Blogs
Which pre-contract searches do I need when buying a commercial property?
When buying a commercial property, it is vital to ensure all mandatory searches are carried out, aswell as any additional checks needed for the specific property. The required searches will vary depending on the property’s location and whether it is bought with cash or a mortgage. Why are ....
Hertfordshire and Essex: centres for investment and innovation
In our Private Wealth Guide for 2021/22, we featured some of Hertfordshire and Essex’s best and brightest businesses – those that were bucking the downward economic trend and achieving impressive things despite the odds. In recent years, both counties have attracted significant regiona....
Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill announced
The government has published a press release announcing the next stage of its moratorium on commercial evictions due to rent arrears: the Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill, which was introduced to Parliament on 9 November. Commercial landlords have been barred from evicting tenants unable to pa....
Leaving cryptocurrency in your Will
In our previous blog, we wrote about digital assets and their importance in estate planning. One such asset is cryptocurrency – a type of digital currency which is controlled independently from a central bank – which has taken the investment world by storm in recent years. You may have heard of....
What are digital assets and why should you include them in your Will?
If you have a social media account, use an online banking app, or are subscribed to a music service like Spotify, then you are the proud owner of a digital asset. What are digital assets? A digital asset is anything that is stored digitally (i.e. in binary format) that you either own or h....
A picture of strength and resilience: Hertfordshire, Essex and COVID-19
In September, we published the third edition of our annual Private Wealth Guide, fully updated for 2021-22 and, as usual, full of facts, figures and statistics outlining the very best that Hertfordshire and Essex have to offer to high-net-worth individuals. This year, however, has been somewhat ....
Bank of Mum and Dad: Potential pitfalls of parental lending
NatWest, HSBC, Nationwide… when we think of mortgage lending, our thoughts inevitably stray to the household names of the banking sector. But did you know that parents and relatives – also known as the Bank of Mum and Dad or BoMaD – are collectively the UK’s ninth largest mortgage lender? I....
Is it time to buy your freehold?
Extending your lease can be a long and complicated process. However, doing so promptly, with the help of a specialist solicitor, can save you thousands of pounds in extra costs and add value to your property. If you are in a position to do so, however, the best course of action might be to buy the ....
Leaseholders set to gain new rights
Issues with the current leasehold system, which dates back to the 1800s, have been the subject of public and media scrutiny for many years now. Although leaseholders were given more rights in the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993, which allowed them to extend their lease and ....
Preventing sexual harassment in the workplace
According to charity Rights of Women, 44% of callers to their sexual harassment helpline reported that they had been sexually assaulted in their place of work. In a survey of callers to the charity’s Sexual Harassment at Work advice line between August 2019 and August 2020, it was revealed tha....
Freedom Day is coming… what employers need to know
Following a four-week delay on 21 June, so called ‘Freedom Day’ is almost here – exactly 480 days after England’s first lockdown measures were introduced. On Monday 19 July 2021, all remaining legal coronavirus restrictions in England are set to be lifted. However, with the Delta variant of....
The eviction ban has ended but landlords should still proceed with caution
In March 2020, the government introduced a series of emergency measures to protect residential tenants from the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. One of these measures was a ban on residential possession proceedings and eviction, with the aim that “no renter in either social or privat....
