Archive for May 2017

House prices in the UK rose by 4.1% in the year to March, taking the average property value to £215,847. However, the monthly figure between February and March dropped by 0.6%. The number of sales has remained stable for the last three months, but in the year to January there was a substantial fall in…

The government has postponed its proposed increases in probate application fees because there won’t be time to introduce them before the coming election. Ministers hope to go ahead with the changes later this year despite strong opposition from lawyers, charities and the public. Under the current fee structure, fees for grants of probate are set…

The government has announced new measures to speed up the development of derelict and unused land for new homes. Housing and Planning Minister Gavin Barwell said local authorities across the country will have to produce and maintain up-to-date, publicly available registers of brownfield sites. The new registers will help housebuilders identify sites quickly, helping to…

The problems that can arise if a person fails to keep their will up to date was highlighted in a recent case involving a deceased man’s estranged wife and his new partner’s dispute over his estate. The man had separated from his wife in 1994 but they did not divorce. Shortly after the separation, he…