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When the legal ownership of a property is transferred, this is known as a transfer of equity. This process allows property owners to add their names onto the title of the property or remove themselves from the title of the property without selling the...
Any type of property transaction involves several important steps and sometimes this process can be time consuming. As we draw closer to the Stamp Duty Land Tax deadline on the 31 st March 2025, thousands of individuals across England and Wales will be...
Johnson Astills understand that property transactions, such as buying or selling a house can be a stressful process for any of our clients, but even more so for first-time buyers. Buying your first property is exciting and Johnson Astills aim to take as...
What is the Autumn Budget? The Autumn Budget is an update from the UK Government about the state of the economy. It was launched on 1 st November 2024. According to the UK Government, the aim of the budget is to fix the foundations of the economy and...
Johnson Astills understand that property transactions, such as buying or selling a house can be stressful and expensive. Conveyancing fees are the legal and administrative costs associated with transferring property ownership and will depend on the...
What is Conveyancing? Conveyancing is the legal process that must be undertaken to transfer the ownership of a property. Should I instruct a conveyancing firm or a solicitor’s firm? Both Conveyancers and Conveyancing Solicitors specialise in the...
When purchasing a property, it is important to budget for ground rent and service charge. This generally applies to Leasehold Property purchase and some freehold properties with management companies. Ground Rent Ground rent is generally paid to the...
Property Information Forms (TA6) form part of the draft contract pack that is sent to the buyer's solicitors on the sale of the property. The seller is required to complete the form and all replies given must be accurate. ...
Buying or Selling a property, may sound straightforward but it can sometimes 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. There...
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: 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 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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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...
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