Renting out a property can be a great source of income. But if you’re just starting out as a landlord, it’s important to familiarise yourself with the responsibilities it entails. To protect your legal interests and of course to keep the...
If you’re looking to buy a property, you will almost certainly have heard the terms ‘freehold’ and ‘leasehold’ being mentioned. They are important definitions to be aware of - essentially, freehold and leasehold are terms for...
No one can deny the unique charm of a period property. It’s why they’ve maintained their enormous level of popularity over the decades: they’re full of character, and owning a precious piece of our architectural history can be a great...
There’s a lot to be said for setting your sights on a brand new house. Energy efficient, designed for modern living, rooms fitted out to your specification; a new-build certainly has its advantages.
Here are our top tips for making this move as smooth as those freshly plastered walls.
In recent years a particularly nasty scam has cropped up. It has on some occasions brought financial disaster for unwitting people who are in the process of purchasing a property, with some even losing hundreds of thousands of pounds to fraudsters. The scam...
Putting your foot on the property ladder may seem daunting. After all, buying a home is one of the most significant financial commitments you will make in your life. Getting everything right first time is absolutely essential; but if you’re a first...
The beginning of the new financial year marked the day that major tax changes affecting Buy-To-Let investors came into force. When the tax changes were originally announced in 2016, landlords expressed concern that it would restrict their ability to turn a...
Have your children flown the nest or perhaps your current property has far too much space. Downsizing could be for you. Downsizing provides numerous advantages, especially for those who make use of the available equity to travel, start their own business or...
In the 2015 Budget, former Chancellor, George Osborne announced that tax relief available to private landlords would be severely curtailed. Tighter restrictions were also imposed on the wear and tear allowance that landlords currently enjoy. Suddenly,...
Whether it is a shop, factory, office space or warehouse, a solid commercial premises lease is an essential prerequisite to the ongoing success of many businesses. If your lease is nearing the end of its term and you wish to remain a tenant, it pays to seek...
Taking steps towards buying your first home is a hugely exciting time, not to mention the wonderful achievement of making that significant investment in your future. Many people dream of the day they can buy their first property, but when you finally have...
For those new to buying or selling a home, the whole process of Conveyancing can seem rather mysterious. At Bird & Co, we like to make things simple. That’s why we’re compiling a series of blogs over the coming weeks to answer some common...
When you’ve made the decision to move on from your current home, you’ll know there’s a lot to get organised. This can be daunting, especially if you’re searching for your next home at the same time. But even if you’re pressed...
Property Searches – you might already be aware that these are part of the conveyancing process, but perhaps find that you have questions about what they are, or what they entail? After all, they’re usually not something you encounter until you...
As we all know, technology is changing the way we live our lives at a rapid pace. But did you know it is even changing the way we buy and sell houses? Around 80% of property hunters now begin their search on the web, and approximately 1% of all UK internet...
We all know moving house is no small feat. At Bird & Co, it’s our job to take the legal process of a house transaction through to a successful completion. There’s a lot of work to do, which does take time. But aside from all that, there are...
Acquiring the keys to your new home can be an exciting time and calls for celebration. You’ve worked long and hard to get to this place; years of saving, months of careful planning and weeks of anticipation in the run up to exchange and completion of...
If you’ve started looking into buying or selling a property, it’s likely that you’ll have heard a couple of different terms: conveyancing solicitor, licensed conveyancer… same thing, right? Not quite. These are two types of legal...
