TOLATA: Nothing to do With Dancing, Everything to Do with Property and Unmarried Couples
We know, we know, it sounds like some kind of complicated Mediterranean dance, but in reality, TOLATA is nothing of the sort. It’s actually just a rather jaunty acronym for the Trusts of Land and Appointees of Trustees Act. But wait! Don’t hit the back button just yet! We promise to go back to calling […]
Right to Buy: Great Idea or Lousy Stripper of State Assets?
In recent weeks, there have been rumblings from the government about introducing a new Right to Buy scheme to allow housing association tenants the right to buy their homes. The government say this would help counteract the issue of ‘generation rent’ and give millions of people the chance to get a hold on the property […]
Five Years of Newport Land and Law: a Funny Kind of Fairy Tale
Once upon a time, there was a conveyancing solicitor named Anna Newport. Anna had rather a lot of experience in conveyancing and was, as it happens, pretty darn good at her job. (If this was a traditional fairy tale, we’d probably also be saying something about appley cheeks and golden hair, but seeing as we […]
Could Things Finally be Looking Up for Leaseholders?
All things considered, it hasn’t been a very good few years for leaseholders. (And yes, one could argue that it hasn’t been a very good few years for anyone – perhaps with the exemption of Jeff Bezos and his billionaire space-contemporaries – but that’s not really the point of this post). The Grenfell tragedy in […]
Cheshire Brine
Looking to buy or sell a property in Cheshire? You may need to consider a Cheshire Brine Search when doing so as your ideal property may be subject to the repercussions of historical mining. Cheshire is a rich source of salt with a history of extensive mining and brine pumping. When these mines were abandoned […]
Restrictive covenants, Positive Covenants and How to Tell the Difference
Restrictive covenants – what were they thinking? If you are doing slightly damp January, like some of us here, you might have started staring wistfully at the gin aisle in Waitrose and wondering what possessed you to get involved in all this rule following? It’s not just the booze though. For the sake of society there […]
When Stamp Duty Goes Bad: The Stuff You Didn’t Know You Needed to Know
We’re kicking off 2022 with a thrilling look at Stamp Duty Land Tax and all the pesky little technical details you didn’t know you needed to know. Think multi-dwelling relief, second property tax and additional levies for overseas buyers. Still with us? Really? We’ll assume you’re either bonkers or desperate. Okay, okay. Jokes aside, sometimes […]
Commercial Property and VAT: why there IS a reason you might want to opt in
If you’re involved in the purchase of commercial property, this blog post may well be exactly what you’re looking for. If so, we recommend that you stick the kettle on, get yourself comfortable and prepare to be extremely well informed on the subject of opting into VAT. (Not involved in the purchase of commercial property? We recommend […]
The Negotiator Awards 2021 – Supplier of the Year Professional Support
Our Champagne-Fuelled, Award-Winning Night Out The Negotiator Awards 2021 – Supplier of the Year : Professional Support It’s not all that often that Northern solicitor types like us find ourselves out on the razzle in London (conveyancing is probably not as glamorous as you think). Last week we surprised ourselves by scrubbing up really quite […]
The History of Christmas Decorations (and Why Mistletoe Probably isn’t as Romantic as You Thought)
We’ve reached the time of year when we ask the really big, important questions. Namely, when is the right time to decorate your home for Christmas? Most people seem to have a strong opinion on this. Whether they’re the sort to get the decorations down from the loft in mid-November (far too early!), or they […]