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Residential conveyancing opportunities left over from the Olympics

By Residential Department | Published: Feb 21,2012

With the Olympics just around the corner, many are looking forward to watching or being part of the spectacle. But when the event ends, those looking for property might be able to use a residential conveyancing solicitor to walk away with a little bit of the games.

Potential home owners wishing to acquire London property might want to look at the Olympic village in Stratford, which will be converted into 2,800 flats and houses.

More than half of the properties have already been sold to Triathlon homes, who aim to give 675 to councils, while the rest will be ear-marked as private houses.

UK developers Delancy and estate agency company Qatari Diar will own the rest of the homes in an area to be known as the East Village.

The Independent reports that the average house price in the Olympic village will be around £260,000, with a further 8,000 homes to be built by a variety of developers in the future.

A few years ago, Stratford was widely regarded as a run-down area with a high crime rate and unsightly buildings, but, since then, the area has benefited from a new £1.45bn shopping centre and transport links. Developers hope that these projects might make the area more desirable to potential home owners.

The athletes’ village in Weymouth will also be converted into homes by developers ZeroC, who have set prices between £135,000 and £260,000 – most of these, however, have already been sold.

To find out if Healys could help you purchase a piece of the 2012 Olympic Games, contact our residential conveyancing specialists here.

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Letting agent negligence issues behind e-petition

By Professional Negligence Department | Published: Feb 15,2012

At its worst letting agent negligence can really push the limits of professional malpractice.

Whether properties have been allowed to become derelict, been flooded, infested with vermin, or rents have been left unpaid, some of the transgressions landlords, and tenants, have to put up with defy belief.

That’s why, from a professional negligence lawyer’s standpoint, it is no surprise to see that someone has launched an e-petition which calls on the government to introduce formal licensing for letting agents.

However, like all e-petitions, the one this one requires 100,000 signatures before the issues it raises are debated in the House of Commons.

The man who has launched the petition says he believes that “a simple compulsory licensing structure would offer greater protection both to tenants and to landlords whilst ensuring that only the most professional letting agents continued to thrive”.

Such a scheme would have an important bearing on negligence claims, helping to ensure that there are means and processes for redress in all cases where a letting agent has been remiss.

As such Professional Indemnity Insurance and client money protection insurance would be mandatory for all letting agents.

A situation where unlicensed letting agents are regulated out of the market would be a win-win for both landlords and tenants. Who knows, it might even bring about a fall in the rate of letting agent negligence claims.

To sign the petition, go to the directgov website to make your voice heard.

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Sun, sea and separation – Divorce Dominican Republic style

By Family Department | Published: Feb 13,2012

The good old Daily Mail did it again with its eve of Valentine’s Day headline:

“Package tour company offers unhappy couples chance to divorce in just ten minutes during their Caribbean break.”

Now, as a firm of divorce solicitors in Brighton and London, we would not wish to cast aspersions on the validity of this story, but we might just have doubts about the validity of such divorces, and we would warn any sunny separation seekers that, for a divorce to be legal in the UK, all couples will have had to follow the necessary criteria, such as having been married or civil-partnered for at least a year before being able to dissolve the union.

A spokesperson for the firm which supplies the package deals, QuickdivorceUK.com, said that Dominican Republic law allows British citizen to claim domicile in the country even if the visit is of the briefest time span. So, if the divorce is uncontested and aspects such as arrangements for children or division of marital property have been agreed, a divorce could feasibly be settled by a judge in just ten minutes.

However, if problems arise at a later date the family courts in England and Wales may wish to scrutinise the legality of a decree issued in the Dominican Republic.

Whilst it might be a nice idea, for some, to be able to jet into a beautiful resort as an unhappy married person and fly out a tanned and relaxed singleton, Healys divorce solicitors urge caution and would always advise any prospective divorcee to seek the advice of a family law practitioner based in the UK before going ahead with a foreign divorce.

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Might LEAs, churches and councils escape negligence claims?

By Professional Negligence Department | Published: Feb 9,2012

In the current climate it is hard for a professional negligence lawyer not to think about the impending reforms brought on by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill [see last week's post].

So, to continue a theme, it is apposite to think about the impact the bill will have on civil child abuse claims for professional negligence on the part of councils, education authorities and religious organisations.

All too often, it is the systemic or catastrophic individual failures of such organisations which create the situations that allow abusers to offend. Where this is the case, victims can instruct professional negligence lawyers to commence litigation against the liable party.

However, this can be a fraught and complex process, and some would-be litigants can become frustrated and bewildered, either by the search for the right lawyer or the struggle to find suitable legal aid or reasonable funding arrangements.

Unfortunately, there is very real concern that the passing into law of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill could further disadvantage and discourage these claimants.

A critical view of this situation might ask whether we, as a society, want to be placing restrictions on the reach of justice and compounding the trauma experienced by child abuse victims.

Victims may well ask themselves whether the process is worth it. “After the Jackson reforms and the LASPO Bill, the claimant will have to pay any ATE premium and success fee out of damages in winning cases. They will always have to pay their disbursements in losing cases. Depending on what happens with qualified one-way cost shifting, they may have to pay costs too,” warned one analyst.

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Property sales solicitors see housing boom in London

By Residential Department | Published: Feb 7,2012

House prices remained largely neutral in England and Wales last year; however, demand for luxury homes in the capital increased for the 15th consecutive month in January 2012. Property sales solicitors in London saw more activity than any other UK solicitors as they experienced higher demand, which increased property prices by 2.8%.

Figures from the Land Registry House Price Index revealed that residential prices elsewhere saw a 1.3% drop in overall price and stagnated between November and December.

The data showed that property prices declined generally but prices were lowest in the North, decreasing 1.9% last year. Since 2009 however, London sales solicitors have seen demand for homes increase by nearly 42% since 2009.

Demand for luxury homes in the capital increased the most, with values of homes and apartments costing £3.7 million rising by an average of 0.9% from last month and 12% from the previous year.

According to the report, demand for these luxury houses increased due to non-UK buyers turning to solicitors in London, looking for security as they face political, economic and financial turmoil following Europe’s Sovereign-debt crisis and revolutions in the Middle East.

Areas in London which have particularly benefited are Chelsea, Hyde Park, Kensington and St. John’s Wood.

Commenting on the figures, Liam Bailey, head of residential research for estate agents Knight Frank, said that more people were looking to London as the financial crisis continued.

“The eurozone crisis, which appeared to reach something of a crescendo in the pre-Christmas period, had little impact on the prime London property market. Ironically, economic and even political turmoil have provided the impetus for growth with a sharp growth in investors looking for a safe-haven location for at least part of their wealth portfolio.”

The Land Registry report looked at transactions between property sales solicitors, residential conveyancers, lenders and estate agents.

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Times campaign for safer cycling sparks Government debate

By Dino Skinner | Published: Feb 6,2012

The Times’ bold move to champion a safer cycling campaign in London has received widespread public recognition and commendation.

After their front page spread detailing the horrific bicycle accident in November, which left a 27-year-old member of their team with terrible and life-altering personal injuries, the launch of the campaign has made its own news for all the right reasons.

The newspaper has detailed the most dangerous London junctions where cyclists are revealed to be at the greatest risk of suffering a bicycle accident and this has subsequently sparked debate in the House of Commons, with Boris Johnson pledging to review 500 London intersections and a further widespread evaluation of cycling accident hotspots throughout the nation.

The Times campaign – Cities Fit for Cycling – includes an eight point manifesto which would see all cities made safe for cyclists.

The plan includes the instigation of major training plans for cyclists and drivers to make each other aware of the dangers for cyclists and the appointment of city cycling commissioners to ensure compliance with the campaign’s aims for safe cycling.

There are a number of ways to show support for the campaign, including the use of twitter and an easy to use contact-your-MP form. To take part in the campaign visit the Times by clicking here.

With the statistic that more than 27,000 cyclists have been either killed or seriously injured in Britain in the last ten years it is high time that cycling was brought to the attention of the masses and returned to the safe, environmentally friendly and pleasurable means of travel that it should be.

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Scottish councils may be given power to sell empty properties

By Residential Department | Published: Feb 3,2012

If a new move to give Scottish councils power to force house sales goes ahead, many people hoping to buy a property in Scotland may be able to seek a property conveyancing solicitor to help them secure a home which was previously left empty.

It has been reported that the Scottish government has made known plans to allow councils to sell empty homes in a bid to cut the number of vacant properties – it is thought that across Scotland there are about 25,000 long-term empty houses.

The Scottish Empty Homes Partnership and Shelter Scotland will work with the Scottish government to develop proposals which may include an enforced sale power. This means that local authorities would be able to apply to begin the residential conveyancing process on properties which have been empty for a significant period of time.

Housing Minister Keith Brown said, “Empty homes are a scar on our landscape that can have a negative impact on the quality of Scotland’s cities, towns and villages.

“Many councils have indicated to us and to Shelter that more enforcement powers are needed to tackle certain empty homes which have in some cases been empty for many years.

“That is why we plan to consult on greater enforcement powers for councils to give them more tools to deal effectively with the most problematic long-term empty homes.”

If these properties are sold as affordable housing they may give many first-time buyers the opportunity they need to purchase their first home.

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Professional Negligence Lawyers Association shows determination

By Professional Negligence Department | Published: Feb 3,2012

The Professional Negligence Lawyers Association (PNLA) has demonstrated admirable persistence in its repeated attempts to draw attention to some of the less favourable potential impacts of the new Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill.

For those weary with the reality of the bill – that it has come into effect off the back of sustained and overblown coverage of Britain’s supposed “compensation culture” – the PNLA’s complaint to the Press Complaints Committee (PCC) contention that “a group of newspapers” might have “set out to change the law by a campaign of restricted reporting and adverse comment on claimant defamation lawyers” would seem to hold currency.

But whether the professional negligence lawyer group will have any success in engineering a government U-turn on the bill is another matter.

The PNLA has issued a strong argument for delaying the introduction of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill, pending serious examination of a number of important questions. Primarily the PNLA would like government to reconsider the decision to scrap success fees and after-the-event insurance for all types of civil litigation, with the exception of claims for personal injury or medical negligence.

Furthermore it has filed official complaints with both the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and the Press Complaints Commission (PCC), arguing that the press has benefited from its own favourable reporting on changes – changes from which it stands to gain greater powers and benefits.

Unfortunately, the complaint registered with the PCC has had little impact – the organisation merely pointed out that the press was entitled to act in a self-interested way. As for the OFT, their response will presumably soon be with us.

The argument of those who call for a reconsideration of the issues may be a strong one: without success fees and after-the-event insurance premiums in place, civil litigation would be in danger of becoming the preserve of only elite or exceptional claimants. Pertinently, perhaps, had the bill already been in place, many of the News of the World phone hacking victims would have had their hands tied.

Let’s hope that the Professional Negligence Lawyers Association’s efforts result in the OFT taking a lead in prompting more scrupulous debate of the issues at stake.

For more information about how the professional negligence lawyers at Healys could advise and represent you, please click here.

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Land Registry highlights national disparity in annual average property values

By Residential Department | Published: Feb 1,2012

It has been much reported that despite the difficult economic times of recent years, estate agents and property solicitors in London have not felt the squeeze on business quite as much as practitioners in other regions and to reiterate this, the extent of the property value divide has recently been highlighted by the Land Registry.

Recent figures have revealed that the average sale price of a house in north east England has dipped below £100,000, the lowest price in eight years.

House prices in England and Wales fell by 1.3% across 2011, but the North Eastern decline was 7.1%, to see the lowest average regional price in the country of £99,464.

The town which saw the biggest house price drop was Hartlepool in County Durham where a drop of 17.5% left the average house price at £77,188.

However, London property owners saw prices increase by 2.8% in 2011, to bring the average house value in at £345,298, which is just below highest ever value, recorded in 2008.

In fact, the borough of Kensington and Chelsea experienced an annual average price increase of 7.2% seeing the price of an average home go up to around £1 million – the increase itself almost equalling the price being asked for an average home in Hartlepool.

While economists suggest that continued financial and employment difficulties for UK residents will see further depression in the national housing market, estate agents and property sales solicitors in London are still buoyed by increasing house sales in the capital to foreign investors.

To find out more about Healys property sales solicitors in London and Brighton, please click here.

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Divorce therapy for Trekkie may be thrown on the tip

By Family Department | Published: Jan 31,2012

Many people take up a sport or perhaps have a fantastic holiday to get over the difficulty of divorce, but a man from Leicestershire decided to turn his former marital home into a Star Trek fantasy.

Yes, following his separation from his wife Georgina in 1994, Tony Alleyne initially decked out the couple’s Hinckley home into the USS Enterprise, but he later changed it to a more upscale version of the Starship Voyager, modelling it meticulously on details taken from the 1990s series.

The flat boasts a flightdeck, with voice recognition technology, lots of flashing lights and even some fake (we hasten to add) transporters.

Mrs Alleyne continued to pay the mortgage on the one-bedroomed flat after the couple divorced while Mr Alleyne attempted, somewhat unsuccessfully, to start a business offering Star Trek makeovers.

However, Mr Alleyne’s ex-wife now wishes to sell the house, and under the terms of their divorce financial settlement, unless a buyer can be found for the space ship/flat, the hi-tech fittings will be stripped out so that a more conventional-type home can be placed on the market and sold.

Mr Alleyne said of his Star Trek construction obsession, “It all started as therapy after we split up. Building every bit from scratch really helped me to deal with the stress of it all.”

However, when he heard that his ex-wife intended to sell the flat, he added, “To say I’m gutted is an understatement. It is my life’s work – and it looks like it’s going into a skip. I admit there were tears.”

Whilst it seems a genuine shame that this sci-fi homage may well end up on a very terrestrial tip, all we can say here at Healys is “Live long and prosper, Mr Alleyne.” Our divorce solicitors in Brighton and London salute you.
For more information on how ownership of marital property could be affected during a divorce please click here.

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