Home Guides Personal Guides

Personal Guides

Family Guides Could my divorce be affected by Brexit? Will my divorce be recognised in the UK and the EU? Firstly, UK divorce orders prior to 31st December 2020 will continue to be automatically recognised in the EU and the UK will recognise divorce orders made in the EU. However, since 1st January 2021, divorce proceedings will be governed by the Family Law Act […]

Private Client Guides Planning for what happens to your digital assets when you die The term “digital assets” refers to the possessions stored online such as music and videos files, emails, social media accounts, games and family ancestry databases (which could include family photos, videos and even DNA test results). Many of us also access physical assets and services such as bank accounts, loans, credit cards, pension funds, investment […]

Family Guides Ending a civil partnership; is it the same as a divorce? Ending a civil partnership is actually very similar to the process of divorce, except some of the terminology is different and you can’t cite adultery as a reason why the relationship has ended. To start with it’s called a dissolution rather than a divorce. Like divorce, you will need to have been in the civil […]

Family Guides Do grandparents have rights to see their grandchildren? Unfortunately, grandparents don’t have any legal or automatic rights to see their grandchildren should the child’s relationship change or end, so grandparents can find themselves in a very hard situation. There are things you can do in order to see your grandchildren which we have listed below in the order they should be approached; Speak […]

Family Guides Are all parental responsibilities equal? Perhaps one parent is an essential worker and needs the child to attend school during the lockdown whereas the other parent thinks that this exposes the child or other family members to unnecessary or excessive risk of contracting the virus. Or perhaps one parent is keen for the whole family to be vaccinated but the […]

Family Guides Divorce: Frequently Asked Questions 1. What are the grounds for divorce and does is matter who starts it? The law has recently changed with the soon-to-be implemented introduction of no-fault divorces. There is no exact date for this change although it is widely anticipated to be Autumn 2021. If want to divorce now you will need to show that […]

Family Guides Can I see my child in lockdown or tier restrictions? This applies whilst we are in national lockdown and in periods of tier restrictions, even if the parents live in areas with differing tiers. Overnight stays are permitted within this. The usual precautions should be taken if anyone in either house is showing symptoms of a dry cough or temperature or have been asked to […]

Private Client Guides Why you should make a Will Here are 10 reasons to help you with your decision to make a Will A Will lets you leave clear instructions about how your estate is to be distributed. Without one, it is subject to the Intestacy Rules and may not go to the people you would have chosen. A Will lets you choose your […]

Private Client Guides What to do when someone dies Your role as executor may comprise of one or more of the following; Registering the death You should register the death within five days at the Register Office local to where the person died. You will need to contact the Register Office in advance to make an appointment. Granting of Probate This is the Court’s […]

Private Client Guides Creating a Lasting Power of Attorney Why create a Lasting Power of Attorney? If you were to become unable to make decisions for yourself perhaps as a result of an accident, contracting an illness of simply as a result of old age, then without a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) in place, the only way your financial affairs can be managed […]

Conveyancing Guides Co-owning a Property As co-owners, you can hold property in one of two ways, being “joint tenants” or “tenants in common”. These terms have a different meaning to the type of tenant who rents a property from a landlord. Joint Tenants As joint tenants, both of you will own the whole of the property. You will not each […]

Conveyancing Guides Help to Buy The scheme offers 10%, 15% or 20% equity loans. You will need to contribute at least 5% of the purchase price as a deposit. Under the scheme the government will give you a loan for up to 20% of the purchase price. You will then need a mortgage of up to 75% to cover the […]

Conveyancing Guides Gifted Deposits Receiving money from your parents to buy a home should be easy, however the Anti-Money Laundering laws, mortgage restrictions and the legal rights of all parties involved all come into play and need to be dealt with during the conveyancing process. Some people are understandably unsure about whether funds they have received from someone constitute […]

Conveyancing Guides A Guide to Buying Property at Auction If you are thinking of buying at auction make sure that you are in a position to proceed with the sale within the specified timescales. If you are the successful bidder at the auction then you will be bound under the contract on the fall of the auctioneer’s hammer. You will usually need to pay […]

Conveyancing Guides How long does conveyancing take? Conveyancers cannot normally give a precise reply to the question ‘How long will my conveyancing take?’ at the start of any transaction. This is not because we do not want to, but because there are usually so many unknowns in the equation that it is not possible to give a meaningful reply. We do everything […]

Landlord and Tenant Guides Landlords rights when tenants possessions are left in a property Many landlords presume that the possessions left by the tenant are now automatically theirs, however this is not the case. Possessions can often look like unwanted rubbish therefore landlords will simply dispose of them. Landlords need to be wary of undertaking this course of action and should take care to avoid any potential claim against […]

Personal Injury Guides Personal injury claims: Road traffic accidents All road users have a long established duty of care towards everyone else on the road, yet the Department for Transport states that in 2017 there were 468 casualties and 5 fatalities in road traffic accidents every day.

Landlord and Tenant Guides What Landlords should know about the draft Tenant Fees Bill On 1 November 2017, the draft Tenant Fees Bill (the Bill) was introduced in Parliament. The rationale behind the Bill was to make it fairer and easier for tenants by removing costly upfront payments and to make private rented accommodation more accessible. Currently, the Bill is due to come into force on 1 June 2019, […]

Landlord and Tenant Guides What should a Tenancy Agreement include? What should a tenancy agreement include? Drafting a tenancy agreement can be confusing and stressful. Recent research carried out by The Citizens Advice Bureau revealed that nearly one in four tenants have received a tenancy agreement where they felt the terms were unfair, but over half of them still signed the agreement. Additionally, one in […]

Landlord and Tenant Guides Tips for first time Residential Landlords Tips for first time residential landlords Becoming a residential landlord can be extremely rewarding. However, with the role comes various challenges. There is a fast-growing problem that many landlords within the United Kingdom are being faced with unexpected and challenging situations in relation to either their property or tenants. Statistics have revealed that more […]

Landlord and Tenant Guides An Introduction to Deposit Protection Schemes for Landlords What are tenancy deposit protection schemes? As house prices continue to rise, it is estimated that a quarter of UK households will be privately renting by the end of year 2021. This stresses the importance of providing greater protection to both landlords and tenants entering into tenancy agreements. From 6 April 2007, it became compulsory […]

Our Fee Guide Freehold Remortgage – Our Fees Conveyancer’s fees and disbursements The fees we charge and the other fees and charges you will pay are listed below: • Legal fees • Land Registry official Copy Fees (if registered) • Land Charges Search Fees K15 (if unregistered) • Electronic money transfer fee • Search fees • HM Land Registry fees • VAT payable […]

Our Fee Guide Freehold Sale – Our Fees Conveyancer’s fees and disbursements The fees we charge and the other fees and charges you will pay are listed below: • Legal fees • Land Registry official Copy Fees (if registered) • Land Charges Search Fees K15 (if unregistered) • Electronic money transfer fee • VAT payable Disbursements are costs related to your matter that […]

Our Fee Guide Leasehold Purchase – Our Fees Conveyancer’s fees and disbursements The fees we charge and the other fees and charges you will pay are listed below: • Legal fee • Search fees • HM Land Registry fees • Electronic money transfer fee • VAT payable Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as Land […]

Our Fee Guide Leasehold Sale – Our Fees Conveyancer’s fees and disbursements The fees we charge and the other fees and charges you will pay are listed below: • Legal fees • Land Registry official Copy Fees (if registered) • Land Charges Search Fees K15 (if unregistered) • Electronic money transfer fee • VAT payable Disbursements are costs related to your matter that […]

Our Fee Guide Our Costs for Probate Services and Other Private Client Work As a Solicitors’ firm we are robustly regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and have an independent complaints facility through the Legal Ombudsman. Other service providers do not have the same degree of regulation, staff training or offer clients the protection that using a firm of Solicitors does. Solicitors’ Firms are Regulated. Professional. Qualified. Insured. […]

Our Fee Guide Residential Freehold Purchase – Our Fees Conveyancer’s fees and disbursements. The fees we charge and the other fees and charges you will pay are listed below: • Legal fee • Search fees • HM Land Registry fees • Electronic money transfer fee • VAT payable Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as Land […]

Conveyancing Guides Buying and selling property What you now want is to ensure the purchase or sale goes through quickly and smoothly. You need an experienced and efficient team to guide you through the complex process. How We Can Help You At Boyce Hatton, our conveyancing team, led by Rebecca Holloway, has years of experience in helping clients with the legal […]

Conveyancing Guides Remortgage Whatever the reason, it is important you take expert legal advice from a solicitor to ensure the process is carried out smoothly and effectively. How we help At Boyce Hatton our conveyancing team led by Joe Pengelly has years of experience in assisting clients with remortgaging. We are on all the major lenders’ panels and understand their individual requirements. We […]

Dispute Guides Professional negligence Although most professionals are insured against professional negligence claims, the way in which those claims are put forward can be the difference between success and failure. You need a specialist solicitor with experience of professional negligence claims to ensure you get realistic, practical advice in order to achieve the best outcome for you. How We […]