Retrofitting homes in London is a pipe dream without proper support

October 6th, 2021 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Home Improvements, Housing Policy, Landlords, Property Developers Comments Off on Retrofitting homes in London is a pipe dream without proper support

The Mayor of London has an ambitious target to make London a zero carbon city by 2030. One of the ways to meet this goal is to decarbonise all of London’s 3.5 million homes by upgrading and retrofitting – improving existing homes for high energy efficiency.

The London Assembly Housing Committee has been investigating the operational, financial and physical challenges of retrofitting in London. The Committee has also investigated the energy efficiency initiatives already established by the Mayor.

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Property conveyancing and legal process – Part 2

June 3rd, 2021 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Guest Articles, Land Registry, Property Conveyancing, Property Market 4 Comments »

In part 2 of our property conveyancing guide we look at what is involved in the closing stages of the home buying and selling process. You may wish to read Part 1 of the Property Conveyancing Guide here.

Signing the contract

signing contractOnce your lawyer is satisfied that all of his enquiries have been dealt with; he has seen satisfactory search results and he is in possession of his copy of the formal offer of mortgage you will be invited to sign the contract and various other papers. This will either be in person or through the post. You should also receive a report, often called a “property report” at this stage which will set out any salient points arising from the searches and enquiries.

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Property conveyancing and legal process – Part 1

June 1st, 2021 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Guest Articles, Land Registry, Property Conveyancing, Property Market 5 Comments »

What is “conveyancing”? – Simply, it is the legal process of transferring ownership of land and property.

Instructing a lawyer

Once you have decided on a property, made an offer and had that offer accepted it’s time to instruct a lawyer. This can be either a solicitor or a licensed conveyancer. You should try not to pay over the odds for property conveyancing work. When obtaining a quote you should be given a fixed fee but ask for a list of any additional fees charged for different aspects of the transaction.

Instructing a lawyerSome firms might charge an extra fee for completing the SDLT1 form for example, even though this will not need to be done in every case. These additional fees can really push up the final bill. An average bill for professional fees only (i.e not including addtional search fees, land registry fees etc) would probably be around £300-£400 at the moment.

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Top tips to help secure your end of tenancy deposit

October 26th, 2020 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Home Improvements, Landlords, Tenants Comments Off on Top tips to help secure your end of tenancy deposit

The number one reason for landlord and tenant deposit disputes is cleaning. Currys PC World asked Lynsey Crombie aka the ‘Queen of Clean’ for her top cleaning tips that could help you secure getting that end of tenancy deposit back that no one wants to lose out on.

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Save money on your spring renovation

March 3rd, 2020 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Home Improvements, Home Maintenace, Property Market Comments Off on Save money on your spring renovation

Are you planning to fix up your home this springtime? It’s a great time to do it as you can open the windows without freezing the place but the temperatures are also not too hot to work in. The trouble is that when a lot of people want to renovate at once, prices of materials can be higher. How can you make your renovation more affordable?

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Tips on How Landlords Can Manage Their Expenses

January 20th, 2020 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Financial Products, Landlords, Property Market Comments Off on Tips on How Landlords Can Manage Their Expenses

To the uninitiated, buying property with a view to letting it out can seem like a very easy way to make money, but like most things in life, when you take a closer look it is rather more complicated.  Being a landlord is an excellent way to generate a regular income and has the bonus that the rental property will always increase in value, however, it is not money for nothing. 

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What are the Conservative’s plans for stamp duty?

December 21st, 2019 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Housing Policy, Property Conveyancing, Property Market Comments Off on What are the Conservative’s plans for stamp duty?

With a brand-new majority government, the Conservative Party now has the mandate to carry out some sweeping reforms and this could well include an overhaul of stamp duty.

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10 Essential Planning Tips For A Garden Rooms

July 16th, 2019 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Extensions, Home Improvements, Property Market Comments Off on 10 Essential Planning Tips For A Garden Rooms

Are you considering a new garden room in your back garden – many people are.

If you are in the search for a new garden room, then check out these 10 tips to plan ahead. Read the rest of this entry »

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Top Tips for First Time Home Buyers

July 1st, 2019 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Buying Property, Estate Agents, Property Market Comments Off on Top Tips for First Time Home Buyers

Are you thinking about purchasing your first home? This can be an exciting yet daunting experience for anyone. Of course, you need to be prepared if you are exploring the property market for the first time. There is a lot that needs to be considered, and numerous steps you need to take. After all, this is probably the biggest investment you’ll ever make, and so you don’t want to throw money about or sign up for a mortgage without a lot of thought and research going into it. With that being said, let’s take a look at some useful tips for first-time homebuyers.
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Best holiday homes to get cheap sunshine

May 29th, 2019 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Buying Property, Guest Articles, Holiday Homes, Property Market Comments Off on Best holiday homes to get cheap sunshine

Have you ever wondered where you’ll get the most sunlight for your money? Many holiday home buyers are seeking maximum sunshine for minimum cost.

Even though Spring is just around the corner, us Brits aren’t guaranteed sunlight, as we suffer from grey skies and rain. You can understand why many holiday property owners have swapped Blackpool for a glamourous property in Spain.

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Transfers of Equity and Legal Ownership of a Property

March 1st, 2019 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Land Registry, Property Conveyancing, Property Market Comments Off on Transfers of Equity and Legal Ownership of a Property

A transfer of equity is a transaction where legal ownership of a property changes hands but at least one of the original owners remains on the title. For example where a couple transfer it into the sole name of one or other of them or a person is added to the title.

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