Benjamin Mire, the chartered surveyor and CEO of Trust Property Management, was to have been sacked had he not resigned his position on the property tribunal.
The news came this afternoon from the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office, but it coincided with the announcement that Trust is the finalist for FOUR News On The Block property management awards next month.
The statement from the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office reads:
“Following a number of complaints made against Mr Benjamin Mire, a part-time Valuer Chair of the Southern Residential Property Tribunal, a conduct investigation recommended Mr Mire’s removal from judicial office.
“The matter was referred to a Review Body to consider the complaints further. The Review Body found Mr Mire had failed to observe the standards that could reasonably be expected of a judicial office holder and that this failing was sufficiently serious to justify his removal from office.
“Mr Mire resigned from judicial office before the disciplinary process could be concluded. His resignation took effect from 16 July 2013.”
For weeks, LKP and two complainants, Colin Dennard and Karen Darvell have been pressing for the report to be made public.
So has Sir Peter Bottomley, Conservative MP for Worthing West, who told the annual conference of the Federation of Private Residents’ Associations on November 12 that he would be demanding a statement.
Mire has long been a controversial property manager employed by Lakeside Developments, a freehold company owned by David Glass, in north London.
There is a string of criticisms against Trust Property Management, which claims to manage 16,000 residential and commercial properties, in the LVT records (see below).
Yet, astonishingly, his company is a finalist in the News On The Block property management awards, shortlisted for “London Property Management Company of the Year”.
The winner will be announced at a “glittering Winter Wonderland awards ceremony” at The Troxy restaurant in London on December 5. Tickets can cost £200.
An employee of Trust Property Management is also a finalist for “London Property Manager of the Year”, and another for “Concierge of the Year” and again for “Young Property Manager of the Year”.
News On The Block states: “The purpose of the awards ceremony is to recognise and celebrate excellence in the UK Property Management industry. All the awards are judged by our Independent judging panel in advance of the ceremony, basing their judgements on the materials received by entrants.”
Trust Property Management also appears on the Leasehold Advisory Service website. LEASE chief executive Anthony Essien has been contacted for a statement.
Sir Peter Bottomley wrote to Essien earlier this week: “If LEASE takes money or advertising from Benjamin Mire or any business with which he is associated, I think you should end it without delay.”
This evening, Essien replied: “We have received other complaints and allegations recently and are now beginning the process of examining them. If at the end of that process it shows Mr Mire has not met any of our conditions or criteria then all options remain available to us, and this includes removing his firm’s entry from the Professional Directory.
“As part of this process we have to inform Mr Mire of the details of the complaints.”
A selection of LVT decisions involving Benjamin Mire, who was a frequent attender of the tribunal, can be read here
LVT Decisions Involving Benjamin Mire 12 11 13
Related posts:
Benjamin Mire has been in front of tribunal 52 times since 1999
LEASE dumps Benjamin Mire … after eight months of dithering!
RICS rejects complaint against managing agent Benjamin Mire
Benjamin Mire’s Trust Property Management up for sale
Benjamin Mire ‘resigns’ from property tribunal panel after complaints
Sir Peter Bottomley condemns criminal behaviour, price-fixing, cheating freeholders, exit fee fiddles, opportunist lawyers and feeble judicial intervention
Ha ha – how self pontificating those awards are, what a sham…….
Justice has been done at last and considering the amount of LVT decisions that are on the LKP article it beggars belief that Mire has hung onto his postion as Value Chair for so long…..
Delighted to see this farce of an awards ceremony exposed at last especially as those nominated can ENTER THEMSELVES!!!
I decided to post a picture on News Block Facebook page [… REDACTED]
Whilst it is good that situations like this get exposed, how do you intend addressing the issue of the News on the Block Awards?
Having been a winner of an award at such an event I would like to say that as an information provider having no vested interests, and working alone, I am proud of my award.
I would also point out that self-nomination for awards in the property sector is nothing unusual although I was not one that did as it would not sit easy with me.
Sharon
Dear Sharon,
You know I have nothing but admiration for you and your triumphs so any award you have is definitely deserved.
However you also know that through experience I have no trust whatsoever in ANY so called recognised bodies that CLAIM to help leaseholders because they ALL seem to have conflicts of interest somewhere along the line!!
LKP/Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation are the only ones truly trying to help in my view but until we have a system of building and maintaining blocks of flats as the rest of the world does nothing will really change.
Kind regards
Lesley
I have to agree and say that non of the so called ‘ regulated bodies’that have sprung up to ‘help’ leaseholders can be trusted at all.
The fact that this so called ‘help’ within the industry equites to a turnover of billions of pounds a year for the legal profession says it all… they do not want it changed…..
Hi Lesley and Colin,
Thank you both for addressing my comment directly.
Lesley, thanks for what you said and I totally understand where you are coming from. I also hope that that leasehold issues aside, life is good for you and yours.
Colin, I did wonder about my first paragraph after I sent the comment but at the time, I had it in my head that NOTB would unlikely to do anything about individuals and/lor companies highlighted in this manner if they were actually sponsors of their publication. Not that I know this to be the case but it would make more sense?
In my personal opinion its more than a shame that they should be connected to this type of headline because I actually have a soft spot for them, as they gave my my first writing opportunity when I first started out.
Sharon
I
apologies for the typo’s…..not enough caffeine!
Dear Colin,
I can only say that this is really disgusting. Like many in the sector I despair of the stunts pulled by the big players and I sincerely hope that more smaller agents come up through the ranks and leaseholders move to them if they are able.
Sharon
Most of these cases are in the 2009-2011 period. Anything more recent and relevant than that? Perhaps the award is about an organisation that has changed? Personally, I avoid these awards and conferences as being self obsessed and indulgent beanos, often targeted as marketing tools for the client or resident who doesn’t do their research, as your work and reputation will inevitably speak for itself.
Actually some of these awards ceremonies can be quite invaluable.
I am reminded of one in which the Peverel table were overheard discussing the problems all the campaigning sites were causing them. Naturally their conversation was relayed to me in detail.
It would appear that when it came for Peverel to collect their award (one was for their fortitude in carrying on through the administration) others at the event sat in silence.
It should not be forgotten that Peverel has had an effect on the good property managers.
Often(even if not quite by the book) property managers have got things done in an exemplary manner because they have a good relationship with leaseholders (so the odd blind eye was turned)
Because of Peverel, not even the good guys are trusted, so Peverel have made management harder for everyone in the industry .
The good and, as you indicate, pragmatic managers have only benefited from the failings. On one hand the number of instructions have increased and on the other the residents now appreciate the importance and value of good practice, and make informed decisions based on a broader understanding and not the shiny sales patter, glossy website, twitter feed, or random criteria that “sounds good”.Those of us campagining for regulation and, in my case, licencing, it makes the “leasehold public” that much more supportive and easier to work with.