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A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) lets you appoint trusted people to make decisions for you in England and Wales. To make one, you must be at least 18 and have the mental capacity to understand the document. A certificate provider must confirm that you understand what you are doing and are acting freely, and the prescribed signatures must be completed in the correct order and properly witnessed. The LPA cannot be used until it has been registered with the Office of the Public

Protecting assets during a divorce does not mean hiding, transferring or understating what you own. In England and Wales, both parties must give full and frank financial disclosure. The legitimate protections are to identify assets correctly, preserve evidence, use a properly prepared nuptial agreement where appropriate and turn any settlement into a binding financial order. The Supreme Court’s Standish v Standish decision on 2 July 2025 clarified that sharing applies to matr

Freehold and leasehold describe different forms of property ownership. With freehold, you normally own the property and the land it stands on indefinitely. With leasehold, you own the right to occupy the property for a fixed term under a lease, while the freeholder retains the underlying interest. The government estimates there are around five million existing leasehold properties in England and Wales. Most flats are leasehold, although some houses are too. Our guides to leas

Employers sponsoring overseas workers need to budget for more than salary. For a three-year Skilled Worker hire, a medium or large sponsor currently pays £3,960 in Immigration Skills Charge (ISC) plus £525 for the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), making the core employer sponsorship cost £4,485 before any licence or optional priority-service fees. The ISC increased on 16 December 2025 to £480 for the first 12 months for small or charitable sponsors and £1,320 for other spons

Buy-to-let conveyancing involves more than transferring legal ownership. A conveyancer must consider the mortgage conditions, tax position, tenancy arrangements, title restrictions, licensing requirements and whether the property can lawfully be let as intended. This has become particularly important since 1 May 2026, when the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 introduced major changes to private renting in England. Section 21 “no-fault” evictions were abolished and most assured tenanc

Choosing the right conveyancing firm can affect the cost, speed and overall experience of buying or selling a property. Before comparing quotes, check two things: whether the firm can act for your mortgage lender and exactly what its quoted price includes. Property transactions can take longer than many buyers expect. Government guidance published in 2026 states that, once an offer has been accepted, a transaction takes around 120 days on average to complete, while around one

Buying your first home involves more than finding the deposit. You also need to budget for legal work, searches, surveys, mortgage fees, Land Registry charges, moving costs and any Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) due. Halifax’s 2024 analysis found an average first-time buyer deposit of £61,090, an average purchase price of £311,034 and an average buyer age of 33. Work out what you can comfortably afford A lender’s maximum offer is not necessarily the amount you should borrow. Cons

A sponsor licence allows a UK organisation to sponsor eligible overseas workers who do not already have immigration permission allowing them to work in the role. From 8 April 2026, a Worker sponsor licence costs £611 for a small or charitable sponsor and £1,682 for a medium or large sponsor. Most applications are decided in less than eight weeks, while eligible applicants may pay £750 for priority consideration within 10 working days.For an introduction, see what a UK employe

A wayleave agreement gives a utility or telecommunications operator permission to install, retain, inspect or repair equipment on, over or beneath privately owned land. It may cover electricity cables, poles, broadband lines, pipes or related apparatus, usually in return for an annual or one-off payment. Its legal effect depends on the wording and statutory regime. Some voluntary electricity wayleaves are personal contractual permissions and may end following termination or a

Holding British citizenship alongside another nationality does not determine your UK tax bill. The UK mainly taxes individuals according to residence, income sources and asset location rather than the passport they hold. A second citizenship can still create overseas filing duties, affect travel documents and limit UK consular assistance in the country of that nationality. Our guide to the tax side of dual citizenship covers the wider position. UK tax follows residence, not c