Plain-English guides to buying, selling, renting and owning property in England: the contracts, the paperwork and the rights behind them.
Owning property comes with protections that are easy to miss until something goes wrong. These are the ones our readers ask about most.
Once your ownership is registered at HM Land Registry, the register is the proof of title, and the state pays compensation if it is wrong through no fault of yours.
Title registers and plans are public. Before exchange you can check who owns the land, which charges are secured on it and what covenants bind it.
Under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, an adjoining owner who plans certain works to a shared wall or close to your foundations has to serve notice first.
If you own a flat on a lease, you can ask for a summary of the costs behind your service charge and apply to the First-tier Tribunal if a charge is unreasonable.
Many owners of long leases may claim a lease extension or join neighbours to buy the freehold, subject to qualifying rules.
Light received through a window without interruption for twenty years can become a legal right that later building work must respect.
A tenancy agreement is the backbone of any rental in England. It sets out the rent, the rules, the responsibilities, and the practical details that often decide whether a tenancy runs smoothly or ends in a dispute.
For landlords, the agreement needs to be legally compliant and clear enough to enforce. For tenants, it needs […]
When you hand over a tenancy deposit in England, you’re not simply paying a lump sum that the landlord can do with as they please. That money is legally protected, and there are strict rules about how it must be handled, what can be deducted, and how disputes are resolved. Understanding these rules puts you […]
Покупка дома в Англии — это серьезные расходы, и платить за неправильный тип обследования — последнее, что вам нужно. Выбор зависит от возраста, состояния и конструкции объекта, а также от того, какой уровень риска вы готовы принять после завершения сделки. И давайте сразу проясним: обследование (survey) — это не то же самое, что оценка для ипотеки (mortgage valuation). […]
