25 April 2019
S21 no-fault eviction notices to be abolished – disaster for Landlords?
In what they have described as “the biggest change to the private rental sector for a generation”, the government has unveiled plans to hold a consultation on their proposal to abolish “no-fault evictions” under Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988.
25 March 2019
Real Estate Directorship may carry a real risk
It is not unusual for tenants of apartments to be directors of the company that owns the freehold of their building. Sometimes tenants choose to become directors, sometimes they are required to do so by the contract when they purchase the property. In either event it would be sensible to take legal advice before agreeing to be appointed as a director.
12 March 2019
Estate agents come under the HMRC spotlight
On 4 March, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (“HMRC”) announced that they had imposed a £215,000 fine on Countrywide estate agents for failing to register the company as required under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017. This announcement was swiftly followed by the publication of the Treasury Committee report on economic crime on 8 March, where estate agents came in for stinging criticism for failing to have proper regard to money laundering compliance and risk assessment in their dealings.
18 February 2019
A room with a view: Angry neighbours lose Tate Modern balcony case
A recent high court decision has rejected claims that a neighbouring viewing platform amounted to nuisance and an invasion of privacy.
6 February 2019
S.D.L.T. on SDLT (Solicitors Don’t Lose Time on Stamp Duty Land Tax)
From 1 March 2019 legislation being introduced by the Finance Bill 2018-19 means the deadline to file an SDLT return and pay SDLT will be cut from 30 days to 14 days after the effective date of the transaction.