News

The Companies Act 2006 Implementation

10-October-08

As part of the gradual implementation of the Companies Act 2006, with effect from 1 October 2008 there will be several changes introduced including the general duty of directors to avoid conflicts of interest, and eEvery UK Company must have at least one Director who is a natural person ie. an individual.

New Stamp Duty measures

15-September-08

A major cross-government package of new measures to meet current challenges in the housing market was announced on 2nd September by Communities Secretary Hazel Blears.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer also announced that stamp duty land tax will not apply to purchases of residential property of £175,000 or less.

Energy Performance Certificate - Business Properties

01-September-08

Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are now required for the construction, sale or rent of commercial properties with a floor area of more than 10,000sq metres.

The changes were effective from 6th April 2008 and they place new responsibilities on anyone constructing a new building or selling or renting out an existing building.

Flexible Working – the future?

29-August-08

More people are making flexible working requests, such as part-time or flexi time to make the most of modern technology and work from somewhere other than the office.

In particular, increasing numbers of women are setting up their own businesses to get more flexibility between work and family life, especially after having a baby.

When relationships end

18-June-08

The end of a relationship can be distressing for everyone involved. Whether you were married or co-habiting, the break up of a relationship is likely to result in assets such as property, savings, pensions and investments being sold or divided up. The welfare of any children may also be affected.

Married couples benefit from established matrimonial law, which gives courts the authority to make decisions about what to do with the assets of the marriage, regardless of who owns them. Properties can be transferred from joint names to one person; lump sum payments can be ordered; pensions can be divided.

HIPs go critical

7-May-08

When putting their house on the market, the last thing that most people think about is who’s going to provide their Home Information Pack (HIP). But this deserves to be much higher up their list of priorities: the choice of provider can already dictate the quality of the information in the HIP and will soon determine when the house can actually be put on the market.

Launched in August last year, HIPs are designed to make the house buying and selling process quicker and easier by providing a range of information and legal documentation to potential buyers up-front. These include the property’s title document, the results of the normal property searches and an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), which rates the property’s energy efficiency.

Please contact Roger Stone at Chichester or Sarah Evans at Selsey for more information.