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Can I gift my house to my children? Why it can be risky if you still live there

Emma Stewart
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Yes, in England and Wales you can legally gift your house to your children. However, if you plan to carry on living in it, gifting your home is rarely advisable. Once the property belongs to your child, you lose the legal protection that ownership gives you,...

What Are Title Deeds?

Lottie Dunkley
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Title deeds often raise questions for homeowners, particularly when considering a future sale or reviewing long‑held documents. While historic paper deeds once formed the core evidence of property ownership, the modern system of land registration has...

Why Choosing a Client-Focused Conveyancer Matters

Lottie Dunkley
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When you’re moving home, buying your first property, or dealing with a sale, it’s natural to focus on cost. Conveyancing quotes can vary widely, and many clients ask the same question: why do fees differ so much? The answer usually comes down to...

Understanding the value of Residential Conveyancing and why it is so important to choose the right firm

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In today’s volatile property market, both buyers and sellers are mindful of costs – and understandably so.  For most, buying or selling a home is one of the most financially significant undertakings they will encounter in their lives....

Changes to the SDLT Thresholds

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Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is a tax applied on the purchase of property in England and Northern Ireland and so forms a part of the work we undertake as part of your purchase. SDLT is charged at different rates depending on the purchase price of a property. ...

The benefits of using your local conveyancing solicitor

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You’ve just had an offer accepted on your dream home. If it wasn’t hard enough to pick the right house for you, it can sometimes be even harder to select the best conveyancer for the job. Frequently, you see conveyancers dealing with transactions...

How Long Does It Take to Sell My House?

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Selling your home “How long will it take to  sell my house ?” is probably the question we are asked most as  conveyancing  solicitors. So how long does it take? If you like watching soaps, you may be under the impression...

What Do I Need To Do When Buying a Home?

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Congratulations, you have found your dream home and had your offer accepted! What do you need to do next? 1. You need to choose a solicitor There are many conveyancing firms out there, I would advise to phone for a quote rather than looking at online...

How to sell a house when someone dies

Lottie Dunkley
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Suffering the loss of a loved one is a difficult time on its own, without the added stress of knowing what to do with their house. If you find yourself in this unfortunate situation, here is a short guide on where to start with the process.  In the...

Rishi Sunak's Budget Gives Boost To Generation Rent

Emma Crocker
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Rishi Sunak’s Spring Budget provided good news for first-time homebuyers.  Not only was the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) holiday extended until the end of September 2021 (more on this below), but Mr Sunak announced the government will back a new...

Stamp Duty Relief - Should I Buy That Leasehold Property?

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SDLT Relief?  Should I Buy that Leasehold Property?  Given the recent new relief on Stamp Duty Land Tax (“SDLT”), which is in place until 31 March 2020 on properties up to a value of £500,000, you may think that now is the...

Spotlight on...Careers in Residential Conveyancing

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At Brethertons we are proud to have an award winning Residential Conveyancing department, operating out of all 3 offices; Banbury , Bicester and Rugby . We believe our conveyancing services stand out from the crowd by focusing greatly on client care...

Brethertons Scoop Two Awards at the Law Firm Services Awards 2019

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We are delighted to announce that last night, at the Law Firm Services Awards 2019, Brethertons were named ‘Regional Conveyancing Firm of the Year’ for West Midlands, for the second year in a row, as well as receiving the Bronze Award for...

Right to Buy - Meaning and Eligibility

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Have you ever thought about purchasing your council/housing association property? Perhaps as a way to climb the property ladder or secure your home for your future and that of your family? If eligible, the scheme would allow you to purchase the property at...

Buying a home

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Congratulations, you have found your dream home and had your offer accepted. What do you need to do next? 1. You need to choose a solicitor There are many conveyancing firms out there, I would advise to phone for a quote rather than looking at online...

Selling your home

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“How long will it take to sell my house ?” is probably the question we are asked most as conveyancing solicitors. So how long does it take? If you like watching soaps, you may be under the impression that by simply signing a Transfer Deed...

Stamp Duty changes

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Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is the payment of tax required if you buy a property or land over a certain price in England and Northern Ireland. There are particular thresholds which determine just how much SDLT is due starting at £125,000 for...

Three Easy Steps to Protect Your Property From Fraud

Lottie Dunkley
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Property fraud is on the rise and your property is probably the most valuable asset you own so it is important to protect it from the risk of fraud. People are increasingly falling victim to property fraud because the tactics fraudsters use are much more...

Stamp Duty for Shared Ownership Properties

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You may by now have heard the news from the Autumn Budget that first-time buyers purchasing shared ownership homes will be eligible for first-time buyers relief. But what does this actually mean? We’ve set out below an overview of the law, the changes...

Finalists for the Modern Law Conveyancing Awards

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We are delighted to announce that we have been shortlisted for three awards at the upcoming Modern Law Conveyancing Awards . We have been nominated for Conveyancing Firm of the Year in both the South and Midlands region, as well as National...

What is a Transfer of Equity?

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A transfer of equity or transfer of title is when someone is added or removed from the title to a property. There can be a number of reasons why someone may wish to undertake a transfer of equity of their property. For instance, they may wish to...

Help to Buy: Shared Ownership - What does it mean? Who can help?

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“Shared Ownership” is one of HM Government’s Help to Buy schemes. It is designed to help prospective purchasers who are unable to afford a mortgage for 100% of the property value. It instead offers the purchaser an opportunity to purchase a...

Southern Conveyancing Firm of the Year

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We are delighted to announce we have been shortlisted in this year’s Law Firm Services (LFS) Conveyancing Awards for the sixth time since 2012. This year we have been shortlisted to win the 2017 Regional Conveyancing Firm of the Year for both the...

Brethertons Appointed to 'Help to Buy Midlands' Solicitors Panel

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We are delighted to report that we have been appointed to the ‘Help to Buy Midlands’ Solicitors Panel – confirming our commitment to the property sector and the affordable housing market.    ‘Help to Buy Midlands’ is...

Is your garden hiding every homeowners worst nightmare?

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In the world of conveyancing, there are a number of things for both current and prospective homeowners to be aware of.  One of these problems is the invasive species of plant, Japanese Knotweed (fallopia japonica).  Japanese Knotweed is an...

Fraudulent House Sale - Who's responsible?

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A new case examines conveyancers’ duties to avoid fraudulent property sales.   In August 2012 a solicitor Mr A’Court was approached by a man calling himself Mr Dawson, who instructed A’Court to act on his behalf in selling a property...

Veyo scheme scrapped

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Following on from my first blog about Veyo, the Law Society has announced on 3rd December that it will no longer be investing in the proposed online conveyancing Portal known as Veyo. Veyo was to be an online tool facilitating communication between...

Six common mistakes people make when buying a house

Steven Neasham
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Buying a home is a Big Deal.  Getting onto the property ladder can be a life-affirming event and for even the most seasoned of property tycoons, investing in a new property is a momentous occasion. So exhilarating and nerve-wracking is the prospect,...

New home for Brethertons in Bicester

Steven Neasham
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In recent times, Bicester has seen a raft of upgrades to the town centre including the new cinema, shopping area and a large supermarket. That was phase one of the Council’s plan to modernise the town.  At Brethertons, we’ve been eagerly...

What is the difference between freehold and leasehold?

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In broad terms there are just two ways in which any residential property in England and Wales can be owned – freehold or leasehold.  But what is the difference?  Is one better than the other? Legally the two forms of ownership are completely...