Following the blaze at the Old Marconi House building in the Strand, London, fire safety in the workplace has reminded employers, solicitors and property managers and owners to establish what you could, should and must be doing in your workplace or a building for which you are responsible so the occupiers stay safe.
The difficulty for first time buyers goes on as deposits of over £50,000 on average are still being demanding to get on the property ladder. Worrying news for first time buyers, but is anything being done and should the rest of us be concerned?
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We have been asked by a number of clients recently as to when they need to legally apply for building regulation approval in relation to upgrades and improvements to their properties. At some point in our lives most of us get round to changing, extending or renovating our homes in order to make them our own. This month’s 10 questions are designed to increase your understanding in this regard and help you through this process.
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An appeal against an injunction by self-styled ‘Lord’ Edward Davenport to use his Mayfair home for commercial “partiesâ€, “porn discosâ€, functions and film shoots has been dismissed by the court of appeal.
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Up to 500,000 fridge freezers could be posing serious fire risks in homes and businesses across the country, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) has warned.
The LFB said a fire in the capital last week, which was originally thought to have been caused by a lightning strike, was caused by a Beko appliance.
Beko has been alerted to the problem which the LFB says has caused 20 fires and one death in London since 2008.
Fire chiefs are urging people to check if they own particular models manufactured between January 2000 and October 2006. A full list can be found via the trading standards website here
Anyone with concerns should contact Beko by calling their free phone number on 0800 009 4837 or visiting www.beko.co.uk
Steve Turek, assistant commissioner for fire safety regulation, said: “Any fire can be lethal but the LFB is particularly concerned about this because fires involving any sort of fridge freezer develop rapidly and produce an enormous amount of toxic smoke.
“Having established this link, we have worked closely with Beko to ensure the public is kept safe.
“However, the brigade urges everyone who has a Beko fridge freezer to check it is not one of those highlighted by the company as potentially faulty.”
Induction unit – An air terminal unit placed under a window and blowing upwards that takes its air from a high-velocity duct and releases it through rows of nozzles, which cause the secondary room air to circulate through the unit. The casing can have a heating or cooling coil and filter and needs only regular cleaning, as there are no moving parts to wear out and break down.
Rafter – A sloping roof beam, usually from eve to ridge. In traditional timber framing the rafters share loads in common; a full-length intermediate rafter runs from eave to ridge but a jack rafter goes only part way, meeting with hip or valley rafters. The term ‘rafter’ is also applied to all types of trussed rafter, the sloping beam of a portal frame, and the principal rafter of a truss.
Your local surveyor will know all about construction techniques and their application, contact them via www.propertysurveying.co.uk for help and advice.
Taking-off – The recording of dimensions from drawings or schedules, with a description of the work. This is the first main stage in preparing bills of quantities and is followed by ‘working-up’. Exact rules should be followed when taking off so that the work can be continued without misunderstanding, even by another person.
Your local surveyor will know all about construction techniques and their application, contact them via www.propertysurveying.co.uk for help and advice.
Patination Oil – A white spirit based liquid that helps prevent white carbonate (that can occur on newly fitted Lead) from staining adjacent materials and provides a pleasing finish to new Leadwork.
Ideal for use on Lead roofing, flashings and cladding to give a uniform, attractive appearance where Lead Sheet is visible or where water flowing away from the Lead Sheet surface may come into contact with other visible building materials. Recommended by the Lead Sheet Association.
Your local surveyor will know all about construction techniques and their application, contact them via www.propertysurveying.co.uk for help and advice.
Stripping Time – The number of days or hours that formwork must be left in place before it is removed from set concrete. For non-loadbearing vertical surfaces it may be 24 hours, but it is much longer for beams and slabs.
Stripping Time – The number of days or hours that formwork must be left in place before it is removed from set concrete. For non-loadbearing vertical surfaces it may be 24 hours, but it is much longer for beams and slabs.
Your local surveyor will know all about construction techniques and their application, contact them via www.propertysurveying.co.uk for help and advice.
