House Building News … this week Scotland’s house builders will take the first steps back on to building sites, but buyers should be wary of expecting a quick return to normality. The Scottish Government will green light support for the first two steps in a six-step plan put forward by Scotland’s builders:
- Phase 1 – planning
- Phase 2 – pre-start site prep
- Phase 3 – ‘soft start to site works (where physical distancing can be maintained)
- Phase 4 – steady-state operation (where physical distancing can be maintained)
- Phase 5 – steady-state operation (with physical distancing and / or PPE use)
- Phase 6 – increasing density / productivity with experience
When the lockdown was introduced, the construction industry stopped all construction work in Scotland and ‘mothballed’ their sites, leaving individual properties in various stages of completion. Homes for Scotland (HFS) wrote to the First Minister recently saying there were around six thousand homes to be completed, worth in excess of £1 billion to the Scottish economy.
The office based elements of the property have kept going throughout lockdown, with staff (including Wallace Quinn conveyancing solicitors) working from home. Sales staff at many building works have this week begun taking reservations for plots and in the last week we have begun to receive instructions to act for new clients. However, the volumes reflect an industry taking the first tentative steps back to work rather than one opening up the flood-gates on pent up supply-and-demand.
Getting to the point where home-buyers can pick up the keys to a new property is a complicated process involving a vast range of trades and professions. Not everybody involved is initially obvious: we can all picture the bricklayer or electrician, but what about the Local Council officer who has to inspect the finished property and issue a Completion (Habitation) Certificate?
The last few months have been frustrating for everybody, especially those who had glimpsed the conveyancing finishing line when the lockdown began. Hopefully we’ll see the start of the escape from limbo this week, but we’ve got a fair distance to travel yet in order to keep everybody safe. After all, we all want the bricklayer, electrician and Building Standards Officer to be able to help more families into more new homes for many years to come.
As always, if you would like to speak to a Wallace Quinn solicitor on any legal aspect of your home life, work life or personal life, please get in touch.
If you are over 55 and own your own home, you could unlock some of the cash value of the property through equity release – and use the money on whatever you want. In this podcast we answer some of the most common equity release questions with Wallace Quinn solicitor John Quinn and specialist advisor Alastair Shields.
If you would like to find out more, fill in this form and one of our solicitors will contact you ASAP:
If you were incapacitated, who would you trust with your life? Who would you trust with your money? How would you empower them to make decisions that your bank or your doctor would allow? In this podcast we answer common questions about at a legal document called a Power of Attorney with Wallace Quinn solicitors John Quinn and James Reid.
Speak to a solictor about a Power of Attorney
Fill in this form if you would one of our solicitors to get in touch (within one working day)
Welcome to our new Wallace Quinn Podcast! In episode one, we’re looking at Wills with Wallace Quinn solicitors John Quinn and James Reid.
You need a Will. Regardless of your age or circumstances. A Will gives you a voice and a say in what happens to your assets after you are gone. A Will provides guidance and help for your loved ones when they need it most. Our solicitors can take your instructions and draft your Will remotely. Put in place peace of mind for £170+VAT for an individual or £220 + VAT for a couple.
Fill in this form if you would one of our solicitors to get in touch (within one working day)
SAVE £100+VAT per individual or £150+VAT per couple when you purchase both a Will and Power of Attorney together.
Make a Will Today
Quite simply, you need a Will. Regardless of your age or circumstances. A Will gives you a voice and a say in what happens to your assets after you are gone. A Will provides guidance and help for your loved ones when they most need it.
Our solicitors can take your instructions and draft your Will remotely. A Will is £170+VAT, or £220+VAT for both you and your partner.
Put in place peace of mind.
Contact a Wallace Quinn solicitor by filling in the form below.
Make a Power of Attorney Today
Who would you trust with your life? Who would you trust with your money? Give them the legal power to help you if you can’t by creating a Power of Attorney. It will only ever be used if you are incapacitated or incapable of making decisions.
You hope you’ll never need one, but you’ll be glad you took the time to draft one.
A Power of Attorney is £300+VAT*, or £400+VAT* for you and your partner.
Put in place peace of mind. Contact a Wallace Quinn solicitor by filling in the form below.
Special Offer – SAVE £100+VAT per individual or £150+VAT per couple when you purchase both a Will and Power of Attorney together
* There is an additional cost of £79 per person to register a Power of Attorney with the Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland).
Since the Covid-19 restrictions have been in place, there are number of questions we’re being asked frequently by our clients. We thought it helpful if we started to list our answers online and we’ll update this page as necessary.
Are you still open for business?
Definitely! The conveyancing market has slowed to a crawl but it is still operating. Wallace Quinn are open for business and we’re taking new instructions to buy and sell property. You can get in touch with us via our website at wallacequinn.co.uk and you can get a real time quote for the legal costs involved in buying new build property at wallacequinn.co.uk/new-build-calculator.
I’ve just bought a new property but want to stay in my existing property until the lockdown is lifted. Can I still do that?
The Government is advising everybody who can put off moving to do so until the current restrictions are lifted. It all depends on individual circumstances. If you’ve bought a new build property you don’t have to move in just because you’ve got the keys. However you may have somebody desperate to get into the property you’ve sold, or you may have handed notice on a rented property. Speak to your landlord or the buyer and see if you can reach an agreement or ask your solicitor for advise and help.
Can I still apply for Scottish Government schemes like Help To Buy?
Yes, if you were eligible for a scheme before the lockdown, you are still eligible now. But recognise that everything is taking a lot longer to process, including the government schemes such as Help to Buy Scotland and the First Home Fund.
Will Estate Agents still value property and can I still get a Home Report for a property I want to sell?
Many Estate Agents are looking to undertake digital valuations where you walk them through your house using Facetime or Skype. Surveyors are also scratching their heads at the moment trying to see if they can put digital solutions in place, but nothing has been agreed yet. If you haven’t yet put your property on the market, you might want to spend the next few weeks tidying up the garden or painting the walls. When you do sell, there are jobs like cleaning out the attic you’ll have to get around to – why not do them now.
What is the Land Register and what has happened to it?
The Land Register is the computer system that lists every bit of land in Scotland and who owns it. It is a legal requirement that this is updated as soon as possible after your sale concludes. At the end of March, the Registers of Scotland closed the register to applications because they were sending staff home and there wasn’t a digital solution for the register. Since then, they’ve been working with the Law Society and have got it reopened in a limited capacity and are working on a digital solution to fully reopen it.
