Should we sell our home before moving to Scotland?

We’re wondering what the tax implications will be if we end up owning two properties

Q We want to move to Scotland from England to be near our daughter. We don’t really know which way around to do this: sell our home and move in with our daughter until we find a new home, or try to purchase a property without selling up? We have read that an additional tax LBTT is 4% more on top of the usual LBTT for second homes but ours would only be until we have sold the one in England as the Scottish property would be our permanent residence. If we do have to pay these taxes can we claim any back once we have sold the English property and is there a time limit on this?
YF

A To the uninitiated, LBTT is land and buildings transaction tax which, in Scotland since April 2015, has replaced stamp duty land tax (SDLT) which is now charged only on land and property transactions in England and Northern Ireland. Wales has its own variation in the form of land transaction tax (LTT) which has been run by the Welsh Revenue Authority since April 2018.

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Buying or selling a property with asbestos? Nottingham Estate Agents

Asbestos is a word that can strike fear into a buyer. The fibrous mineral was used widely as a building material. But what risks does it carry? OnTheMarket.com finds out What exactly is asbestos? How worried should homeowners be? And what should they do if they discover it in their house? The good news is that […]

The post Buying or selling a property with asbestos? appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.

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Thousands trapped in limbo by post-Grenfell fire safety standards

Mounting confusion about cladding has forced many to rent – or live in unsaleable homes

It was in April 2018 that Danyal Aziz reserved a shared-ownership flat at the Paragon in Ilford, east London. The development, built with government funding to provide affordable housing, was supposed to be completed that November and Aziz was told he must obtain a mortgage offer within 28 days of the reservation or risk losing the property.

A year on, he had no moving-in date. Three successive mortgage offers had elapsed and when, in August 2019, he applied for a fourth, he entered an unnerving limbo. His lender would not value the flat until it received official assurances about the safety of the cladding which developer, Nu Living, seemed unable to provide.

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It’s right back to the 70s with avocado plants | James Wong

They’re selling for a premium in trendy shops, but you can easily grow your own. Here’s how…

It’s sad when you get to the age where you start seeing old trends coming around again, especially in the notoriously slow-moving world of horticulture. So when I walked into an achingly cool east London houseplant shop recently to see an enormous display of avocado seedlings, neatly potted up with avocado motif labels, I just had to crack a smile. Rather like buying old fashioned milk bottles to decant your supermarket-bought carton into for that added feeling of 1970s “authenticity”, buying a plant that was famously trendy to grow from kitchen waste is, I guess, peak hipster.

If any of you are keen on the look of their glossy, evergreen leaves, but frankly not the silliness of paying for something you can get for free, here’s my guide to growing this retro houseplant from the large seeds you save from your supermarket fruit.

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It’s right back to the 70s with avocado plants | James Wong

They’re selling for a premium in trendy shops, but you can easily grow your own. Here’s how…

It’s sad when you get to the age where you start seeing old trends coming around again, especially in the notoriously slow-moving world of horticulture. So when I walked into an achingly cool east London houseplant shop recently to see an enormous display of avocado seedlings, neatly potted up with avocado motif labels, I just had to crack a smile. Rather like buying old fashioned milk bottles to decant your supermarket-bought carton into for that added feeling of 1970s “authenticity”, buying a plant that was famously trendy to grow from kitchen waste is, I guess, peak hipster.

If any of you are keen on the look of their glossy, evergreen leaves, but frankly not the silliness of paying for something you can get for free, here’s my guide to growing this retro houseplant from the large seeds you save from your supermarket fruit.

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As the days get longer, start chitting and composting | Allan Jenkins

Dig if the ground isn’t frozen, sprout potatoes, sow broad beans and soak up the last of the winter quiet

Finally, February! We will start to dig sometime this month where the soil is not too waterlogged or frozen. We will add in aged compost, maybe leaf mould and well-rotted cow muck from free-range farmer Tom. We will fork it in or just spread it around for worms to do the work. Whatever your choice, whether you prefer to no-dig or not, the soil is stirring now. It is also a good time to think about sowing hardy green manures.

Elsewhere, everywhere in the UK this month should be OK to chit – ie sprout – your preferred potatoes in a cool, light space. Blunt end up in egg boxes works best for me. Write names on a tag if you are mixing varieties, or first earlies with mains.

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As the days get longer, start chitting and composting | Allan Jenkins

Dig if the ground isn’t frozen, sprout potatoes, sow broad beans and soak up the last of the winter quiet

Finally, February! We will start to dig sometime this month where the soil is not too waterlogged or frozen. We will add in aged compost, maybe leaf mould and well-rotted cow muck from free-range farmer Tom. We will fork it in or just spread it around for worms to do the work. Whatever your choice, whether you prefer to no-dig or not, the soil is stirring now. It is also a good time to think about sowing hardy green manures.

Elsewhere, everywhere in the UK this month should be OK to chit – ie sprout – your preferred potatoes in a cool, light space. Blunt end up in egg boxes works best for me. Write names on a tag if you are mixing varieties, or first earlies with mains.

Continue reading...

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