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Westminster Council has called on the government to do more to help local authorities bring empty properties back into use. More than 34,000 homes in the borough are not currently occupied by full-time residents, the council said, with around 11,000 of these listed as long-term vacant (not lived in for at least six months). Westminster […]

Fraser and Fraser, a leading firm in probate research, are raising the alarm over a concerning rise in fraudulent Wills – an emerging threat that is systematically depriving rightful heirs of their inheritances. While Will forgery is not new, the frequency and sophistication of these cases are reaching alarming levels, compromising the integrity of the […]

Inheritance tax (IHT) contributed £7bn to the Treasury between April 2024 and January 2025, a rise of £700m on the corresponding period for the previous year. The rise has been attributed to the ongoing freeze in IHT thresholds, coupled with rising property and asset values, and wider inflationary pressures. Following last Autumn’s Budget, the Office […]

More than two out of five Scots (43 per cent) believe their local council should be doing more to bring empty homes back into use, according to a survey published this week. The research, produced by the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership (SEHP), also found that just 10 per cent of adults in Scotland felt their […]

Average waiting times for a grant of probate fell to four weeks in December, according to latest figures from His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). This compares to more than eight weeks at the end of June 2024 and 12 weeks in December 2023. HMCTS attributed the improvement to several factors, including the successful […]