Posted by James McNeile, Partner
Philip Hammond’s budget speech this week confirmed proposals announced by the Prime Minister last month to introduce an additional stamp duty land tax (SDLT) surcharge on UK residential property bought by foreign buyers.
Posted by Zainab Dakhil, Partner
Exchanging contracts on a house sale can be a highly exciting, but also a stressful time. But what will happen if for whatever reason you fail to exchange? In this blog which originally appeared in The Financial Times, Zainab, our head of the London residential property team explains what this could mean for the house sale?
Posted by Lisa-Marie Keefe, Chartered Legal Executive
Owning a leasehold property can be a very complex and daunting venture both for the inexperienced and the most experienced of property owners. Failure to comply with any restrictive covenants contained within a lease can lead to avoidable and unfortunate repercussions due to the leaseholder not fulfilling their obligations.
Posted by Patrick Hart, Partner
A law graduate who lived with her partner won a legal fight yesterday that will leave her with half of a £1.7m home. The courts awarded Ms Ladwa half of the home despite arguments from her former partner, Ms Chapman, that she had funded the home and their lavish lifestyle entirely. The couple were engaged to be married but separated in 2016.
Posted by Megan Thorne, Solicitor
According to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government Housing Statistical Release on 28 June 2018; there were 160,470 completions of new build properties from January 2018 to March 2018. This is an 8% increase from 2017.
There are clearly many people purchasing new build homes. However, do these prospective buyers understand the terminology frequently used by their solicitors and the developers?
Posted by Zainab Dakhil, Partner
Blockchain has been hailed the second generation of the internet and is better known for being the technology behind cryptocurrencies. The use of blockchain however, goes beyond cryptocurrencies and can be applied to a number of industries. A recent example being, Microsoft and Ernest & Young’s joint project which looks to find a more efficient way of managing royalty payments in the gaming industry. Blockchain is likely to transform a number of industries and property is no exception.
Posted by Megan Thorne, Solicitor
Many people find themselves in a position where they are financially comfortable with mortgage repayments, yet cannot save up the necessary deposit to purchase a home. The Help to Buy equity loan scheme offers the opportunity for purchasers to borrow up to 20% of their property purchase price (40% in London).
Posted by Charlotte Ebbutt, Associate
Whilst the GDPR and the new Data Protection Act are now in force it is not too late to look at your compliance. If the Information Commissioner’s Office does receive a complaint about your data procedures or a breach occurs you will be in a far better position if you are working towards compliance than you would be if you had not put any measures in place.
Posted by Zainab Dakhil, Partner
The recent appeal in Dreamvar (UK) Ltd v Mishcon de Reya [2018] EWCA Civ 1082 (heard together with the appeal P&P Property Ltd v Owen White & Catlin LLP) highlights important considerations for property practitioners, professionals and in particular the public.
Posted by Callum Howorth, Conveyancing Assistant
Leasehold tenure has come under increasing scrutiny in recent months. In December 2017, the Department for Communities and Local Government published its consultation paper ‘Tackling unfair practices in the leasehold market’. Responses to that paper have helped shine a spotlight on the abuses and malpractice prevalent throughout the leasehold market. The paper itself received over 6000 responses, demonstrating the strength of interest in the issue. With the Leasehold Reform Bill currently in its second reading in the House of Commons, what exactly are the problems facing leasehold and how would reform be shaped?
Posted by Angus Williams, Partner
We have an unconverted barn in our garden which we are planning to convert into a holiday let. We have the planning permission, but will we need to tell the tax man?
Posted by Caroline Preist, Partner
The Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims has been in force since 1 October 2017 and sets out rules to follow when any business is claiming payment of a debt from an individual. This covers a debt payable from a tenant to a landlord, whether in respect of rent or other sums due under the lease.