latest article for the LexisNexis publication, Facilities Management.

What is the relevance of Twitter or Facebook to Commercial Property?

To mark the launch of the RICS Information Paper on Social Media in Commercial Property, The RICS Commercial Property Journal are running articles on how Social Media will affect your business in the September/October and November/December issues.

Read the first here...

Huge savings with IT Efficiency

David Lawson was kind enough to base his recent article on our 2008 IT Benchmarking survey. Read his article here and if you would like to be a part of the 2009 survey, please contact us.

Third Sector in the Public Sector

Using charities and other non profit organizations to deliver public services efficiently is becoming ever more attractive as constraints on public spending bite and the pressure to produce efficiency savings increases. We identify the variants and pitfalls in his article Third Sector in the Public Sector.

Nick's article on this topic was published in the RICS Commercial Property Journal April/May 09:

Read about the Third Sector in the Public Sector - A charitable cause

We are lucky enough to have a number of people in our team who enjoy the challenge of writing to deadlines about topical issues. We admit that we also enjoy seeing our work in print.

We try to pick subjects which are relevant and on which our opinions can make a difference to our work; and, whether you agree with us or not, we really appreciate it when people get in touch to discuss the topic.

Additionally, two of our team have written books on technology and property.

Andrew Waller's book, IT for Property People, sets out the premise that successful using IT has little to do with technology itself - it is about understanding how your business works. It is an essential starter for property professionals who want to use technology more effectively. More info...

Bob Thompson co-wrote Real Estate and the New Economy with Tim Dixon. This book discusses how IT is impacting the shape and form of real estate in our towns and cities. More info...

Please do contact us to discuss any of the topics in our articles or books.