Residential Archives - Page 7 of 13 - Bowling & Co Solicitors

Leasehold property changes for new buyers

Change is in sight for buyers of new leasehold properties, with the passage through Parliament of a bill that will see the ending of ground rent, but it will not help existing leaseholders struggling with onerous terms. The Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Bill applies to new, qualifying long residential leases in England and Wales and was tabled in response to one of the Law Commission’s recommendations designed to overhaul residential property in England and Wales. The recommendations address unfair practices in the leasehold system, which has already seen a ban…

New legislation for residential landlords

Residential landlords are under pressure to keep on top of a raft of new legislation and guidelines this year, including many protections for tenants extended by the government during the pandemic. They include a continuing hold on evictions, the new debt moratorium scheme, and changes to validating the right to rent, through to permission for pets, new rules on electrical testing and the anticipated extension for carbon monoxide monitoring later in the year. Landlords must also comply with the shift to online reporting to HMRC, under the Making Tax Digital…

Property evictions to resume

May 14, 2021
Sebastian Jakubowski
Property Market News, Property Law, Residential

Property evictions are to resume but residential tenants will continue to be assisted during the Covid-19 restrictions with longer notice periods remaining in place until at least October 2021. This was announced by The Housing Minister, Christopher Pincher, on the 12th of May. During the initial lockdown in 2020, the Government reformatted the notice periods for residential tenancies, affording tenants extra protection during the pandemic. As part of these temporary changes, a Section 21 Notice (which normally provides a tenant a 2-month notice to vacate a property) was extended to…

Blog: Short-term holiday lets: home-owners must check the small print

As the shutters lift on life, with shops and bars opening and holiday planning underway, property owners may be thinking of cashing in on the demand for UK trips by offering their home for short-term holiday lets, but they may run into trouble if they don’t check the small print. As the shutters lift on life, with shops and bars opening and holiday planning underway, property owners may be thinking of cashing in on the demand for UK trips by offering their home for short-term lets, but they may run…

News: Stamp duty holiday extended until the end of June

What does it mean for you? In the Budget, today, the Chancellor has confirmed that the stamp duty holiday on properties priced up to £500,000 has been extended by three months until the end of June. In addition, the holiday will also apply to properties priced up to £250,000 until the end of September 2021! The extension provides relief for buyers who were unlikely to complete their transactions before the original March 31 deadline. With a tax cut now available for buyers until September, this should also help to ensure…

New: Law Society calls for review of end of SDLT holiday to prevent sales collapsing

The Law Society has made a press release that calls for urgent action to prevent the end of the temporary increase in the residential SDLT nil-rate band. This is due to end on 31 March 2021, resulting in possibly, thousands of aborted sales. The Law Society is urging people to write to their MP to call for action. It has also suggested three possible options for the government to address the problem: Extend the temporary increase in the SDLT nil-rate band, thereby providing more time for buyers to complete transactions.…

News: Avanton is to tackle London’s housing crisis

The build-to-rent (BTR) group Avanton is to tackle London's housing crisis with massive plans to increase its landbank in the capital. The Avanton Group is to tackle London's housing crisis and has acquired a £500M fund to be utilised over a three-year period and will target the purchase and development of sites across London boroughs, including Islington, Southwark, Wandsworth, Wimbledon, Hammersmith, Lambeth, Camden, and Brent. The group seeks to acquire sites with values of between £20m to £100m, providing for 300 to 1,000 units per development. Avanton is targeting up…

News: Housing Secretary – extended support for renters during the pandemic

On 14 February 2021, the Housing Secretary, Robert Jenrick, published a press release announcing extended support for renters during the pandemic. The measures that currently protect residential tenants from eviction in England, subject to certain exemptions, will continue until 31 March 2021. Renters will continue to be supported during the ongoing national lockdown restrictions, with an extension to the ban on bailiff evictions. The Current Regulations prevent attendance at a house in England for the purpose of executing a writ or warrant of possession or delivering a notice of eviction,…

The beginning of the end of leasehold

February 15, 2021
Huseyin Youssouf
Property Market News, Property Law, Residential

Leasehold property owners are set for important changes in the coming months. The Government is planning to grant new rights on lease extensions and ending ground rent, which signals the beginning of the end of leasehold and this form of ownership. The government has indicated there will be a shift to ‘commonhold’ on the horizon, but the benefits to householders are likely to take time to filter through. Nearly all flats and some houses in England and Wales are owned on a leasehold basis, giving the owner the right to…

Cohabiting property ownership disputes

What happens when a failed relationship gives rise to cohabiting property ownership disputes? Separation is never easy, but if you and your former partner own property together, the situation can be even more complicated. If you have been living with a partner, but you are not married, the legal term is ‘cohabitation’. When cohabitees separate, they are not afforded the same protections in law as married couples who are getting divorced. This can be difficult, as, for many cohabiting couples, there is little difference in practical terms. In this article,…

Residential