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We are founder members of Certainty - an organisation recently set up to maintain a register of wills. This is to ensure a will is not lost and can be easily accessed when required. For more information go to www.certainty.co.uk
Margary & Miller news articles are designed to keep you up to date with changes in the law and important court cases that may affect you, your family and your business.
Please contact us if you would like more information about any of the issues raised.
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Employees will have to pay to bring tribunal claims
Employees wanting to bring tribunal claims will have to pay fees ranging from £150 to £1,750 under new proposals announced by the Government.
Ministers say the move will relieve pressure on businesses and reduce the £84m annual cost to the taxpayer. read more
Local authorities lose appeal over planning permission for HMOs
Three councils have lost their appeal for a judicial review of the Coalition Government’s decision to scrap the need for planning permission when converting single dwellings into houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).
The need for planning permission was introduced in April 2010 by the last Labour Government after it had conducted a consultation with interested parties the previous year.read more
Developers must pay extra after selling land cheap
A development firm must pay more than it bargained for to a local authority after selling on land at below market price to a group company.
The developers bought the land from the authority with a view to creating a business park.
The authority retained a share in the open market value of the land, which meant an uplift was payable if the developers disposed of the land by sale or lease, or if they wanted to buy out the authority’s share.read more
Don’t overlook new tax relief for property investors
Investors buying properties consisting of two or more flats could be spending far more than necessary if they don’t take advantage of a Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) relief introduced in the Finance Act 2011.
The change rectified the situation whereby if an investor bought a property containing several flats from the same seller, the rate of SDLT would be determined by the total amount payable. For example, if there were five flats at £250,000 each then the total purchase cost would be £1.25m. read more
When a letter can amount to a written contract
A firm of architects has won a dispute over fees after the High Court ruled that a letter it had sent to its client did amount to a written contract.
The case arose after the architects agreed to carry out consultancy services for a local authority under a framework agreement. The work was to be carried out in two stages. read more
New rules aim to prevent risky mortgage lending
New rules to prevent the kind of risky mortgage lending that was common during the housing boom could be in place by next year.
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) wants tighter controls so that people don’t borrow more than they can afford and are properly informed when they take out a mortgage. It says it wants “common sense” standards to apply in future.read more
Till turning 60 do us part – divorce in later life
Divorce among the over-60s is at records levels.
The latest figures show that the overall divorce rate across all age groups fell by 11% between 2007 and 2009.
However, the figure for the over-60s rose by 4.2% to 11,507 over the same period. read more
Inheritance tax cuts to support charity will start in April
The Government has confirmed that its proposal to cut inheritance tax (IHT) on estates that support charity will be implemented in April.
The plan was announced in last year’s Budget statement. Chancellor George Osborne said that if at least 10% of the estate is left to charity, IHT will be cut by 10%.
This would reduce the rate from the standard 40% to 36% for qualifying estates. read more