News and Testimonials
Stamp Duty after the Budget
The new threshold of £250,000 for first time buyers is effective for all completions of residential properties from 25th March 2010 until 24th March 2012, irrespective of when exchange of contracts took place. However, to qualify the buyer (or all buyers if more than one) must never have previously owned, or part owned, any property or land either in the UK or anywhere else in the world, and must occupy the property being purchased as his, her or their main residence. Buyers will have to sign a confirmation that they qualify for the relief and we expect HMRC to check the accuracy of these statements. We do not yet know what penalties will apply for an untrue or incorrect statement, but they are not likely to be pleasant!
At the other end of the scale, anyone thinking of moving to a property worth £1m or more does not need to panic, the increased stamp duty rate of 5% (on the entire price) does not come into effect until 6th April 2011 - so you need to complete the purchase on or before 5th April 2011.
Home Information Packs
As from 21st May 2010, a HIP is no longer needed to sell a property, although an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) still has to be obtained.
We have always been of the opinion that HIPs were a complete waste of time and money, and Nick Hutchinson has had letters published in the legal press to that effect! You can achieve much the same benefit, without the upfront cost, by instructing your solicitor as soon as possible once you have decided to sell. If you instruct us, then if you wish we can assemble a full legal pack of documents ready to send out as soon as a buyer is found. Alternatively, if you are in no hurry we can wait until you have accepted an offer before progressing the legal formalities. Either way, we offer an efficient and speedy service tailored to what you want.
Testimonials
We wouldn't be human if we didn't like getting praise where it is due, and if we didn't want to share some of that praise with you! Forget comparison websites, Yellow Pages or glossy ads - the best way to choose a law firm is from personal recommendation. Here are just a few of the many unsolicited testimonials we have received, chosen to illustrate why we think we are better:
We were extremely grateful for the way you kept us fully updated - and took the stress away when problems arose (conveyancing client). We take keeping you in touch with progress - or even lack of it! - very seriously and try to keep the inevitable stress to a minimum for you.
Thanks for the prompt response, it's much appreciated (former client from 2001). OK, this isn't exactly effusive but in this case we received an email sent overnight, one snowy morning in early 2010, and had provided the client with all the details he needed to provide to the Inland Revenue in respect of his property purchase nine years earlier, by 10.30am that same morning. Just try even getting an initial acknowledgement of receipt of your query from any big company in the same timescale!
Efficiency personified! Thank you! (commercial property client). This from a client in Ireland, where we delivered the required outcome quickly and efficiently despite him being in another country.
I would also like to say that your staff were always so friendly and helpful whenever I spoke to them. It does make such a difference (conveyancing client). We think this is one of the things that separates us from larger, so-called 'bulk conveyancing' or 'factory' firms (one of which was memorably described to us as an "incompetent bunch of box-tickers" by a client of ours who was forced by his lender to use another conveyancing company) - everyone here is knowledgeable and approachable, and we put you first.
