The Property Information Questionnaire (The PIQ) is now some five months old and is well established a component of the HIP. Despite initial scepticism and has generally been received as an enhancement.

It has also helped Sellers realise that the more information provided to potential Buyers in advance, the quicker and simpler the process becomes. When selling a Freehold house, HIPs have managed to open up bottlenecks in the procedure and have thereby speeded up the process.

With so many of the properties in your area being Leasehold Flats, the main hold-up in such cases is obtaining management information to include copy Buildings Insurance, Service charge records and accounts and Major and Future Works charges and notices. This was originally to be part of the HIP but was shelved as a compromise forced on the Government. However, Leaseholders are entitled to all this information and generally receive it from their Freeholder and Managing Agents from time to time. Keeping and collating that documentation and including it with the PIQ can help speed matters up considerably.

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The question of whether to buy a house in Park Lane or a flat in Oxford Street or even a Hotel in Mayfair is a quandary usually reserved for the board game Monopoly. However, with the strong Euro and reduced property prices in the UK, Cyprus nationals are making the famed game come to life. We have noticed a marked increase in buyers from Cyprus investing in UK property and particularly in the Capital, reports Lambros Lambrou of London based Solicitors YVA: and it makes sense, he continues: A modest flat in West London may have cost around 400,000 last year and an investor from Cyprus would have had to pay the equivalent of 525,000 EUROS.

Today, that same flat would have been reduced to 350,000 costing just 380,000 EUROS, a gain of a staggering 145,000 EURO. We are finding that investors vary from those who are reluctant to place their money in property in Cyprus because there is the feeling that prices are inflated, to those who wish to provide accommodation for their children studying in the UK.

Lambrou has found that Cypriots are not merely investing in modest flats: there are plenty who are investing at the same time as their children are in the UK studying. Rather than renting a flat, they have found it prudent to purchase it, perhaps rent it out to other students and have the option of selling in a few years time when it is expected property prices will increase or the pound will strengthen.

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What is the rate of inheritance tax? In a taxable estate any assets which are taxable over 312,000 are taxed at 40% flat rate. The limit of 312,000 is adjusted in the budget every April.

Can a beneficiary be an executor in a Will? Yes, the beneficiary can be an executor in a Will

I want to leave assets to my children but they are both small. How do I do it? You can leave assets to people who are under 18. When you make your Will you need to appoint 2 executors who will hold assets for any of the beneficiaries who are under 18 in Trust until they reach the age of 18 or a higher age if you have asked for the age to be higher.

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With the current economic climate and the problems in the economy, families are now struggling to make ends meet. This is an extremely worrying scenario which to be honest does not look like coming to an end any time soon. The burden on people and especially young families is huge and the government must put in measures to stem this down turn.

Drastic measures are going to be needed to make our lives a little more comfortable and less stressful. With increasing unemployment as well as businesses now struggling, finances and money are now at the top of the agenda for families and business people a like.

In order to survive more and more people are pushing themselves in terms of finance and this can lead to higher debt and financial problems. These debts problems are now of major concern and solutions need to be found to ensure that they do not spiral out of control.

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There are many issues which are related to housing and a wide variety of disputes which are prevalent within the housing industry. Solicitors are now playing a more prominent when advising people and landlords on their rights.

The Solicitors in have considerable experience in dealing with a variety of issues including housing disrepair, squatter proceedings, mortgage possession actions and more. These expertise are now invaluable to society in general and will continue to play a major role as cases related to mortgage possession actions for example continue to rise.

In emergency cases solicitors are able to exercise devolved power and grant a client public funding (subject to eligibility) to enable representation for any proceedings. Emergency cases are extreme situations but solutions need to be found in these cases. Therefore solicitors ability exercise devolved power and grant a client public funding is a wonderful way to resolve any issues.

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