By Claire Racine

In order to provide free advice to voluntary organisations and charities about property related issues, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, the NCVO and Charity Finance Director’s Group have launched Charity Property Help.

“A great deal of time and effort is used in raising money for charities and the correct advice is needed if good business decisions are to be made,” said Geoffrey Barber, RICS member and founder of the philanthropic The Return Foundation, which also helped set up Charity Property Help.

“A dedicated facility has been formed by the RICS to ensure that charities make the best use of their expenditure on property with the help of reliable advisors who can be contacted through the Charity Property Help website,” he added.

Charity Property Help will provide registered charities and voluntary organisations with a free one-hour consultation from an RICS member firm.

Areas of advice and information include property maintenance, environmental issues, lease, renewals and tenencies and planning issues.

In the past few weeks, 103 property firms from across the UK, including Savills and Alder-King, have already registered to join Charity Property Help.

Both small community groups and multinationals can benefit from Charity Property Help.
“Whether renting or leasing a small office or managing a large portfolio of building assets, having the right advice on issues from rent reviews to dilapidations can save charities substantial funds,” said Richard Williams, NCVO director of enterprise.