Businesses often use standard Terms & Conditions (T&Cs) for speed, consistency, cost and risk allocation. Most businesses understand that written agreements are so much better because of the above factors…
Category: News
What exactly is a covenant?
Carolyn Bunn, Associate Solicitor at Spire Solicitors LLP, discusses the legal term known as a covenant. The deeds to my property refer to covenants, what is a covenant? A covenant is…
The question of joint ownership
Do you know how you hold your property with your co-owners? Rebecca Johnstone, Solicitor at Spire Solicitors LLP, discusses. All legal co-owners are joint tenants, and are separate from the…
BREXIT – ARTICLE 50 & what the result means for the UK
I am not sure that the whole Chinese proverb about living in interesting times has ever been more relevant than over the last couple of weeks. The immediate impact of…
When talking the talk may mean walking the walk
Negotiating contracts looks set to be tougher in future, with the news that clauses that require any changes to be made in writing and agreed by all the parties may…
The devilish detail on inheritance tax
When Chancellor George Osborne announced significant changes to inheritance tax (IHT) in last summer’s Budget speech, the move had been much anticipated. But rather than simply raising the tax-free threshold for…
How companies get caught in the slave trade
The recent conviction of a UK business owner for a human trafficking offence has been a wake-up call to big businesses to carefully monitor their supply chain, if they are…
The Stamp Duty surcharge – Q&A
Since April 1 2016, anybody paying more than £40,000 for a second property will be paying a higher rate of stamp duty land tax (SDLT) than somebody buying a property…
Panama Papers fall-out will impact every business
Media reporting on the so-called Panama Papers has focused on the tax affairs of wealthy individuals and international organisations, but the hacking of client files at Panamanian law firm Mossack…
Higher rates of SDLT on purchases of additional residential properties
In a drive to supposedly support home ownership and assist first time buyers, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has imposed stamp duty changes that levy a 3% penalty on those…
Online Courts Proposed
Proposals have been put forward for online paperless courts that would enable people to settle civil disputes of up to £25,000. The government sponsored report said that most cases would…
Rising costs of divorce encourage couples to ‘nest’ together
Splitting couples are facing a further rise in the cost of divorce with a big increase in court fees, and many are facing up to the challenge of asset-sharing and…
