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According to figures in The Times 5.3 million (21%) homes in England and Wales are leasehold, meaning the property is not owned outright but is instead ‘leased’ from the freeholder, typically for a lengthy term. In a leasehold arrangement there will usually be a contract between leaseholder and freeholder which sets out the legal rights […]

From the 8th April 2019, people living in Wales will have to pay the full cost of their own residential care only if they have assets of more than £50,000. Welsh ministers increased the capital limit by £10,000 only 12 months after it rose from £30,000 to £40,000. The capital limit determines whether a person […]

Government plans to increase probate fees have been branded by the House of Lords Committee as a ‘misuse of power’. The fee increases have been proposed to address the £1.2 billion annual deficit for running the courts. The cost of applying for probate is currently £215 (or £155 if a solicitor is used) regardless of […]

Bereaved families will face soaring probate fees from April 2019 under new plans revealed by the Ministry of Justice. Reforms to probate fees have been the subject of consultation since 2016 and a year later the first proposals, which included a charge of £20,000 for estates worth £2 million or more, were met with outcry. […]

This week is Dementia Action Week, an event organised by the Alzheimer’s Society as a call to action to help those affected by dementia. Around 850,000 people in the UK have the condition and a new diagnosis is made every 3 minutes, according to the Charity. An easy step that people can take to help […]

8-May-2018 The Times recently reported on the story of Zara Pawley who was left £40,000 short after her solicitors were tricked into sending the balance from a house sale to fraudsters. According to Zara, although she had previously provided her bank details in person to the solicitor, the firm was later fooled by a message […]

7-May-2018 The complexities of Inheritance tax: and where to get help Last week the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) launched a review of inheritance tax, asking both professionals and taxpayers themselves to submit views by June 8th. The Scoping Document can be found here. A record £5.2 billion of inheritance tax was paid to the […]

1-May-2018 With a myriad of conveyancing services to choose from, it can be confusing to know which to choose and whether there is really much difference between them all. With cheap deals and incentives to lure them in, too many people are tempted by bargain basement prices rather than choosing an experienced, trusted advisor for […]

24-April-2018 From last week, The Mortgage Works, Nationwide’s specialist buy-to-let lender, removed its age limit for loans to experienced landlords. In the past, the lender applied a maximum application age of 70 for all buy-to-let loans – but since 18th April, there has been no maximum age for those landlords who have owned or let […]

20-April-2018 Breens Solicitors Ltd in Southport, and Waterloo has secured the Law Society’s legal practice quality mark for practice management and client care, Lexcel, for the 20th consecutive year. The Law Society developed the Lexcel standard to award those firms which demonstrate high client care and business management standards an additional accreditation. To gain and […]

11-April-2018 From 1st April, Landlords renting energy inefficient properties have been liable for large fines, thanks to new legislation. In addition, they may have to pay thousands towards the cost of implementing energy saving measures. Rented property that cannot meet a minimum Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of E or higher will need to be […]