The taxman could take some of the money you want to go to loved ones after you die if you fail to make a will and keep it up to date. Some may also go to an estranged husband or wife. That’s the warning from the Law Society, which has just conducted a survey revealing
Changes to stamp duty announced in the Autumn Statement by Chancellor George Osborne have helped stimulate the housing market, according to solicitors and estate agents. Mr Osborne said 98% of people in England and Wales will now pay less duty when buying a property. Only those buying homes worth more than £937,000 will be worse
The government has announced that a £2m fund is to be spent on initiatives aimed at reducing the gender pay gap. The funding will go towards training, events and monitoring programmes for women to help them move from low paid, low skilled work to jobs that are high paid and high skilled. The measures will
More than one million people are running the risk of leaving their partners with nothing when they die, because they haven’t made a will stating what should happen to their estate. As the law stands, if somebody dies intestate – without a will – then their assets will be inherited by their spouse or civil
House prices rose by 12.1% in the year to the end of September, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Prices increased by 0.5% on a monthly basis between August and September this year. The statistics only include homes that were bought with a mortgage. The increases mean that prices have been rising faster
A subcontractor has been told it must accept liability for faulty workmanship that caused a flood at a block of flats even though the work was examined and signed off by the construction company running the project. The case involved flats built in the south of England. The construction company responsible for the development subcontracted
The national minimum wage has risen by 19p to £6.50 per hour as of 1 October 2014. The rate applies to anyone aged 21 or over. All other rates have also risen, with workers aged 18-20 now earning at least £5.13 per hour, workers aged 16-17 on at least £3.79 per hour and apprentices on
Up to 10,000 new homes will be built between 2015 and 2018 as part of the government’s new Rent to Buy scheme. Housing associations will be able to apply for low-cost loans from a fund of £400m to finance the projects. They will then have 16 years to repay the loans, and during this time,
The inheritance tax threshold could rise significantly before the general election in May 2015. Prime Minister David Cameron believes that families should not be made to pay large amounts of tax on homes where they have lived for several years. He hopes to increase the inheritance tax threshold in the coalition’s final budget before the
A man has been ordered to pay £28,500 to his former partner after he had assured her that she would have a home for life. The couple began living together in 2002. The woman had been living in a secure tenancy and had limited resources. They bought a house with the man’s capital and he