Leaseholders with Countryside Properties will no longer be subjected to ground rents that double every 10 or 15 years. The effect of these increases is that people often struggle to sell or mortgage their home and their property rights can be at risk, for example, if they fall behind on their rent. Countryside will also
Probate lawyers are urging the government to introduce reforms to make it easier for families to access the ‘digital assets’ of deceased relatives. A new report carried out by STEP – the professional body for inheritance planning advisers – highlights the extent of the distress caused by being cut off from digital assets when family members
There’s been a large rise in the number of married couples using ‘prenups’ over the last 20 years, according to a new survey. The survey, carried out by Savanta ComRes for the Marriage Foundation, found that one in five couples married since 2000 have some form of a pre-nuptial agreement in place. This compared to
The coverage in the press in relation to Alice Thompson’s case against her employer Manors Estate Agents is understandable: any case with a large settlement figure and an easy headline is going to attract attention. However, while it is being portrayed as a huge pay out for simply not allowing an employee to leave work
The High Court has ruled that a judge’s decision to limit a mother’s evidence in a domestic abuse case to five allegations was wrong and should be set aside. The case involved a married couple who separated in 2019. They had two children aged 12 and three. In 2020, they each issued applications for child
A man has been removed as an executor of his mother’s will after his brother complained that he was obstructing the administration of the estate. The case involved three brothers; two of them were executors of her will. Following several years of disagreement, one of the brothers raised a petition seeking the removal of the
Three homeowners have lost their appeal against a decision that sections of land they bought with their homes should be classed as ‘gardens or grounds’ and so be subject to Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) at the full rate. The issue in each case was whether the land sold with each house was, or formed
Two children caught up in a parental dispute have been allowed by the High Court to choose to live with their mother in England. The children were aged 17 and 14. Their mother and father were Spanish nationals who had moved to the UK in 2004. The relationship had broken down and the father had
The High Court has reconciled contradictory instructions relating to a deceased woman’s estate so that all three of her children can receive an equal inheritance. The court made the ruling after the trustees of a settlement applied for an interpretation of the woman’s will. Under the deed of settlement, the woman had a special power
The government has announced the next step in its plan to provide an extra 1,500 homes for first time buyers and key workers by 2023. Home builders across England have been invited to bid for a share of the £150 million being made available by offering plots for sale as First Homes, The contract award