In your weekly PCA update this week:

• The challenges and risks with Japanese knotweed disputes
• Recruitment, staff retention and “poaching”!/li>
• Webinar: Improving Air Quality in Existing Dwellings
• New Japanese Knotweed research published
• The first of our BMI Diagnostic Packages have left the building!
• Covid, Fire Doors and Ventilation
• Customer Service and Administration
• New Members

The challenges and risks with Japanese knotweed disputes

Are enquiries from solicitors a good thing? Most of the time…absolutely! But when it comes to solicitors requesting so-called ‘vetting reports‘, are we aware of the potential financial or reputational risks that may occur?

In his latest blog, PCA’s Technical Manager Peter Fitzsimons explores the challenges and risks associated with these types of reports and raises the question….”are we aware of the potential damage we might do to the business by not clearly understanding what is involved when ‘vetting reports’ are requested and then actioned?”. To learn more, click on the button below.

Recruitment, staff retention and “poaching”!

Good people are the lifeblood of every business, but right now skilled people are hard to recruit and those we have and value are getting harder than ever to retain. With a record number of job vacancies listed in July 2021 according to BBC reports recently, PCA members (as well as many construction-related companies) are currently being affected by staff shortages, difficulties in recruitment and “poaching”.

Past Chairman and friend of the PCA, George Hockey recently contacted us about some of these experiences from his company perspective in an attempt to bring this topic alive, which you can read by clicking on the button below…

Webinar: Improving Air Quality in Existing Dwellings

Join us and Kassie Williams in 1 weeks time (26th August from 9-10am) for our live broadcast on ‘Improving Air Quality in Existing Dwellings’.

With ongoing media attention towards excessive cases of mould, dampness, poor ventilation and the impact of volatile organic compounds (VOC’s); do surveyors, construction and property specialists need to pay more attention to air quality? Are we causing home environments to potentially be 50 times more polluted than outdoor air because we aren’t giving it the necessary consideration?!?

To register, simply click on the button below….

New Japanese Knotweed research published

The Property Care Association has issued a press release this week in response to new research published in the Journal ‘PeerJ’. A team at Leeds University together with Dr Mark Fennell (AECOM) and Dr Karen Bacon (UOI, Galway), have studied field-collected samples of Japanese knotweed crowns and rhizomes and suggest that rhizome regeneration potential can be “eliminated” by air drying.

If confirmed, this could result in substantial changes to knotweed site management practices. We await further trials. In the meantime however, we advise all PCA members to continue to treat all Japanese knotweed propagules as Controlled waste and comply with the Environment Agencies guidelines for disposal (RPS 178).

View the published research via the button below.

The first of our BMI Diagnostic Packages have left the building!

We are delighted to share with members that the first of our BMI Diagnostic Packages have been sent out! After 6 years of academic research, detailed studies, academic praise and product development, we are very proud to be, at last, sending out our new moisture diagnostic technology to all those who have recently purchased them.

This is fantastic achievement and we’re thrilled for Paula. If you are interested, click on the button below to get in touch!

Get in Touch! >>

Covid, Fire Doors and Ventilation

Further to the lifting of restrictions, the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has released advice on keeping workplaces safe to help you assess the risks and continue to reduce COVID-19 transmission.

It is important to remember that when opening windows and doors to improve the ventilation in your building, DO NOT PROP FIRE DOORS OPEN. Whilst it may see the right thing to do in order to bring more fresh air in to the workplace, fire doors must remain closed.

Access further help and the latest advice from HSE via the button below.

Click for more info >>

Customer Service & Administration **PCA MEMBERS ONLY**

Customer Service & Administration **PCA MEMBERS ONLY**
Date: 7th October 2021
Location: PCA Head Office, Huntingdon
Cost: Members £105 +VAT
>> Need more information on the course – click here

Our exclusive customer service training course is delivered by one of our highly experienced PCA Contractor Members, who has first-hand experience of dealing with the administration of a business. They will run you through their proven 3-step strategy:

• Walk the Walk
• Talk the Talk
• Review, review, review – tweak, adjust and improve

Contact the training team today on 01480 400000, or email [email protected].

New Members

We are pleased to welcome the following companies into membership:

• Knight Build Ltd
• Thomson Habitats Ltd (provisional status)