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Wills, Inheritance Tax and Lasting Powers of Attorney The private client team at W H Matthews & Co Solicitors assists individuals, families and professional clients with the preparation of Wills and subsequent administration of their estates. The team comprises lawyers who are affiliated to a variety of...
Lasting Powers of Attorney Lasting Powers of Attorney What is the purpose of a Lasting Power of Attorney? A power of attorney is a legal document whereby a person (donor) gives another person or persons (the attorney/s) authority to make certain decisions on his...
Stamp Duty Land Tax - relief for first-time buyers Stamp Duty Land Tax relief for first-time buyers You must pay Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) if you buy a property or land over a certain price in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The current SDLT threshold is £125,000 for...
Property Ownership - Legal & Equitable Title Property Ownership – Legal & Equitable In England and Wales land can be held by an individual in two different ways. The two different types of ownership are known as the legal title and the beneficial interest. The legal...
What are Building Regulations? What are Building Regulations? Building regulations set standards for the design and construction of buildings. They ensure that facilities are provided for people, including those with disabilities, to access and move around inside buildings. ...
What is a Party Wall? What is a Party Wall? The main types of party walls are: A wall that stands on the boundary between a building owner and an adjoining owner's land. The wall may be part of one building (such as a house wall that is also the boundary wall) or part...
What is Parental Responsibility and who has it? What is parental responsibility? Most parents have a duty to protect and maintain their children and provide them with a home; this duty is known as ‘parental responsibility’. There are also certain rights which come together with the...
How do I evict my tenant? How do I evict a tenant occupying under an Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) agreement? There are several legal routes to evict a tenant, however the most common way to commence the process is by serving a “Section 21” notice (which...
Possession of Commercial Property Former tenants remaining in occupation of your commercial property A former tenant that remains in occupation after the expiry of a commercial lease excluded from the provisions of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 (LTA 1954) can be difficult particularly...
Airbnb Lettings Boom or Doom? Airbnb Lettings Boom or Doom? Airbnb is a bed and breakfast concept that allows people to list their residential properties and rent them short-term. The business has become increasingly popular, providing the opportunity of...
Thinking about moving to London? Moving to London? In London already but tired of the hustle and bustle of the city centre? Want to live somewhere that is an easy commute to the city but without the eye watering house prices? Why not consider Sutton? The Times has today ranked the small...
Judicial Separation Judicial separation What is judicial separation? Judicial separation is a formal separation of a married couple. Judicial separation has three main effects: You would no longer be required to live with your husband/wife; The Court can still make...
Private Client - Residential Nil Rate Band introduced - April 2017 Residential Nil Rate Band introduced - April 2017 Current situation Under the existing inheritance tax (IHT) rules individuals have a nil rate band of £325,000.As such an estate worth less than £325,000 will fall under the IHT...
Pension Rights For Unmarried Couples Unmarried woman wins right to survivor’s pension The number of couples opting to cohabit without getting married has been steadily on the rise for many years, with the Office of National Statistics (ONS) recently finding that there are now...
Right to Rent checks - know the rules! What is Right to Rent? Since February 2016, residential landlords have been obliged to ensure that their tenants have a right to live, and rent property, in the United Kingdom. This duty to essentially check the nationality and/or immigration status of...
Tips for First Time Buyers! Government Schemes to help buyers Prior to Christmas, The Chancellor of the Exchequer committed £3.7 billion to housing projects, including the development of 100,000 new ‘affordable homes.’ Today, the government has announced...
Adverse Possession Adverse Possession Selling your property is never as straightforward as you would like to think. There can be a number of issues that need to be resolved before the property can be sold to a buyer. One of these is adverse possession. What is Adverse...
What happens at the Christmas party happens at work! The season of work Christmas parties is upon us again, along with the multifarious associated responsibilities for managers to ensure that festivities do not result in an employment law hangover which continues into the new year. So what are some of the main...
An Overview of Annulment What is an annulment? Annulment is a way of bringing a marriage to an end without the need to enter into formal divorce proceedings. You may annul your marriage at any time, unlike a divorce where you are required to wait one year before issuing a...
The Myth of Common Law Marriage Rise in cohabitees and the myth of common law marriage According to figures recently published by the Office of National Statistics (ONS), the number of cohabiting couples living in the UK has more than doubled over the past 20 years, reaching in excess...
Making a Will Making a Will Your Will is a very important document that dictates what happens to your money, property and possessions when you die. If you want to be sure that when you die your wishes will be taken care of then making a Will is essential. ...
Equality law: what are protected characteristics? Equality law: what are protected characteristics? Under the Equality Act 2010, employers have a duty to provide all their employees (or potential recruits) with equal opportunities and to ensure that they do not suffer any form of direct or...
Lease Extension - Tip for a Wise Tenant! Extending your lease under The Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 for an additional term of 90 years requires that a premium is to be paid to your Landlord. This premium is calculated as a total of the diminution in value of the...
Ending a Civil Partnership How may I end my civil partnership? Acknowledging that your relationship has broken down can be extremely distressing, especially after you and your partner have spent so much time together. The legal side to ending a civil partnership can also appear...
Top Tips for Tricky Tenants! Whether you are a property mogul or investing in a buy-to-let, the landscape for Landlord’s is becoming more and more difficult to traverse. Recent updates in legislation have led to confusion throughout the Residential Landlord & Tenant...
Lasting Powers of Attorney - FAQ's A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a document which allows you to appoint someone (known as an attorney) to help you make decisions and manage your affairs in case you lose your mental capacity due to illness or an accident. There are two types of LPA: ...
How will Brexit affect house prices? How will Brexit affect house prices? One of the big topics surrounding the whole Brexit debate relates to its potential impact upon the property market in the UK. In the run up to the historic vote on 23rd June 2016, the former Chancellor...
Ex-wife awarded 90% of assets in divorce Peter Morris, the successful managing director of a software company, is reportedly appealing a divorce ruling in which his ex-wife, Jane Morris, was awarded 90% of the family assets. Ms Morris quit her career as a recruitment consultant to become a...