Legal Resources and News

The importance of making a valid Will cannot be overstated. Even in this day and age, so many people die without having made a Will.

With the season of gift giving now a distant memory, you may be forgiven for thinking the associated obligatory stress of picking out the perfect present for that distant relative is behind you. But if you have been putting off getting your affairs in order, now could be the perfect time to take action and the role of gifting can have an important role to play.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his partner, Carrie Symonds have become the first unmarried couple to reside at Number 10.  And according to the Office of National Statistics, the number of us cohabiting has increased by 25.8% over the last decade. Cohabiting couples are officially the fastest growing family type and whilst it’s the preferred option for many, there are some legal issues cohabiting couples should consider when thinking about ownership of property.

A recent report by the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) contains a number of recommendations to deliver “a more coherent and understandable structure” to inheritance tax. These recommendations have been put to the government to consider and have not yet been acted upon but it does certainly highlight scope for change to the current rules that are complex and often misunderstood.

Purchasing a property with your husband, wife or partner is an exciting milestone for many making it easy to look no further than getting your hands on the keys. How many of us stop to consider what happens to that property in the event the relationship breaks down in the future? It is not a particularly pleasant thought but nevertheless, it is a notion of importance, especially in the event of unequal contributions towards the property purchase.