The commentary in the Mortgages guide now includes an analysis of the applicability of regulation of private lending under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001 and the Consumer Credit Act 1974 and Financial Conduct Authority’s Consumer

By Lawyers have published an article with a summary of the options for signing documents when meetings are not possible. Practitioners may find this useful due to the government ‘lockdown’ measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. The article can be found here.

The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 has become law. Lauded as one of the most significant reforms to the leasehold system for a generation, the Act will increase the rights of approximately 5 million leaseholders in England and Wales. Read more...

The Purchase of land guide now includes new Stamp duty land tax questionnaire. This questionnaire can be used at the start of the matter to gather relevant information for the tax return.

With the threat and uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus many practitioners will be asked to prepare documents that assist clients to manage their affairs should the need arise. By Lawyers commentary and precedents for Wills, Powers of Attorney and Advance Decisions (Living Wills) are available online to assist practitioners in responding to these requests. Read more...

Many practitioners routinely recommend the OurFamilyWizard parenting app to their clients. We have included a letter mentioning the app in the Getting the matter underway folder of the Private Child Arrangements guide. We have also added a clause for orders called Form content – Co-parenting app order. Read more...

The Wills commentary has been enhanced to include detailed discussion of the processes involved in the witnessing of a will using video-link. Precedents for client instructions, a practitioner’s checklist and an attendance note have been created, as well as example wording for a will attestation clause. We invite you to explore this updated publication. Comments and feedback are always welcomed

The By Lawyers Residential Lease commentary has been updated to reflect changes to capital gains tax payment deadlines. A short note regarding income tax has also been added.

The new Data Protection and Privacy publication discusses the rapidly evolving area of data protection law since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Data Protection Act came into force in 2018. Read more...

Following feedback, we have added a declaration for those giving a gift towards the purchase of a property. This declaration is requested by many lenders, and we have incorporated the various different requirements into one single, simple, document. A covering letter is also now included. Read more...

The By Lawyers Sale and Purchase of Business guides have been reviewed and updated to ensure that the commentaries and precedents are in line with current law and conveyancing practice. As with all our guides, they take a practical approach, drawing on our authors’ considerable experience to cover all aspects of procedure, with a focus on practical tips that will help solicitors and conveyancers confidently run a sale or business purchase matter to completion. We invite you to explore this updated publication and to consider the wealth of assistance the guide offers for solicitors and conveyancers acting in the sale or purchase of a business.

Part of our series of common legal questions and their answers, we look at trusts. Read more...

Part of our series of common legal questions and their answers, we look at discretionary trusts. Read more...

As part of the continual updates and enhancements which take place across all our guides, we have enhanced the Freehold property disputes – Acting for the claimant guide. Read more...

The By Lawyers Domestic Violence publication has been reviewed and updated by our authors as part of our continuing review process. This review saw the commentary in particular enriched with a deeper more practical approach to running such a matter.