Land Registry clarifies charges for re-launched property research tool

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The Land Registry has confirmed that it will continue charging landlords £3 for researching title registers and plans on its new online service, after posting a confusing blog.

It had implied that users of its new Search for property details site could view ownership information for free, but when queried by LandlordZONE, it admitted that a title register and a title plan would continue to cost £3 each – and that it would clarify this information.

Its current Find a Property service – which many landlords find clunky and difficult to use – is being retired later this year and the new Search for land and property information site will take over.

In March, property ownership details will be added to the Search site so landlords can view the latest price paid for a property as well as the property description shown in the register and can identify if any restrictions or rights exist on the land.

Since its launch in March 2003, Find a property has returned millions of searches from people looking to find out who owns land and property or how much it was bought for, while Search for land and property information was launched in February 2020 and has already seen more than 750,000 searches made.

A Land Registry spokesman says: “This newer service is easy to use and will eventually give you information you need whether you’re researching house prices in advance of a move, looking for legal or ownership reasons or simply to satisfy your personal curiosity.

“You can find information such as property deeds, and the house price data uses the same price paid data set produced by HM Land Registry, that’s used by Zoopla and other property websites.”

More features such as customer accounts, map searching, digital register and title plan view will be added to the service this year.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Land Registry clarifies charges for re-launched property research tool | LandlordZONE.

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Lockdown finance support and options

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It has been another tough start to the year for everyone, including landlords, many of whom have tenants that are unable to pay their rent in full (or at all) due to COVID-19. With many already struggling to cope under the tighter restrictions in the UK

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Third lockdown has created a perfect storm for the property market

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The latest Hometrack House Price Index for January is indicating the third national lockdown is exacerbating a supply and demand imbalance in housing with demand for homes in the first two weeks of January up 13%, but supply down 12% creating a corresponding house price increase of 4.3%.

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LATEST: HM Treasury to be grilled over stamp duty deadline extension by MPs

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A senior HM Treasury spokesperson is to be grilled by MPs on why the Chancellor has so far not extended the stamp duty holiday deadline.

Current estimates show that between 350,000 and 500,000 home purchases are hoping to complete by the deadline of 31^st March including thousands of landlords, who if they can complete on time will not be charged stamp duty on properties under £500,000.
Landlords will still have to pay the additional 3% ‘second home’ duty.

A petition signed by over 130,000 people meant parliamentary authorities were required to consider allowing a debate on extending the holiday deadline by six months, but last week this was kicked into the long grass by Covid safety requirements.

But the official Petitions Committee has now circumvented the suspension of debates within Westminster Hall by organising an online debate within parliament this Monday (1^st February ) at 4.30pm.

HM Treasury is sending Jesse Norman (pictured, below), Financial Secretary to the Treasury to answer questions, which will be led by Elliot Colburn MP.

“As was the case when Westminster Hall was closed due to Covid-19 last year, we have had to innovate to find ways to hold the Government to account, and crucially to voice the concerns of petitioners in the House of Commons, while our usual debates cannot be held,” says Catherine McKinnell MP, Chair of the Commons Petitions Committee.

“As these petitions demonstrate, there are important issues affecting hundreds of thousands of people that are being missed. Their calls for help and support must be heard.”

The 90 minute virtual sessions will be open to all to watch live on Parliament TV and Parliament’s YouTube channel.

Read Tom Entwistle’s examination of the stamp duty holiday.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – LATEST: HM Treasury to be grilled over stamp duty deadline extension by MPs | LandlordZONE.

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First ‘sex for rent’ prosecution against Surrey landlord under way

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A landlord exposed by Jeremy Kyle investigators has become the first person to face ‘sex for rent’ charges.

Christopher Cox, 52, from Cranleigh, in Surrey, will appear in court next month charged with two counts of inciting prostitution for gain and one count of controlling prostitution for gain, following an investigation by TV researchers into landlords offering rent-free accommodation in return for sex.

Cox was featured in an episode of the Kyle Files in 2019, where a female producer posed as a vulnerable prospective tenant. They then handed a dossier to Surrey Police.

In January 2019, legal guidance was changed to make this kind of exploitation punishable by a seven-year jail term, after the charity Shelter revealed that 250,000 women had been targeted in the previous five years.

Criminal inquiries

Senior crown prosecutor Claire Prodger says: “The charges arose out of an investigation by ITV researchers, passed to police in 2019, which resulted in further criminal inquiries.

“This is a complex case and we have reached the decision following a careful review of all the evidence gathered during this period.

“It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”

Shelter research suggests 30,000 women in the UK have been propositioned with explicit ‘arrangements’ since the coronavirus pandemic started in March.

Cox will make his first court appearance at North East Surrey Magistrates Court in Staines (pictured) on 24^th February.

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Private sale swap with BTL buyback?

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I think the initial part of this plan sounds like a relatively straight forward proposition, but the second buyback part probably not… so, I hope the good people of P118 can point me in the right direction!

I’m living in a property that still has a mortgage

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