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Residential

Squatters beware

How to repossess your property from squatters

Squatters have been an inconvenience for landlords, both residential and commercial, for many years. Of course, in residential situations, a person trespassing, or squatting in a house is a criminal offence, and assistance from the police is common. In a commercial scenario, the situation is far more complex and time-consuming, with a squatter having to be evicted with assistance from the courts and with possession being enforced by County or High Court Enforcement Officers. Our Litigation department at Bowling & Co recently assisted a client to recover possession of their…

Landlords safety checks

Landlords must gear up for new safety checks 

Residential landlords must get their house in order with the arrival of further legislation to protect tenants through electrical and building safety requirements. New electrical safety standards are rolling out for private sector tenancies and the other upcoming challenge for residential landlords is fire safety compliance for building structures.  Both safety aspects have been accelerated following tragic outcomes.  Electricity causes about half of the UK’s 37,000 house fires a year, according to the charity Electrical Safety First, and faulty electrics cause some 70 deaths and 350,000 injuries each year in…

What investors

Protect your finances – what investors, savers and homeowners should consider

Protect your finances and investments. This has been front of mind for so many people across the country, and the world over the past few months. At the beginning of the year, we could not fathom the impact the COVID-19 pandemic would have on the way we work and live - not to mention our savings, investments, and day-to-day finances. The UK is now in recession - the biggest on record. There have been monumental swings in the stock market and in the price of almost every other asset including…

Stamp duty holiday

Property boom as home and overseas buyers rush to beat the deadline 

Property buyers are fighting off the pandemic to catch a new home before stamp duty goes back to its normal rate.  For overseas buyers, the race is even more important, as the rate will carry an additional surcharge for them from April. As part of the range of measures to provide economic support through the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government introduced a temporary holiday for Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) on the first £500,000 of purchases, but this will come to an end on 31 March 2021, when it will revert…

Applying for relief

Applying for relief from forfeiture? Act without delay

A recent high court case shows the importance of acting on time when applying for relief from forfeiture. The basics of the case were as follows: The tenants (being the Claimants in this matter) had the benefit of a 21-year lease for a property in Leicester (which was entered into in 2008). The Property, which was a ground floor shop with a residential flat above it, attracted a £2,000 quarterly rent instalment. In June 2018 the Claimants had, by way of a mistake, paid 1,500 of the rent thereby going…

Lockdown 2 and home improvements

Lockdown 2 and home improvements: When do you need planning permission?

With recent announcements from both the UK and Scottish government about further lockdown restrictions, you might be planning to fill your time with some home improvements. At the time of writing, tradespeople are exempt from lockdown restrictions and may enter your home to carry out necessary repairs. However, you should be aware that certain modifications to your home and garden may require specific permissions. In this article, we look at where you can find the information you need and provide a brief guide to when you may and may not…

moving to new home

How long does it take to buy a property? Everything you need to know.

Buying a new home is exciting, but you may be anxious about how long the process could take from start to finish. Understanding how long you can expect to wait before you get the keys to your new home can help you to plan both practically and financially. In this post, we set out an estimated duration for each stage of the conveyancing process. Finding your new home (8-12 weeks) Finding your ideal property is possibly the most difficult stage to allocate a time limit as this really depends on…

Coronavirus and residential tenancies – update on eviction procedure

The Government has published an update as to how residential possession matters will proceed following the lifting of the ban on eviction which is set to come to an end on 23 August 2020. Claims have now been split into 3 categories. Stayed claims brought before 3 August 2020 Stayed Claim brought before 22 August 2020 New claims brought after 22 August 2020. No stayed claim will be restarted until a reactivation notice is filed with the Court and served on the Tenant. This will enable the matter to be…

Covid-19: Help with your mortgage

During these unprecedented times, many homeowners and buy to let landlords will have a fear of what will happen with their home or investment property if they cannot continue to make mortgage payments. Unlike the provisions to protect residential and commercial tenants from eviction, mortgage holidays from UK lenders are (as things stand) not enforced by law. The policy adopted by most lenders is the consequence of an agreement between the government and principle lenders, but, this scheme is voluntary and does not have to be supported by a lender…

Landlords must comply with latest energy standards

Landlords of residential property could face high fines if they do not meet the latest energy efficiency standards.  On 1st April 2020, the latest stage of the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards was implemented, making it unlawful for landlords to continue domestic residential tenancies where the property has a rating of F or G on its Energy Performance Certificate – commonly known as an EPC. Two years ago, the first stage of implementation introduced the requirement for an E rating or above for all new tenancies granted. Now, that is extended…

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