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National Conveyancing Week 2024

Ewelina Popowska
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Johnson Astills proudly supporting National Conveyancing Week for the second year running! Here at Johnson Astills, we are proud to be associated with the initiative that aims to improve the experience of home movers and professionals involved in the home...

CONVEYANCING...hmm what in fact is it?

Ewelina Popowska
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CONVEYANCING: WHAT IS IT? Conveyancing is used to describe all the legal and administrative procedures involved in changing the ownership of land or buildings from one individual to another. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF CONVEYANCING Conveyancing is an...

Japanese Knotweed - don't shrug it off! Have you checked your house?

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Japanese Knotweed is an intrusive plant that spreads swiftly. The roots can reach depths of up to three meters and it can seriously damage infrastructure and buildings. Concrete cannot withstand its strength, which is why it is causing problems for sellers...

Frequently Asked Questions when Selling a Property

Katelyn  Isliker
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Why have I been asked to provide proof of identification? As a firm of solicitors, under the Money Laundering Regulations we must comply with the requirements for proof of identity and money laundering. This is a legal requirement, that means we require...

Buildings Insurance

Katelyn  Isliker
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Buildings Insurance covers your home in the event that damage that occurs to the structure of the property i.e the actual building. This could be in the event of a fire, flood, storm or if the damage was caused by vandalism, theft, fire etc. When you are...

Exchange of Contracts

Katelyn  Isliker
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What is an exchange of contracts? Exchange of contracts is when the buyer’s solicitor and the seller’s solicitor swap the contract documentation to confirm an agreement has been made between each party for the sale of the property. It is...

Full Title vs Limited Title Guarantee

Katelyn  Isliker
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When a property is sold, generally the seller agrees to sell their property with ‘full’ or ‘limited’ title guarantee. Full Title Guarantee Full title guarantee confirms that the seller has the right to sell the property and that...

Building Safety Act 2022

Katelyn  Isliker
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Following the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, the government aimed to reform building safety legislation through the introduction of the Building Safety Act 2022. The act is up to 260 pages and contains 6 parts. Various consultations have taken place to...

Johnson Astills proudly supporting inaugural National Conveyancing Week

Katelyn  Isliker
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Johnson Astills is proud to be associated with a brand-new initiative to improve the experience of home movers and professionals involved in the home moving process. National Conveyancing Week has been launched to raise the profile of organisations who...

Stamp Duty Land Tax Changes- September 2023

Katelyn  Isliker
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The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kwasi Kwarteng announced changes to the Stamp Duty Land Tax rules and these changes are effective from Friday 23 rd September 2022.   This means that regardless of when exchange of contracts took place, so long as...

Freehold vs Leasehold

Katelyn  Isliker
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When purchasing a property in the UK, the property can be either freehold or leasehold.  The two are quite different and it is important to understand the differences when searching for a property to buy.  Here at Johnson Astills, we are here to...

Things to know when Selling your Property

Katelyn  Isliker
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Selling your property, although may sound straightforward can often become prolonged and complicated. Not all transactions are the same due to several reasons but here at Johnson Astills, we are here to make the journey as smooth as possible. Here are some...

Things to Look out for when Buying a New Build Property

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A New Build Property is a property that has never been lived in before and has been recently constructed. Buying a New Build property is different from buying an older property, so it is important that you know what to look out for. Here at Johnson Astills,...

Tips for First Time Buyers

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Purchasing a property is one of the most important decisions that you will ever make and doing it for the first time can be daunting. Here at Johnson Astills, we are here to make the journey as smooth as possible.  The process can be time consuming and...

Land Registry Update 2021 - The Future

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This year HM Land Registry have introduced several innovative improvements to the registration and application process with a view to adjust and adapt to become more accessible to the public. This is mainly due to the need of the conveyancing process to be...

How to get the most from your Lifetime ISA account

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A lifetime ISA (LISA) is a savings account whereby you can save to help contribute to your first house purchase or to be used at the point of which you retire. It can be opened by anyone in the UK as long as you are between the ages of 18 and 39. This is a...

Important Things to Remember After You Move Home

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The process of moving home can be exhausting and exciting all at the same time. However, once you have received the keys to the property there is still some important work that needs to carried out to the property. You will need to hold back on opening that...

Joint Tenants or Tenants in Common, what is right for you?

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Buying a home with your partner or family member is an exciting and a life changing experience. It is therefore to know the different forms of legal ownership and to understand how they both work before you make an informed decision. Joint Tenants Joint...

What is involved in selling my property?

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A sale transaction may sound simple and straightforward but there is a lot of work that needs to be carried out by Solicitors. Sale transactions can easily become complicated or prolonged. Not all transactions are the same and this is due to various reasons...

I want to recover possession of property that I rent to tenants: what do I need to do? How is the process affected by the COVID-19 pandemic?

Laura Anderson
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A landlord that lets residential property under an Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) needs to give their tenant notice if they want them to leave. If the tenant doesn’t move out, the landlord needs to apply for a Possession Order, that will specify a...

Getting the most from your Help to Buy ISA account

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The government closed access to new help to buy ISA accounts from 30 th November 2019 and onwards. If you were fortunate enough to have opened a help to buy ISA prior to this date this guide will be useful to help you optimise the account for buying your...

IS IT A LEGAL REQUIREMENT FOR LANDLORDS TO HAVE THE ELECTRICS TESTED WHEN RENTING OUT A RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY?

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As of 1 st April 2021, new electrical regulations came into force requiring Landlords to arrange an inspection and to supply an electrical safety certificate for all privately rented properties. What are the Regulations? The electrical inspections must...

My relationship has ended: what happens to the house?

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According to the Office for National Statistics, there are over 6m people cohabiting without being married or in civil partnerships, However, unlike spouses and civil partners, cohabitees have no automatic right to make a financial claim against their former...

Should you use using an Estate Agent to sell your home?

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Are you looking to sell your home or investment property? One of the most important decisions you can make when selling your home is whether to sell through an estate agent or to arrange your sale privately directly to a prospective buyer. The aim of this...

Cladding - Government to bring an end to unsafe cladding

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On the 10 th February 2021, The Housing Secretary, Robert Jenrick discussed the issues surrounding cladding in the House of Commons and unveiled a five-point plan to bring an end to unsafe cladding.  The Grenfell fire tragedy has highlighted and...

The Stamp Duty Holiday has been extended

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What does this mean for you? We at Johnson Astills are excited to welcome the government’s announcement confirming the extension of the stamp duty holiday to 30 th June 2021. What is the Stamp Duty Holiday? The Stamp Duty Holiday was...

Does a Non-UK Resident pay extra SDLT?

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From 1st April 2021, all non-UK residents who purchase a property  will be liable for a new surcharge of stamp duty land tax (SDLT). An additional 2% will be payable on all purchases of residential property (freehold or leasehold) situated in England or...

Can you afford to buy your first property?

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First time buyer looking to get on the property ladder? At Johnson Astills we are here to guide you through the legal process of buying a property.  The most essential factor to determine if you can buy a property is affordability. The aim of this...

Completing Conveyancing Protocol forms

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Selling your House can be a stressful time, with many forms and documents which you will be required to complete which will be unfamiliar to you. Below we will break down the 3 main forms used when selling your property and explain what each form is used...

What are property searches and why do you need them?

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When you are purchasing a residential property, you will need searches carried out on the property. These are essential as they can help identify any previous planning permissions or building regulations which apply for the property. It can help identify...

Declarations of Trust: what they are and when you should use one

Laura Anderson
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If a property is in joint names, and the owners aren’t married/civil partners, the presumption upon sale is that each person will get an equal share of the net sale proceeds. If each individual owner contributed equally to the deposit and the mortgage,...

Are you still thinking of purchasing a property? The stamp duty holiday deadline is fast approaching!

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The Government announced in July 2020 the new reduced stamp duty rates, which meant that residential purchasers only paid stamp duty on properties above £500,000.00. If residential purchasers were subject to higher rate stamp duty then the changes...

Changes to the Use Classes Order

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The Government has introduced The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2020 (SI 2020 No.757) which has amended the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987. The new Regulations came into effect on the 1 st ...

Stamp Duty Land Tax: Temporary Reduced Rates for Residential Purchases

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Due to the Current pandemic which has affected every country globally, the UK government introduced temporary changes to the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) effective from the 8 th July 2020 until 31 st March 2021. The temporary SDLT change which has been...