Volume 15 (2026-27)

The first part of this two-part paper establishes the historical, geological and craft-based foundations necessary for understanding the development of traditional mortars in Bransdale and the wider North York Moors region. Drawing on archival evidence, landscape history and long-standing building traditions, the paper situates mortar use within a distinctive cultural and geological environment shaped by local sandstone, oolitic limestone sources, historic farming patterns and vernacular construction practices. The paper outlines the characteristic forms of pre-modern masonry, including earth-lime bedding mortars, lime-rich pointing mortars and regionally specific plastering traditions. Key technical terminology, lime preparation methods and material characteristics are introduced to contextualise later analytical work. Two representative case studies — Moor Houses Farm and Low Lidmoor Farm — illustrate the continuity of techniques and materials over several centuries and underscore the significance of local craft knowledge. Together, these strands provide a comprehensive backdrop to the analytical results presented in Part 2 and demonstrate the coherence of Bransdale mortars within broader regional traditions. This paper represents a summary only.1 The analysis for this paper was carried out by Bill Revie, whose technical input has been fundamental to the work presented here. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
Keywords: lime; earth and lime; hot mixing; Bransdale; slaking method

This paper tackles two related topics: what is a dispute and do surveyors have continuing jurisdiction? The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 (the Act) does not define a dispute and this paper explores why and how this has proved to be problematic: that said, some definitions from eminent judges are identified. Linked to the definition of a dispute is whether the surveyors have continuing jurisdiction: the Act omits the specific wording contained in the 1894 and 1939 Acts, that is, the surveyors settling any matter from time to time during the continuance of any work to which the notice relates in dispute. Does this mean that the surveyors no longer have continuing jurisdiction? The author is indebted to HH Edward Bailey, who directed him to a careful reading of the second debate in the House of Lords during the drafting of the Act, which shows that there was never any express intention in the 1996 Act to change the existing state of the law. Lord Lytton, who introduced the Party Wall Bill,1 simply wanted to tidy up the language, but did he in the event change the law?2 The paper discusses recent court cases and conflicting opinions expressed by eminent lawyers that have produced some uncertainty. The aim of the paper is to show that, in the author’s opinion, the argument for the continuing jurisdiction of surveyors is compelling. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/ business/.
Keywords: actual and deemed disputes; continuing jurisdiction; subsequent dispute; substantive/primary awards; further award

Property assets exist simultaneously as physical structures, legal constructs and digital abstractions, yet the systems used to identify and evaluate them often struggle to reconcile these overlapping realities. This paper examines the growing disconnect between the physical attributes of residential property, the legal and historical complexity of title, and the digital layers produced through contemporary mapping, modelling and automated valuation. While tools such as digital twins, geographic information systems (GIS), automated valuation models (AVMs) and machine learning aim to deliver precision and scale, each introduces its own assumptions, simplifications and inherent uncertainties. Address identifiers such as the unique property reference number (UPRN) promise consistency, but cannot account for the nuanced and frequently non-conforming nature of legal title boundaries, historical parcelling or rights and obligations embedded in property records. Through exploring these tensions, the paper highlights how system-generated certainty can obscure material ambiguities, and how over-reliance on automation risks misidentifying characteristics essential to valuation, lending and risk assessment. The analysis argues for a rebalancing of professional practice that recognises the limits of computational abstraction and reinforces the importance of human expertise in interpreting the layered, sometimes contradictory realities that underpin the built environment. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
Keywords: data; property risk; credit risk; modelling; GIS systems; machine learning; accuracy

This paper examines the prevalence, causes and impacts of mould and damp in social housing, drawing on tenant-focused research conducted in Greater Manchester as part of the Social Housing Quality Fund (SHQF) programme. The study combines survey data (582 responses) and in-depth qualitative interviews (n=41) to explore how mould and damp are experienced in the home, and how these conditions affect tenants’ health, wellbeing and daily lives. The findings highlight the pervasive nature of these issues and their complex and interrelated drivers, including structural deficiencies in housing, energy affordability constraints and limitations on tenants’ ability to manage moisture within the home. The research demonstrates significant impacts on both physical and mental health, with particular effects on vulnerable households. It also shows how occupants adapt their behaviours to cope with poor housing conditions, often at personal, social and financial cost. While interventions delivered through the SHQF programme show evidence of improvement in some cases, the findings underline the importance of addressing underlying structural issues alongside occupant practices. The paper concludes by identifying implications for housing providers, emphasising the need for integrated approaches that combine technical interventions with tenant engagement, improved communication and a better understanding of lived experience in managing housing quality. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
Keywords: mould; damp; social housing; qualitative research; Greater Manchester; public programmes

Following a number of cases in the High Court, the Solicitors Regulatory Authority1 (SRA) issued a warning in December 2014 against the improper use of solicitors’ client accounts as a banking facility. As a result, solicitors were no longer happy to hold security for expenses under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 (PWA) unless they were also giving legal advice as a solicitor in connection with the PWA. There being no readily accessible alternative, this created a practical problem for building owners required to give security, and a number of companies began offering to do so as ‘escrow agents’ or stakeholders. Some, but not all, are regulated and supervised under the Payment Services Regulations 2017 (PSR 2017) and there is confusion among surveyors and the unfortunate parties caught up in the PWA process as to what legal requirements must be met before someone can provide what appears to be a simple and obvious service. The complication arises from the fact that the very act of holding security for expenses involves a person or entity accepting money from one party with the sole and specific intention that it may be paid to one or more third parties. Anyone offering such a service is providing a payment service as defined in PSR 2017 and must be regulated by a designated supervisory authority. This paper explores and clarifies why holding security for expenses is a regulated activity under financial services legislation, what exceptions there may be, and which supervisory authority might be appropriate in the context of the PWA. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/ business/.
Keywords: mouldsecurity for expenses; Party Wall Act; stakeholder; escrow agent; payment services; anti-money laundering regulations

The building surveying profession in the UK is experiencing demographic change, evolving educational pathways and growing scrutiny over graduate readiness at a time of heightened public awareness of building safety, damp, mould and cladding failures. This study analyses four decades of data on individuals who graduated from RICS-accredited building surveying degree programmes and subsequently achieved chartered status, with the aim of assessing long-term trends in educational background, degree outcomes, postgraduate training and career progression. Drawing on a national questionnaire, the research identifies a sustained decade-on-decade increase in entry qualifications, higher proportions of first-class degrees and a steady reduction in the time taken to pass the Assessment of Professional Competence. Despite these improvements, findings highlight reduced exposure to industry during university study, a marked decline in year-in-industry placements and significantly lower levels of practitioner involvement in teaching, contributing to perceptions that modern graduates are less ‘practice ready’. Career outcome analysis shows that more recent cohorts progress to senior roles more quickly, although a gender disparity persists in the time taken to reach director-level positions. The study concludes that while academic attainment and career acceleration have improved, strengthening experiential learning and structured training remains essential to developing competent chartered building surveyors. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/ business/.
Keywords: building surveying; degree; chartership; careers; outcomes