Opinion INTERVIEW
ThErE ArE somE ridicuLous AnomALiEs in currEnT LEGisLATion ThAT nEEd To bE TAckLEd LesLeY DAVis talks to
Alex Greenslade to find out more about ALEP and the way it works on behalf of members and the public
The AssociATion of Leasehold
Enfranchisement Practitioners or ALEP was the brainchild of Honorary Secretary Alex Greenslade, who was largely responsible for founding the organisation in 2007. Alex, a project manager and MD of Croydon-based Leasehold Solutions, saw an opportunity to bring together solicitors, surveyors, enfranchisement intermediaries and managing agents to promote best practice and provide networking opportunities for those working in the leasehold enfranchisement sector. Fed up with his clients coming to him having been given poor advice by people “dabbling” in this complex area of leasehold law, Alex saw a gap in the market which he believes ALEP is filling effectively. The organisation now has 115 members who have been vigorously vetted to ensure they have the skills in place that the public need when appointing someone to advise them on their lease extension, freehold purchase or management issues. For leaseholders, the benefit of using an ALEP member to advise them is that each member has been checked out by a knowledgeable professional and comes backed by ALEP’s code of practice. If members are found to be operating in breach of the code or are simply doing a bad job, they are taken off the ALEP list of recommended advisers. “The aim,” Alex explains, “is to give the public confidence that they are dealing with professionals who know what they’re doing”. For leasehold practitioners, ALEP not only provides a source of leads due to the membership list on the website but the organisation also provides a forum for communication, networking and events. “Everyone gets to know each other and that promotes knowledge and information exchange as well as a spirit of cooperation among the different professions. Solicitors can
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be comfortable in the knowledge that they are recommending a competent fellow ALEP member if clients are looking for a surveyor and vice versa,” says Alex. In order to become ALEP members, firms are asked to submit details of their experience to-date in matters such as leasehold acquisitions and Right to Manage. They also have to provide copies of their professional indemnity insurance (PII) and provide both client and professional references from people who are not related to them either personally or professionally. Telephone interviews are then carried out by ALEP to determine the firm’s suitability for membership. “When practitioners renew their membership we make sure that expertise is still with the firm, checking that the expert or experts in leasehold matters hasn’t left and ask to see their current PII certificate,” Alex explains. Members are then able to use the ALEP branding on their website and letterheads and are listed on the website so the public can identify a practitioner in their area. However, Alex believes that membership is a two-way process: “You have to put in some effort to attend events and use the ALEP logo to make it work for you,” he says. According to Alex, ALEP also represents a step in the right direction towards effective self-regulation. “Members are expected to abide by the rules and provide an efficient,
Telephone interviews are carried out by ALEP to determine suitability for membership
Project manager Alex Greenslade saw a gap in the market that he believes ALEP now fills professional service. The public can trust a firm that is displaying the ALEP branding and if that company or individual doesn’t perform well, they have somewhere to go to lodge a complaint and know that it will be dealt with. We believe we are all part of a group that raises its own game by being part of it,” he adds. He believes self-regulation is preferable to regulatory legislation being enforced on the sector for the simple reason that the industry is in the best position to know what needs to be done. “It shows a level of maturity and reason to put your own house in order before someone else attempts to do it for you,” he says. “We are all well aware that service charges are clearly a big issue: leaseholders are often overcharged and there has been a lot of bad publicity for unprofessional managing agents. They all get tarred with the same Autumn 2011
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