On 17th May 2023 the Renters Reform Bill will be introduced into Parliament which will affect approximately 11 million renters and 2 million landlords in England.
For any tenancy granted after 1st October 2015, the tenant must be provided with the most recent How to Rent Guide available at the time. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities has on 24th March 2023 issued a revised version of the guide. If you fail to serve your tenant with the relevant copy of the guide you will be unable to serve a valid S.21 Notice should this be required further down the line. It is therefore important to ensure this step has been followed at the outset of any new tenancy agreement.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01273 582271 or litigation@barwells.com
You can find out more information at GOV.UK: www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-rent
Conveyancing can seem complicated, especially if you are a first-time buyer. So, here are the 6 main steps when purchasing:
1. Preparing to buy Contact your mortgage company and chosen solicitor early on, to ensure everything’s in place, ready for when you find your new home and make an offer.
2. Property investigations (searches) Once your offer has been accepted, we’ll start our detailed investigations on the legal title of the property and surrounding area, such as the obtaining a local authority, water & drainage and environment search.
We have spoken to a number of landlord clients recently who have agreed to extend their Section 21 deadlines in order to assist their tenants and the local council in rehousing the tenants. This is risky. It is really important that any landlord or agents note that a Section 21 notice can only be used as the basis of a possession claim if the possession claim is issued within 6 months of the date on which the Section 21 notice is given to the tenants. On three recent occasions our landlord clients have granted extensions of the Section 21 notice whilst in discussions with the tenants and council. By the time they come to Barwells the 6 month period has expired and we then have to issue a new Section 21 notice. If you have any questions about this please do not hesitate to contact us on litigation@barwells.com or 01273 582271.
The transferrable Nil Rate Band (TNRB) was introduced by the Finance Act 2008 and is available when someone has died on or after 9 October 2007, even if their spouse or civil partner died before this date. This was heralded by the Government as “doubling” the Inheritance Tax threshold for married couples and civil partners.
