Martin is a Senior Content Writer for Today’s Conveyancer, Today’s Wills and Probate, Today’s Legal Cyber Risk and Today’s Family Lawyer
Having qualified as a teacher, Martin previously worked as a Secondary English Teacher that responsible for Head of Communications.
After recently returning to the North West from Guernsey in the Channel Islands, Martin has left teaching to start a career in writing and pursue his lifelong passion with the written word.
Over half a million people could still be living in unsafe buildings clad in flammable materials. The analysis of apartment buildings by The Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA), found that the number of apartment
Data indicates that land for over a million homes remains dormant and unused despite being granted planning permission over the past ten years. Having researched government data relating the number of planning permissions granted for
The UK’s housing market recovery continued in January with HM Revenue and Customs data highlighting significant transnational increases at the start of the calendar year. The 102,810 residential seasonally adjusted transactions in January 2020 appear
The conveyancing sector suffered its worse quarterly performance since 2009 in the final quarter of 2019. According to Search Acumen’s ‘Conveyancing Market Tracker’, the 226,444 quarterly transactions between October and December represented the lowest levels
Over a third of UK local authorities failed to reach their housing delivery targets in 2019. In total, 34% of local authorities fell short of meeting their housing targets for 2019 with some struggling to
The Spring budget needs to consider stamp duty and address the tax placed on additional dwellings according to a number of property experts. The Spring budget is still just around the corner despite the recent
A financial services regulator has warned that Help To Buy users are extremely vulnerable to changing economic conditions and negative equity. Up to June 2019, 236,313 properties were bought with a Help to Buy Equity
MoneySuperMarket are set to launch a price and service comparison for the conveyancing sector. Optimus, the conveyancing panel management business for mortgage brokers, recently announced the collaboration with the price comparison giants. The partnership will
Two authoritative organisations in the privately rented sector (PRS) have released a joint statement calling on the government to use the next budget to overhaul the current tax system which ‘contradicts policy objectives’ on housing.
The Government have been urged to make commonhold ownership compulsory on all new-build flats. The Leasehold Solutions Group claim the current leasehold system is damaging to leasehold property owners and their suggested changes will ‘eradicate
The mortgage market improved again in December as the market responded to political certainty following the General Election. The 29,490 new buyer mortgages completed in December represented a marginal 0.3% rise in completions from the
Up to 200,000 homes have been left unsaleable because of unsafe cladding. As the Government scramble to rectify the cladding nightmare enveloping the nation, homeowners have been left stranded in their dangerous homes as stakeholders
Two major high street conveyancing providers are exploring a potential merger, according to the Gazette. Sources close to the legal publication believe McMillan Williams and Taylor Rose TTKW are considering joining forces to create ‘a
Suggested changes to UK inheritance tax could have a potential impact on the property sector. Earlier this month, an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) encouraged the Government to consider making serious reforms to inheritance tax (IHT)
New instructions, housing supply, buyer enquiries and agreed sales all increased in January as the UK enjoys a post-Brexit boom in activity. Despite supply falling to historically low levels at the end of 2019, with
The Law Society has reminded the legal sector that the Solicitors Indemnity Fund (SIF) will close to new claims from 30 September 2020. The fund, which currently provides ongoing professional indemnity insurance (PII) to closed
Having been struck off the roll of solicitors last year for misconduct spanning over five years, Martin Burnett has now pleaded guilty to allegations of forgery and fraud. The offences were committed in May 2011
Boris Johnson’s Government has appointed Christopher Pincher to the position as Housing Minister. Pincher is currently the MP for Tamworth, but is familiar with ministerial roles having worked as the Minister of State for Europe
Over 66% of UK estate agents are failing to comply with HM Revenue and Custom’s (HMRC) anti-money laundering (AML) expectations or the EU’s fifth anti-money laundering directive (5AMLD). According to recent findings by conveyancing firm
A leading consumer group is calling for the Government to ‘avoid unintended consequences’ of their recent plans to offer a 30% discount on new homes for local first-time buyers. The Homeowners Alliance (HOA) believes further
We say goodbye to another housing minister following the sacking of Esther McVey who loses her position in a cabinet reshuffle. It was hoped that the appointment of Robert Jenrick as Housing Secretary and Esther
Despite the political strangle hold Brexit placed on the property sector in 2019, the construction sector grew by 2.5% over the course of the year. Overall, the construction sector’s value rose to its highest recorded
Changes in the present-day housing tenure could have significant implications for older generations in the future. According to the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) ‘Living Longer: Changes in Housing Tenure Over Time’ article, the changing
The National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSEAT) and the Property Ombudsman launched a survey on Friday evening asking estate agents to discuss the uptake of referral fee transparency rules. Last March, the
Following the manifesto promises about reducing the price of a new home, Housing Secretary, Robert Jenrick, has announced a First Homes Discount which will cut the cost of some new homes. The First Homes scheme
Conveyancers have been urged to encourage sellers to provide detailed information on issues such as Japanese knotweed and septic tanks after the Law Society has published updated property information forms (TA6). However, the form’s wording
Impressionist Jon Culshaw welcomed and entertained the swathes of legal professionals in Manchester last night as the Modern Law Awards took centre stage. The evening delivered an abundance of talent in the sector and highlighted
The Financial Conduct Authority has published a policy statement highlighting potential changes which would make it easier to take out a mortgage without seeking advice. Amongst the changes, clarification was offered on Perimeter Guidance (PERG)
Zamira Hajiyeva, the first person subject to an Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO), has had her attempt to overturn the decision rejected by the Court of Appeal. This week, the court upheld the decision made last
On the day Watford became the ninth local authority to migrate over to HM Land Registry’s digital Local Land Charges system, searches to Peterborough council were unavailable. Despite only migrating their systems to HM Land
Barratt Developments PLC, Britain’s largest housebuilder, completed their highest half year completion rate in 12 years during the final six months of 2019. The developer’s 8,314 completions between June and December 2019 reflected 9.1% growth
The number of new registered homes being built per annum has increased by 80% over the last decade. According to the National House Building Council’s ‘Annual New Home Statistics,’ 161,022 homes were registered with NHBC