Legal

Offering ever-changing scenery and masses of lateral space, houseboats are looking like an increasingly attractive option for buyers priced out of bricks and mortar.

The Law Society's "game-changing" paper-free conveyancing portal is gearing up for launch, with testing due to begin in early 2014.

Eric Pickles has come down hard on "rogue landlords", publishing the first draft of the Tenants' Charter and launching a package of proposals designed to give more rights to private tenants.

In an effort to thwart tax avoidance, HMRC is demanding that all schemes designed to get around the Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings (ATED) be disclosed to them - or face a fine of up to £1 million.

It's lift-off day for the new Leasehold Property Enquiries Form, or LPE1 to its friends.

It's now a bit easier to build on village greens, thanks to new landowner rights that came in yesterday (1st October 2013).

Mishcon de Reya’s round-up of the latest legal happenings in the property world.

After a property maintenance firm claimed to "blow the whistle" this week, former lawyer Jonathan Monjack calls for an end to "secret commissions" throughout the rental sector...

The Treasury is launching a new campaign to chase up landlords - including those with holiday lets - who don't pay every penny of tax due on rents they receive. HMRC estimates that up to 1.

The Advertising Standards Authority has (finally) issued some guidelines on the compulsory inclusion of fees in advertising by lettings agents.

What can property investors learn from the Crown Estate's remarkable success, asks Nicky Richmond...

Stamp duty is now at a level that jeopardises the economic viability of a property purchase; a sliding scale would make far more sense, says David Hannah...