Richard John

In a recent case, Zennstrom & anr v Fagot and others, the High Court has looked at whether the owners of a house, which had been completely rebuilt and sold one year later, were liable to the purchasers who, after purchasing the house, had discovered that it was structurally defective and had demolish it. The… Learn more

The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 received Royal Assent on 1 May 2012. This is good news for residential property owners. Section 144 of the Act creates a new criminal offence of squatting in a residential building. Under the Act, a squatting offence will be deemed to have been committed if… Learn more

On 1 February 2012, Grant Shapps, the Minister for Housing and Local Government, made a statement to Parliament updating the Government’s action on housing, following the publication of its Housing Strategy in November 2011 The statement included further details of the NewBuy Guarantee scheme, which was initially announced as part of the Government’s Housing Strategy,… Learn more

There could be some further good news for potential homebuyers from an unexpected source. Following on from the Government’s recent introduction of a new-build indemnity scheme to help purchasers of new-build properties who are struggling to obtain a mortgage, the Council of Mortgage Lenders has said that over the past few months it has received… Learn more

There was good and bad news for homebuyers in the Chancellor’s recent Autumn Statement. The introduction of a new-build indemnity scheme, aimed at increasing the supply of affordable mortgage finance for new-build homes will be welcomed by cash-strapped first-time buyers with little savings. The scheme will be available to all potential buyers, subject to appropriate… Learn more

The television presenter Noel Edmonds has recently lost two legal disputes with a property developer, which arose from an oral joint venture agreement and an orally agreed renovation project. The first dispute concerned a joint venture between the claimant and defendant to redevelop a property for commercial gain. The claimant, Mr Edmonds, had purchased the… Learn more

A Government Bill – the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill - that would, amongst other things, make squatting in residential buildings a criminal offence is expected to become law next year. There is some parliamentary opposition to parts of this Bill and an amendment to clause 26, which would have watered downed proposals to criminalise squatting in… Learn more

The Government has launched a consultation today on new proposals that would give local councils the power to reduce or remove council tax relief on second homes and empty homes. In the consultation paper, entitled Technical reforms of council tax, the Government sets out a number of practical proposals which it believes will help local… Learn more

Getting more first-time buyers onto the property ladder is something that this (and the previous) Government have been trying to do for the past few years. The Coalition Government’s new FirstBuy Scheme has recently been launched (click here and here for more details) and it is hoped that this will assist first-time buyers and housebuilders… Learn more

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has recently published a sustainability and residential property information paper for its 100,000 qualified members, which looks at the need to consider sustainability characteristics when valuing residential property. In the paper, the RICS suggests that a home’s sustainability features should be reflected in its market value. Consequently, when… Learn more