20% discount for the under 40s could help thousands onto the property ladder

Luton BedfordshireDavid Cameron has promised to help First-time house-buyers under the age of 40 by offering a 20% discount on new homes if the Conservatives are re-elected. The scheme, an extension of Help-to-Buy, could impact tens of thousands of families. If you’re under 40, you could be eligible…
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Back by popular demand…

Chimney stacks, flues and fireplaces

The pitfalls, weaknesses and characteristics of chimneys and what to do about repairing and removing them…
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VAT Property Payment Ruling in Conveyance Case

Ref. CLP Holding Co Ltd V Singh and Kaur (2014) EWCA Civ 1103
The court ruled on who was responsible for a VAT payment on the purchase of a commercial property, when there was an element of conflict within the conveyance procedure concerning general and specific terms. The result carries a number of interesting points for commercial conveyancers and property owners…
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“Buy land, they’re not making it anymore” – As it turns out, they actually are…

PS PICTURE

Ref. Loose v Lynn Shellfish Limited (2014) EWCA Civ 846
The immortal quote from Mark Twain, “Buy Land, they’re not making it anymore” was this month challenged in the courts with a case over newly accreted land in the Wash. Legal ownership was called into question in a High Court Case last year and has been considered again in the Court of Appeal. So the question is, are they making land?
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The Property Market Monthly Fact File – October 2014

The property market fact file is a collection of data compiled each month by our Chartered Surveyors and the propertysurveying.co.uk team; collating survey data, statistics, trends and information from the property market. This aims to help many persons with an interest in property gain an accurate view of what is happening in the UK property market as a whole.
To read the monthly fact file, click here.

Article 4 – Implementation Controversy

Islington Council imposed an Article 4 Direction within their remit. The Department for Communities and Local Government overruled the imposition of the Article 4 Direction. Following an appeal process, Islington Council have been allowed to re-impose the Direction following confirmation that the DCLG were using inaccurate data in their assessment of the case.
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Planning Changes: – 2013 and 2014 New Permitted Development Rights:

All works carried out in England and Wales require planning permission. Certain types of extensions and changes of use, subject to certain limits and conditions, do not require a full planning permission from a Local Planning Authority. Unless these automatic rights are removed, it can be assumed that permission is automatically granted.
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City Council first to obtain Regulation 7 order covering Lettings Boards

Newcastle City Council is thought to have become the first authority of its kind to have successfully obtained Government approval for a Regulation 7 order covering lettings boards
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