Posts by cardelladmin

More than 458,000 homes have been sold to people using one or more of the government’s Help to Buy schemes. Just over 400,000 went to first time buyers. Under the Help to Buy: ISA, the government will boost your savings by 25%. So, for every £200 you save, you receive a government bonus of £50.…

The Court of Protection has appointed a deputy to look after the interests of a woman who lacked capacity to manage her property and affairs. The woman was 71 and prior to becoming ill, had not set up a Lasting Power of Attorney, which would have enabled her to appoint someone in advance to look…

The government has unveiled plans to ensure home buyers, sellers, tenants, landlords and leaseholders receive the best possible service from property agents. A new working group, chaired by Lord Best, and made up of experts from across the property sector will consider areas that can be improved. This will include the case for regulation and…

More than six out of 10 people are unaware that will-writers who aren’t solicitors are unregulated and may have no insurance and very little experience.   The Wills & Probate Consumer Research Report 2018 shows that only 37% of adults have made a will. It says the wills ‘take-up’ is skewed towards older age groups…

Lord Lexden wants a change in the law to allow siblings who live together to have the same inheritance tax exemption as married couples and people with civil partnerships.   Inheritance tax is set at 40% and becomes payable once the tax-free threshold of £325,000 has been passed.   The exemption for married couples and…

Most newbuild homes will in future be sold as freehold, while leases will be capped at £10.   The new measures are part of a government clampdown on unfair practices in the housing market.   Communities Secretary James Brokenshire has launched a consultation on plans to improve the leaseholder sector, which will bring an end…

Two sisters have been ordered to pay their dead father’s partner £325,000 from his estate, worth approximately £1m.   The court heard that James Redmond had made a will 20 years ago leaving everything to his two daughters.   However, since making the will he had formed a relationship with Carole Anne Taylor after meeting…

Stamp duty for first-time buyers of shared-ownership homes costing up to £500,000 has been abolished by Chancellor Philip Hammond.   Shared ownership is the system in which a person owns a percentage of a property, typically between 25 and 75%, and a housing association owns the rest. The scheme makes it possible to buy all…

Chancellor Philip Hammond surprised political commentators by producing what’s been described as a “giveaway budget” featuring tax cuts and increased public spending.   While many people will welcome the increase in personal tax allowance and extra funds for services like the NHS, there was also some disappointment that there was no increase in inheritance tax…