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Laura Gill

This author has written 21 articles

Derelict buildings or structures: who’s responsible?

If you own your own property, then you’re generally responsible for the upkeep of the building. The buck stops with you, whether the property is residential or commercial, and by law you have to ensure it’s safe for members of the public to enter or pass by. If a building falls into disrepair or becomes an eyesore, what rights do neighbours have to force the owner to secure, renovate or, at the very least, tidy up a bit? Impacting the value of your home A run-down property with boarded-up windows,…

Landlords – your legal obligations regarding smoke alarms, CO detectors and other safety features

All landlords have to fulfil certain legal obligations if they’re to rent their property. Some of the most important legal requirements are those that cover basic safety practices and equipment. Keeping tenants safe should be a landlord’s principal concern, so ensuring that these obligations are met is of the utmost importance. Here, we take a look at what landlords have to do when it comes to fire, gas, and electrical safety and also detail the relevant UK legislation. Relevant legislation A landlord’s legal safety obligations are legislated for by a…

How to delist a listed cottage or building

While listed buildings are often attractive, brimming with character and desirable purchases, then can come with potential headaches for the new owners. Listed buildings do not enjoy the freedom associated with new-builds. Often, listed cottages and buildings come with certain restrictions - it is part of the privilege of owning a dwelling that holds historic interest. These can include higher insurance premiums, when compared to non-listed buildings and the requirement for special permission to be granted for works to be undertaken on the property such as the building of an…

What can you do if your tenant is subletting?

A quick guide to the legalities If a landlord rents a property directly to a tenant and they decide they wish to let out part or all of the property to another tenant, it’s called subletting. This isn’t always a problem, if the tenant in question has the landlord’s permission to do so. Problems arise, however, when tenants sublet all or part of the rental property without the permission of their landlord. How do landlords know if a tenant is in breach of their rental agreement, and what can landlords…

Renting property – Will the slow-down of the housing market have a knock-on effect for landlords and their tenants?

For years, homeowners have come to expect that their property value will increase. But headlines predicting a housing slump are backed by figures that show a sustained slow-down of activity in the housing market and a dip in the rate of growth for house prices too. Could this also have a knock-on effect for rental prices? And what is a ‘fair rent’ for the average property? Is the housing market really slowing down? While the long feared property market crash actually hasn’t happened (and may just be the paranoid reporting…

How to speed up the conveyancing process

Describing the current housing market as ‘soft’ is a polite way to say it’s tough out there. Belts are tightening, mortgage lenders are asking a lot more questions and delving deeper into your financial history before saying yes to a loan, and bricks and mortar simply aren’t moving as quickly as before. House prices are still growing (mostly), but at a considerably reduced rate compared to 2016 PB (Pre-Brexit). You can make your property as attractive as possible to buyers by making sure you have great photographs, utilise online sellers…

Private tenants are spending more than half of their income on rent

According to research carried out by the Local Government Association (LGA), one in seven private renters are having to spend more than half of their total income on rent, this being in stark contrast to homeowners, where only 2% pay more than half of their income on their mortgage. Further figures from the LGA suggest that the average deposit for a property now costs up to 71% of a first time buyer’s annual income and that under 25 year olds today are now half as likely to be homeowners than…

Stamp duty change results in buy-to-let slump

Following the introduction of a stamp duty surcharge in April 2016 mortgage activity in the UK buy-to-let sector has plummeted. Changes implemented in April 2016 resulted in a 3% stamp duty surcharge on buy-to-let and second home purchases. This impelled a sudden surge in lending in February and March 2016 as landlords rushed through purchases to avoid the impending 3% increase in stamp duty tax. However, the spike in mortgage lending was short lived as a sudden and significant drop followed. The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) figures show that…

The importance of choosing a good conveyancing solicitor

Your solicitor will conduct a range of tasks on your behalf, whether you are buying or selling, or both. General tasks include: Drafting and reviewing sale or purchase contracts; Dealing with Land Registry; Managing the collection and transfer of funds; and Providing legal advice and recommendations. If you are buying a property your solicitor will also carry out additional tasks including: Conducting searches on the property (these can include Local Authority search, Environmental search etc.); and Managing Stamp Duty charges and payments to HMRC. Here are some tips you should…

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