Stamp of approval
In light of the current stamp duty land tax holiday, Caitlin Padmore offers some tips on working with clients to make sure they understand the tax and keep you updated if their situation changes
Managing client expectations around the stamp duty holiday deadline
The SDLT holiday has boosted the housing market, but increased pressure on solicitors to complete transactions before the deadline in March 2021. Peter Rodd and Sarah Dwight share advice on what you can do now to manage clients’ expectations
Friends with benefits? Identifying beneficial owners in complex structures
Kate Andrews considers a High Court case which involved identifying the beneficial owner of a property, so that a judgment debt could be enforced.
How’s it looking? Grounds for refusing planning consent
Kate Andrews looks at the case of 89 Holland Park Management Ltd v Hicks [2020] EWCA Civ 758, where the Court of Appeal reviewed the grounds for reasonably refusing consent under a restrictive covenant.
Improvements to the Local Land Charges service
In December 2020, HM Land Registry published a blog on how it collaborates with the Local Land Charges (LLC) Advisory Board to progress the Local Land Charges Programme.
Law Society responds to consultation on land control data
The Law Society has published our response to a consultation on improving the transparency of contractual mechanisms, such as land options, used to exercise control over land.
PAS FAQ: Sale proceeds for mortgagees in possession
When acting for a mortgagee in possession, how should you deal with the proceeds of sale if there are other lenders involved with higher priority charges? Our Practice Advice Service explains.
UK Finance to move the Mortgage Lenders' Handbook to a new webpage
UK Finance will be moving the Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook to a new webpage on 29 July 2020.
After the fire
Following the Grenfell fire, freeholders and leaseholders are facing significant difficulties in ensuring their homes are safe and that defective cladding is replaced. Oliver Pannell provides an update on the government’s response and recent case law
Open house
In the second of our new series on social housing, James Stone considers the potential impact on the sector of the government’s manifesto proposals and proposed legislative programme, including the extension of the right-to-buy scheme
On the safe side
Phil Parkinson and Katie Edwards review the significant changes around building safety in the last year, including new legislation, the impact of the pandemic, and what might happen in the year ahead
At your service
In the third in his series on what property solicitors need to know about different phases of the development process, Gavin Le Chat looks at drainage and the supply of services
The drinks business
Niall McCann and Richard Williams look at what property solicitors need to know when acting on transactions involving licensed premises where the tenant or owner is insolvent
Clear water
If you are acting for a buyer of a property on a water course, do you know the rights they might have, and the liabilities that might arise? Richard Bagwell outlines the principles
HMRC withdraws VAT concession for property searches by post
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has announced that the VAT ‘postal concession’ will be formally withdrawn on 1 December 2020.
Shifting sands
The digitisation of land and property data is now well under way, with Land Registry, local authorities, government bodies and search providers all embracing the change, to support the homebuying process. Kris Clark explains
