ICO updates subject access code to reflect recent Court of Appeal decisions
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has updated its subject access code of practice to reflect developments in Court of Appeal judgments given in early 2017.
New beneficial ownership register of entities holding UK property – as clear as mud?
When, in September 2015, Private Eye published their online map of properties in England and Wales owned by overseas companies, few would have suspected that ...
New anti-money laundering measures are coming into force and will impact the 'People with Significant Control' regime
Article 30 of the Fourth Money Laundering Directive, which relates to beneficial ownership of corporate and other legal entities, will bring about changes to the UK's existing 'People with Significant Control' (PSC) regime.
What is the impact of Brexit or other "unforeseen" events on financial orders on divorce?
Earlier this month, the Evening Standard reported that a fruit farmer, Paul Mansfield, had sought permission to appeal an order requiring him to pay £12.2 million to his ex-wife.
The latest "MEESage" for landlords
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has published much awaited guidance on minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) for non-domestic property.
Sooner rather than later, please!
Marketing your property for sale – when does a selling agent's commission become due? Not many sellers think of their conveyancer when considering a selling agent's terms of business as part of their initial instruction on who best to market the property.
What a relief!
On 1 March 2017, the Supreme Court decided that property owners seeking to carry out refurbishments can claim business rates relief.
The Supreme Court has reversed the Court of Appeal decision in Newbigin (VO) v S J & J Monk and reinstated the previously well-worn principle that premises should be valued for the purposes of business rates with regard to the actual physical condition of the premises (without a hypothetical assumption that the premises are in repair).
Vary and Pay! The SDLT Transitional Trap
What happens to those property contracts that have already been entered into when the Government announces a SDLT rate change? Unsurprisingly, with off-plan residential properties and agreements for commercial leases being marketed and exchanged far in advance of their respective build date and completion dates, this is a frequently asked question.
2017: The year of the squatter?
With two swift and successful squatters' evictions by our property litigation team in the first few weeks of January, as well as a recent high-profile judgment eviction of squatters from a £15m Belgravia property, 2017 is looking to be, not only the year of the rooster, but also the year of the squatter!
The importance of inspection
The recent case of Trevallion v Watmore & Another (2016) reminds us why buyers must carry out a careful inspection of the boundaries of a property prior to purchase.
Numbers 46 and 52 Melville Street in Sandown are adjoining properties. The Trevallions' title to 46 was held an unregistered 1,000 year underlease, granted in 1954. The demise included a triangular piece of land at the end of the garden of 52. The owners of 46 used it for storage and a six foot fence had been erected between 52 and the triangular land.