We are open for business and continue to offer a full range of legal services. All of our offices are open and are staffed. While we may not always be able to meet with you in the traditional way, we are still committed to providing the highest...
Conveyancing fraud is on the rise. Cyber criminals have become increasingly more sophisticated over the years, and the uncertain situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has given them a fresh opportunity to take advantage of unsuspecting individuals. ...
The Government is considering major changes to Capital Gains Tax that could increase tax for many homeowners and potentially transform the property market. On 13 July 2020, the Chancellor wrote to the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) asking it to conduct a...
Putting an offer on a house is the first step towards securing your ideal home and it can be quite daunting, particularly for first time buyers who are new to the housing market. When so much money is at stake, you want to be sure that you get the best...
At the start of lockdown, startling research showed that lenders had limited their remortgaging options for furloughed homeowners, leaving them at risk of paying higher rates. However, as we have adapted to life with the Coronavirus/Covid-19, it has become...
Summer has been the busiest time of year to move house for many years. Figures suggest that between 2007-2018, around 12.8% of all owner-occupier home movers moved house in August alone. This is a significant proportion when compared with winter move...
Nearly 10 million employees have been placed on furlough leave since the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (or Furlough Scheme) started in March 2020. Under the Scheme, furloughed employees have had their salaries reduced by up to 80% (up to a maximum of...
Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has announced a holiday on Stamp Duty Land Tax. Between 8 July 2020 and 31 March 2021, home movers and first time buyers purchasing homes up to £500,000 will pay no tax. Announced today as part of a package of legal and policy...
In the lt few days the Government has changed its advice on moving house during the Covid 19 outbreak to get the property market back up and running. The property industry has issued some pan industry guidance including the following advice for...
Property chains are delicate. If you are buying and selling property at the same time, then you will be in the middle of a chain, with people both above and below you. It’s also likely that there will be multiple transactions happening at once with...
Whether you are a landlord or tenant, there are various circumstances where you may wish to end a tenancy agreement early. It might be that as a landlord you want to sell the property or as a tenant that you need to move for work or personal reasons. ...
Selling your home can be a daunting prospect. You will no doubt be aware of the various steps you need to take to ensure your transaction runs smoothly and without disruptive delays. That’s not to mention having to balance selling your current home...
Moving house may be one of the most stressful and exciting life events a pet (as well as a person) can go through. Unexpected activity, noise, strange removal people, even stranger smells, and the sudden loss of territory can all make moving home...
A pre-nuptial agreement or a ‘prenup’ is a formal, written agreement that details how assets such as property and pensions will be divided in the event of divorce. With the number of couples marrying later in life increasing, it is common for...
If you purchase the freehold of a property, you are buying it outright, including the land the property stands on. If you purchase a leasehold, you are only buying the right to live in the property for the length of the lease. The land the property stands on...
If you are currently renting, or are looking to rent, a property, then the jargon you’ll inevitably come across can appear confusing and overwhelming. Abbreviations, acronyms, you name it – there are plenty of terms you need to familiarise...
The breakdown of a marriage is an emotional and stressful time and the prospect of having to undergo lengthy court proceedings is likely to be the last thing you want to contend with during such a delicate period. However, contrary to popular belief, most...
Being involved in a road traffic accident is a traumatic experience in itself, but things can be made even more difficult if the responsible party is uninsured or cannot be traced because they failed to stop at the scene of the accident. You will...
Making a Will is one of the most important ways you can plan for the future to ensure as far as possible that your final wishes are respected. In England and Wales, you have complete freedom to leave your money and property to whomever you like....
Terms and conditions (T&Cs) are an essential agreement which set out the legal basis upon which businesses trade with their customers. They are used to protect intellectual property rights, limit or exclude liability and establish a contractual framework...
Moving house is rarely an easy process. It may be tempting to save money and move all your belongings yourself. However, there are advantages to hiring a removals company instead. Provided you choose the right one, professional movers could take much of the...
As we get older, it can often be useful to have access to some extra cash to help fund our retirement, pay for care costs or allow us to splash out on home improvements or other plans. With many of us having a large amount of capital tied up in our homes,...
You’ve done all the legal stuff, got the all-clear from your surveyor, signed and exchanged contracts, and now it’s official – you’re moving house. There is still a lot to do in between exchange and completion but moving house...
You may be able to save hundreds of pounds just by switching your mortgage to a better deal or a new provider at the right time. Most people think about remortgaging at some point and rightly so. Whether interest rates have changed, your home has risen in...
Losing a loved one is a distressing time, and it can be made worse if there are disagreements regarding the Will left behind by the deceased. When drafting a Will, there are strict rules which need to be adhered to and if there are doubts or concerns about...
Settlement agreements and redundancy both involve an employee being paid monetary compensation for the loss of their job, however, they are essentially two different things which offer different legal rights. It you are going through a redundancy process and...
Under normal circumstances, changes to a contract of employment need to be mutually agreed upon by both the employer and the employee before they are made official. If an employer wishes to make any changes to a contract, they are obliged to consult the...
If a business you work for has been purchased by a new owner, your employment may be protected under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) regulations, commonly referred to as TUPE. Depending on the circumstances, this could mean that you...
Most commercial leases will require the tenant to keep the property in a good condition and to carry out any repairs needed under the terms of the lease. Dilapidations refer to the damages or defects to the property as a result of the tenant breaching the...
As the landlord of a commercial property, your main responsibilities will be to keep up with any maintenance and repairs to the property and to ensure it is a safe place for people to work. The responsibilities of the landlord will vary depending on the...
If you have been dismissed by your employer, it can be a big shock and it can feel unfair. If your employer has not followed correct procedures or the reason for your dismissal is deemed to be unreasonable, then you may have a claim for unfair dismissal. It...
A settlement agreement is a written agreement signed by two parties (usually employer and employee) that outlines agreed terms and conditions to settle a potential employment tribunal claim or other court proceedings. Settlement agreements are a way of...
Making a Will is one of the most important things you will do in your life, as it ensures that when you pass away, your wishes are fulfilled and your estate is passed on to the beneficiary or beneficiaries of your choice. Mirror Wills are...
The short answer to that is no. While it used to be normal to use a local solicitor for your conveyancing, it’s now increasingly common to carry out the process of buying or selling a house over the phone and online. This means there is no longer any...
What is conveyancing? Conveyancing is the legal process of transferring property from one person to another, which begins once an offer has been accepted on a property. This process can be conducted by a licensed conveyancer or a conveyancing solicitor. ...
Working for yourself can give you a greater sense of freedom, more flexibility and often the chance to earn a higher income. However, when starting a business, you should give careful thought to how to structure your enterprise as there can be some important...
Bird and Co are delighted to announce that Stuart Wild has accepted an invitation to join Bird & Co Solicitors LLP as a Partner with effect from 1st February 2019. Stuart started at Bird & Co in April 2004 and was soon appointed Head of the...
When buying a site that lacks planning permission, whether to self-build or as a developer, your plans and the ultimate value of the site will be heavily dependent on whether you can secure planning permission. It is therefore understandable to want to...
When you buy a property with another person, whether it is as your home or as an investment, there is more than one way you can own it. You can buy a property as ‘joint tenants’ or ‘tenants in common’ and it’s important to know...
Personal injury claims can be quite difficult to value as they don’t just take into account the monetary losses that a victim faces, but also the emotional and physical losses such as prolonged pain and suffering and missed job opportunities. There are...
Inheritance Tax (IHT) is paid on the assets that someone leaves behind when they die, i.e. property, money, businesses etc. Inheritance Tax is usually paid on estates worth more than £325,000, although the threshold can be higher under certain...
What is a shareholders ’ agreement? A shareholder agreement is an agreement entered into by all or some of the shareholders of a company that outlines how it is managed, the ownership of the shares and the protection and rights of the shareholders....
Being a victim of a hit and run accident can be incredibly stressful, and in some cases – life changing. A ‘hit and run’ is when the driver who caused the accident, fails to stop at the scene or provide their details. This is a criminal...
On the 29 th July 2013, compromise agreements were renamed settlement agreements. The name change was merely a stylistic decision by the government, who believe the wording better represents the agreements. The actual substance of the agreement, remains the...
Self-building can be an attractive way to get the home of your dreams, allowing you to create exactly what you need at a significantly lower cost compared to buying an existing property. However, there are various issues to consider so you can make sure...
When you buy a property in the UK, you do so under the general principle of “caveat emptor” also known as “buyer beware”. This means that it is your responsibility as the buyer to check the condition of the property you are buying. ...
Commercial leases are often designed to last for several years, with five and ten year leases both being common. While this provides a degree of certainty for both landlord and tenant, it can also cause potential problems, for example if the landlord later...
If a loved one dies without leaving a Will, their estate will be divided according to the standard rules of intestacy as set out by the government. These rules strictly define who inherits depending on what surviving family the deceased has and the size of...
If you have been injured as a result of someone else’s negligence or malicious action, whether at work, in public, or under any other circumstances, you may be entitled to claim compensation. However, it is important to be aware that there are strict...
For any business, your terms and conditions (or T&Cs) set out the legal basis on which you trade with your customers. They help to clearly establish what customers should expect from you when doing business with you and can be vital if you need to...
