News Archive: legal issues
12, 2009 January:
Retailers claim changes to business rates could push retail's bill to £7 billion by 2011 and the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has called for a freeze on rates...
09, 2009 January:
A four-year battle to preserve a slice of early history in inner-city Auckland has resulted in stronger heritage controls across the wider central business district...
US mortgage lender Citigroup, along with several other large providers, are in talks with the US Attorney to allow judges to modify mortgages in bankruptcy court...
08, 2009 January:
Dubai is mulling tightening rules on the property market in the Gulf financial hub after many developers shelved projects because of the global financial crisis...
More than one in eight borrowers in the UK has sought debt advice, according to new research by MoneyExpert.com...
More than one million people were summoned to court last year for not paying their council tax in full...
07, 2009 January:
Thousands of landlords in Edinburgh are facing £500 fines if they fail to gain a new certificate showing how much their properties cost to heat...
05, 2009 January:
In an attempt to rebuild investor confidence in the property sector, a new system which grades developers in Dubai according to their financial liquidity, experience in the market, the number of projects and the added value they give to the community, is being introduced...
The National Landlords Association Scotland has warned Scottish landlords face massive fines if they do not provide Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) for prospective tenants...
The UAE is the second easiest country in the Arab world to register property, according to a Doing Business report by the World Bank...
24, 2008 December:
Montenegro formally submitted its application for membership of the European Union (EU) earlier this week...
The UK Government may increase the powers of debt collectors despite concerns that the industry is poorly controlled...
An Australian couple were served legally binding repossession documents through the social networking site Facebook...
19, 2008 December:
Whilst the downturn in the US property market has provided brilliant opportunities for some investors to pick up a bargain, the novelty is now wearing off and the thrill of snapping up a foreclosed property has dwindled...
The Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand's latest move has sent house buyers scurrying on to the market to finalise deals on properties...
Interest rates are expected to drop by at least another one per cent, latest minutes from the Bank of England's monetary policy committee are suggesting...
18, 2008 December:
Areas with better transport links may gain from Manchester's no congestion charge vote, says expert...
17, 2008 December:
Key changes have been made to Australia's skilled migration processing to ensure that it is better suited to the needs of the fluctuating economy - TheMoveChannel.com takes a look at the new measures and investigates how they will affect potential migrants...
In the wake of the historic interest rate cuts in the US yesterday, the pound has risen against the dollar and it looks set to stay that way...
15, 2008 December:
As if Hurricane Ike wasn't enough to contend with, now the residents of the state of Texas are starting another battle - trying to get insurance claims fulfilled and to get the Federal Hazard Mitigation Grant to to buy their flood prone homes...
Keen to strengthen the integrity of temporary overseas work visa arrangements in Australia, the country's Parliament has passed new laws, one of which allows temporary migrants to stay in Australia for up to four years...
Under new Government property laws, foreign buyers will be able to buy and own property in Vietnam from 1st January 2009, a positive step forward to keep the property market strong...
Holding back repossessions is critical for the health of the UK property market...
Thousands of homes in Auckland and Northland may have been built with under-strength timber after fabricators sold cut-price and substandard frames and trusses...
12, 2008 December:
Foreclosure filings dropped seven per cent from October to November, according to a report. But don't break out the bubbly. The tide of foreclosures may be ebbing now, but the flood isn't over yet...
11, 2008 December:
mydeposits.co.uk is reminding landlords that they need to provide sufficient evidence to support a decision to withhold part or all of a tenant's deposit...
10, 2008 December:
According to the Middle Eastern Real Estate Consultants (Merec) the recent changes to the real estate laws in Dubai will help allay any fears investors have when considering buying property in Dubai...
09, 2008 December:
The Communities & Local Government department is to plough ahead with plans to force councils to put efficiency information on council tax bills...
05, 2008 December:
All holiday home owners who rent out their properties in the Valencia region will now need to register them with the tourist authorities, according to new regulations which aim to crack down on tax evaders...
European Parliament slams Spain (again) for ‘land grab' laws...
Stakeholders in the housing sector have welcomed the launch of a new Government agency that combines the work previously done by three different bodies...
04, 2008 December:
Council estate tenants who 'contribute to the community' should be given a discount on the purchase price of their flat, according to a Conservative thinktank...
03, 2008 December:
The National Security Inspectorate (NSI) is urging homeowners feeling more at risk from burglary as a result of the economic downturn, to be careful when considering installing a burglar alarm...
Brazilian property investors could be interested to learn that the nation's businessmen are calling for a foreign trade policy that will enable them to be more competitive, it has been reported...
As of yesterday, 1st December, homeowners selling residential properties in Scotland will need to provide potential purchasers with a Home Report...
02, 2008 December:
A change allowing some visitors to enter Brazil for up to three months has been revealed...
Dubai's residential market slump took a turn for the worst yesterday as Nakheel, the Government-owned property developer, announced it was slashing 15 per cent of its workforce and it emerged that Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse also are cutting regional staff...
The drive to deliver much needed affordable homes and safeguard higher housing standards for eight million social housing tenants has taken a massive step forward...
01, 2008 December:
Anyone who owns or is thinking of buying a property in Cyprus should forward plan and ensure that they set-up a will, as lawyers in Cyprus can charge, by law, a fixed amount for probate work, typically in excess of 12 per cent of the estate value, according to soliciting firm ProACT Partnership...
Mortgage fraud in the UK is booming as police fail to take it seriously or pursue criminals, the head of a new agency to fight the crime has revealed...
25, 2008 November:
Keren Homes and subsidiary Keren Homes Birmingham have both gone into administration...
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to suspend US home foreclosures...
Tory MP Peter Bottomley has called for urgent action on sale and rent back schemes, by which distressed householders sell their homes for well under market value to buyers - both individuals and company - who then become their landlords...
19, 2008 November:
As of January 12th next year, all visa waiver passengers travelling to America will have to apply for permission three days in advance, according to strict new US border regulations...
18, 2008 November:
Boris Johnson asks Government to reintroduce empty rate relief...
Dubai Land Department's new online application system has already registered more than 80,000 units...
The Canadian Government is to buy up £21.7 billion in insured mortgages from banks as part of a series of initiatives to shore up the property market...
17, 2008 November:
Four fifths of British people want the Government to be more active in helping homeowners at risk of having their homes repossessed...
14, 2008 November:
The Czech Republic is reportedly on the verge of passing legislation that will permit foreigners to buy land...