Have your say in the Solent Pipeline Project consultation
The Solent Pipeline Project is underway with ExxonMobil (otherwise known as Esso Petroleum Ltd), and this could affect landowners in…
Rural services
Agricultural Landlord and Tenant Code of Practice for England – advice for landlords, tenants and professional advisers
The new Agricultural Landlord and Tenant Code of Practice for England was published this month (April 2024), with a keen…
The importance of a land registry title plan
In the realm of rural property transactions, the significance of meticulous attention to detail cannot be overstated. One critical aspect…
Finding a Notary Public can be like searching for a needle in a haystack
Our landed estates and farming team is very pleased to be able to offer notarial services via Solicitor, Louise Williams,…
Introduction to the Electronic Communications Code for landowners
What is the Electronic Communications Code?
The Electronic Communications Code (Schedule 3A of the Communications Act 2003 as part of…
Lasting Power of Attorney for rural businesses
What is a Lasting Power of Attorney?
A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document that allows the…
Environmental Permits for Domestic Sewage Discharge
When buying a residential property not connected to mains sewage, care must be taken to check whether a small sewage…
Is Biodiversity Net Gain a viable source of diversification?
The Government has now brought into force (on 12 February 2024) the long-expected measure to ensure that the replacement of…
Multiple Dwellings Relief to be abolished from 1 June 2024 – your key questions answered
It has been announced by the government in the 2024 Spring Budget that Stamp Duty Land Tax (‘SDLT’) Multiple Dwellings…
The challenges of owning a thatched property
When considering buying a new property prospective owners dream of a simple transaction. Thatched properties can now seem to be…
Can you bury a body on private land? Your key questions answered
We recently had a very interesting case land on our desks! Without going into too much detail (and we assure…
Buying, owning and refinancing land adjoining an unadopted road – everything you need to know
Landowners will be familiar with using existing unadopted roads as they invariably form part of, adjoin or provide a means…
The Crooked House pub: planning laws and consequences of breach for Britain’s wonkiest pub
You may have seen recently seen that The Crooked House, located near Dudley burnt down on 5 August 2023. It…
Can carbon farming provide a stable source of income?
Increasing understanding of carbon credits and their role is vital to the importance of addressing the global climate crisis. This…
Advising rural family businesses – the importance of empathetic legal advice
Moore Barlow invite our rural family business clients to think about the story of their family business. How it started,…
The capacity and mental health of farmers
Terry Pratchett, the well known author of fantasy novels once wrote that “those of us with dementia need a little…
Listed Buildings are not always exempt from EPC requirements or MEES
We have seen an increase in enquiries lately from our landowning client base with residential letting property portfolios questioning whether…
Protect your property against fraud with Land Registry property alerts
All property owners in England and Wales can set up property alerts with the Land Registry to notify them of…
The protection of trees by Tree Preservation Orders
When owning property of any kind where there are trees, or possibly only one tree, you must take care when…
Mortgages over farm assets – 10 years on
On 20 March 2013, the then Chancellor, George Osborne, announced a significant change on how debts are allowed or relieved…
Mixed-use relief for SDLT: HMRC loses – for once
Charlotte Brackley considers two recent Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) cases brought against HMRC and the potential implications for buyers…
Go your own way: Farmland rights of way
Prepared for South East Farmer and published in their March edition, Sarah Jordan, partner and head of the rural estate…
Japanese knotweed – a cautionary tale from a recent case
If you have ever been involved in a property transaction whether buying, selling or even acting for clients, you would…
Community Infrastructure Levy and the self-build exemption – everything you need to know
To self-build or not to self-build, that is the question! For many landowners, obtaining planning consent for development on their…
What are the legal considerations when buying or selling a house with a wood burner?
Given the rise in electricity and gas prices, there has been a recent drive in the installation of wood burners…
Agricultural tenancy considerations: your key legal update
The last year has seen an enormous number of measures putting into effect the Agricultural Transition Plan, many of which…
Lifetime residential tenancies
How to make lifetime residential tenancies work for both landlords and tenants.
We are well versed in the Moore Barlow…
Farming and land transactions during a recession
With the phasing out of BPS subsidies and the added pressure of a dip in the economy in 2023, we…
Agricultural tenants in financial difficulty
What can agricultural Landlords do if their tenants run into financial difficulty?
The answer to this question will depend upon…
Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 – Property and HM land registry
The new Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 came into force on 1 August 2022.
The new Register of…
Inherited properties and stamp duty land tax
Inherited properties and the extra 3% stamp duty land tax (SDLT) charge: When could you be caught by the uplift?…
Rural property notary public services
Our Rural Services team is very pleased to announce that we will soon be offering notarial services. Louise Williams, who…
ID and source of funds checks
As solicitors, we are duty bound to protect your interests as clients and to protect any money that we hold…
Changes in red diesel legislation: how does it affect your farm business and home?
HMRC and the Government have made changes to the rules surrounding usage of rebated fuels, the most common in the…
Megan Smith
About Megan
I am a Senior paralegal in the firm’s Rural property team, assisting Partner, Sarah Jordan, and our wider…
Into the woods: Inheritance tax relief on woodlands
It is estimated that 72% of land in the UK is farmed but, in 2017, the AGFORWARD project estimated that…
Stay updated: Agriculture (Lump Sum Payment) Regulations 2022
The Government produced its response in February 2022 to the consultation exercise last year on the Lump Sum Exit Scheme.…
Boundary agreement vs determined boundary – what’s the difference?
Clients often ask why an on the ground boundary differs to the red line on their land registry filed plan.…
For sale: what to consider when selling your farmland
The pandemic restrictions and ongoing Brexit-related issues have had a significant impact on the UK’s farming and agricultural sector. In…
Felling licences and restocking notices – everything you need to know
When many people think of cutting down trees, their first thought can be to look at whether the trees are…
Five key considerations to make when buying a farm
The pandemic has seen a shift in people’s habits, from spending more time in the countryside enjoying the outdoors to…
Louise Williams
About Louise
I am an associate in our rural property team, specialising in land, farms and property transactions in the…
Farmers, mind your head
In 1964 Bob Dylan sang ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’ and today this song holds particularly true for rural life…
Home is where the holiday is
The Government’s indicative roadmap out of lockdown has prompted a boom in both UK and foreign holiday bookings, with the…
Farm Business Tenancies: who drafts what for whom?
When drafting a farm business tenancy, it’s easy to get confused as to which documents a solicitor prepares and which…
How to buy your own plot of woodland
Why is the purchase of woodland increasing in popularity?
The coronavirus pandemic has led many to readdress their priorities, particularly…
Agricultural tenancy reform update
In an earlier edition of Rural News, we considered the proposals put forward in the Defra Consultation Paper on Agricultural…
Holiday time for stamp duty
In his Summer Statement the Chancellor announced a temporary reduction in residential stamp duty land tax (SDLT) rates in England…
Moore Barlow partner authors new definitive legal guide to farming partnerships
Top 100 UK law firm Moore Barlow today announces that partner Philip Whitcomb has authored a new book which is…
Restructuring a family business for the third generation
Moore Barlow has many clients who are family businesses. From entrepreneurial investment vehicles, to landed estates and rural businesses, to…
What is Occupiers’ Liability and how can you protect yourself against it?
If a visitor on your land or premises falls or injures themselves, what occupiers’ liability might you have?
There are…
The Agriculture Bill
At the time of writing this article (the end of February), the Agriculture Bill is wending its way through the…
Lifetime farm valuations; ‘hope’ value and the importance of getting it right
Lifetime valuations can be a useful strategic tool for landowners. A forthcoming succession, pre-death tax planning when creating a Will,…
Seasonal worker scheme multiplies by four
Following concerns over a lack of migrant labour as a consequence of Brexit, the government is significantly expanding its Seasonal…
Where there is a horse, there is a will
The whole idea of getting up at 6am on a dark winter’s morning to ride out in the pouring rain…
Don’t forget the new 30-day window to report disposals for CGT payment
If you are in the process of considering disposing of residential property on or after 6 April 2020 new rules…
Charlotte Brackley
About Charlotte
I buy and sell high value rural property: large country houses with land, farms and landed estates.
I…
COVID-19: how to make your house move happen
The UK government has now issued guidance to those buying or selling their home during the Covid-19 lockdown. This update clarifies what…
Sarah Jordan
About Sarah
I focus my practice on long-term property advisory support to landowners, landed estates, farming businesses and families, equestrian…
Edward Whittington
About Edward
I am privileged to lead Moore Barlow, a dynamic and forward thinking law firm based in London and…
Julian Parkes
About Julian
I specialise in assisting clients with the purchase and management of commercial investment property portfolios and leisure properties.…
Moore Blatch sponsors 2019 Royal County of Berkshire Show
The leading firm is a Gold sponsor at the annual agricultural event
Moore Blatch, one of the largest law firms…
Rural Property team grows at Moore Blatch
Anita Symington has joined Moore Blatch as a consultant in the rural property team. …
Commoner’s corner #Grazingisgood
The New Forest National Park and Commoner’s Defence Association have launched the #grazingisgood campaign, which recognises the benefit commoning brings…
Occupying land without a written lease, license or agreement
Problems and confusion can often arise where someone is occupying an area of land without any written basis for doing…
AHA tenancy loophole
We all work in the rural sector so the basics of AHA tenancies under the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 (AHA)…
Boundary disputes and encroachments
Rural and agricultural properties and estates often have boundaries that are not clearly demarcated by physical boundary structures.
Why are…
Moore Blatch announces 17 firm wide promotions
Moore Blatch solicitors, which has offices in Southampton, Lymington, the City of London and Richmond, has announced 17 firm-wide promotions…
Recruiting seasonal workers after Brexit – possible solutions?
The issue of immigration has featured prominently in the Brexit debate. Following the decision to leave in June 2016, the…
Town and country homes
Your legal advice on your dream home or investment should come from those with expert knowledge of law and who…
Landed estates and farming
Your legal advice on rural, farming and family affairs should come from those with expert knowledge of law, combined with…
Moore Blatch signs up to Shared Forest Business Group
During the course of 2016, nearly 100 New Forest animals were killed by vehicles travelling along roads through the New…
Agricultural property relief, what to do following the death of a farmer
What is the current HMRC approach to agricultural property relief?
It will come as no surprise to many of you…
Farmers diversifying if subsidies scrapped could cost them tens or hundreds of thousands, warn lawyers
The Prime Minister’s announcement that the UK will not have a half-in, half-out deal, means the subsidies UK farmers currently…
