A new precedent Deed of Substituted Security has been added to the By Lawyers Mortgages Guide. This precedent can be adapted to suit most circumstances where a lender hasn’t supplied their own. This precedent can be found in folder G. If required - Discharge, assignment and variation.

Temporary rent concessions for commercial leases – Side letter or deed of variation? A side letter which records the agreed temporary alteration to the existing lease, and which is not intended to have a lasting impact upon the lease terms. Read more...

The Family Procedure Rules have been updated to allow all family courts to issue transparency orders.

The commentary has been amended to clarify the process of extension of leasehold estates under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 and the consequential statutory reduction of rent to a peppercorn rental which is not open to the landlord to dispute.

A new Consumer Dispute guide has been published. This publication covers the common claims arising from consumer contracts for goods, services, and digital content, as well as claims relating to defective products. Read more...

Following user feedback, a new letter has been added to the Divorce publication providing advice on judicial separation as an alternative to divorce or dissolution.

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...

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...

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

Several practitioners have been in touch about their preference for using the STEP provisions when drafting wills. In order to assist those practitioners By Lawyers have drafted three new precedents. Read more...

Following review, a number of precedents were improved to ensure a better user experience. These include: Initial call record, Police station attendance record, Attendance notes and Letters to the client after attending at the police station.

The Estates commentary has been updated to reflect operational changes brought in by HM Revenue & Customs and the Probate Registry. HM Revenue & Customs will no longer print and stamp the inheritance tax Probate Summary, form IHT421, and return it to customers. Instead, they will email the IHT421 directly to the HM Courts & Tribunals Service. They will let the agent or taxpayer know when they have done this either by writing, or by adding a note to the IHT calculation. HM Revenue & Customs will no longer be accepting cheque payments for IHT, or making IHT repayments by cheque. They have started to update various IHT forms to include space to add bank details. To date, the provision to add bank details has been added to the Claim for Relief – Loss on Sale of Shares, form IHT35, and Inheritance Tax Account, form IHT100. Practitioners should make sure that they are using the latest versions of all forms. Probate applications should be sent to the Oxford and Newcastle district registries only, and not Cardiff or Harlow. The Estates commentary provides practical guidance for all those running probate files.

The By Lawyers Sale of Land and Purchase of Land guides have been reviewed and updated to ensure that the commentaries and precedents are in line with current law and practice. The extensive review takes a practical approach, drawing on our considerable experience to cover all aspects of procedure with a focus on practical tips that will help practitioners confidently run a sale matter to completion. Commentary has been included covering the village green cases of Oxfordshire County Council v Oxford City Council & Ors (2005) and others [2006] UKHL 25 and TW Logistics Ltd v Essex County Council & Anor [2021] UKSC 4, the recent adverse possession case of Amirtharaja & Anor v White & Ano [2021] EWHC 330 (Ch) and the recent vacant possession case of Capitol Park Leeds Plc v Global Radio Services Ltd [2020] EWHC 2750 (Ch). Commentary regarding conditional auctions, sometimes called the ‘modern method’, has been included and the section regarding high rise cladding has been expanded to include the guidance from the Royal Chartered Institute of Surveyors. Guidance on the requirements for a septic tank permit has also been included. A new precedent letter has been included in the Sale of Land guide for use when requesting a contribution from the Land Registry for indemnity insurance to cover a defect in the title which they have created. We invite you to explore this updated publication and to consider the wealth of assistance the updated Sale of Land and Purchase of Land guides offer. Comments and feedback are always welcomed.

Clients often ask for advice about the types of business structures available, and which might be best suited to their situation. The Business structures and the comparative table reference manual has been added to the Resource materials folder in a number of business and corporate guides. Read more...

As practitioners may be aware, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme increased the length of time that temporary high balances were protected in bank accounts from 6 months to 12 at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. This protection has been reduced to 6 months again from 1 February 2021. The Practice Management guide has been amended accordingly.