Super-rich spot bargains as luxury London townhouse sells for just £15m

Wealthy buyers are snapping up homes at a big discount in Covid-19 crisis after viewings via Zoom

Some of the world’s richest people are snapping up luxury London mansions despite the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown – but only if the seller knocks a million or two off the sale price.

Estate agents are reporting that rich overseas buyers have spent tens of millions on historic central London properties during the pandemic even though they have often only seen the homes over Zoom video calls.

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A guide to probate: everything you need to know

With the coronavirus causing long delays to the process, here are the key points to remember

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Tens of thousands of bereaved families who have lost loved ones to coronavirus are dealing with the financial procedures that follow a death – called probate – but are encountering a system hit by delays and bureaucracy.

It usually takes about three to four months to sort out probate, which is essentially identifying the dead person’s assets, paying off any debts and sharing out the remaining estate according to the will.

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Five top tips for taking the best photographs to sell or let a home Nottingham Estate Agents

Hennings Moir Estate Agents reveal how best to prepare a property to guarantee the all-important photographs Whether you are taking photographs of your home for a property website or a property brochure, it’s important to remember that these images could mean the difference between a potential buyer or tenant booking a viewing, or deciding against […]

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Country diary: black garden ants are quick to colonise the compost | Country diary

Marshwood Vale, Dorset: Within hours they were seething over what looked like a heap of beige beans

In only 48 hours, ants took over one of our new compost bins. Lifting the lid to chuck in some wilted celery stumps, I saw them seething over what looked like a heap of nude baked beans.

They weren’t baked beans but pupae, wrapped in beige silk. The larvae of black garden ants (Lasius niger) are one of several ant species that spin cocoons to pupate. It is thought that the casing protects against lethal fungal infections.

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Country diary: black garden ants are quick to colonise the compost | Country diary

Marshwood Vale, Dorset: Within hours they were seething over what looked like a heap of beige beans

In only 48 hours, ants took over one of our new compost bins. Lifting the lid to chuck in some wilted celery stumps, I saw them seething over what looked like a heap of nude baked beans.

They weren’t baked beans but pupae, wrapped in beige silk. The larvae of black garden ants (Lasius niger) are one of several ant species that spin cocoons to pupate. It is thought that the casing protects against lethal fungal infections.

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Lockdown location, location: surge in Britons searching for properties abroad

Spain, France and Portugal the most searched-for destinations in May, says Rightmove

Estate agents are reporting a surge in online searches for overseas properties as locked-down Britons rethink where they want to live, or indulge their fantasies of owning a bolthole in the sun.

Searches for properties in Spain, particularly in locations such as the Costa del Sol, were up 34% year on year during May, while those for homes in France, including in areas such as the Dordogne and Brittany, were up 33%, said the website Rightmove.

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Tenant eviction ban extended in UK by two months

Government wants landlords to ‘exhaust all options’ to avoid court action once ban is lifted

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The government has extended its ban on evictions by a further two months, prolonging the breathing space for thousands of tenants who have struggled to pay the rent during lockdown.

“Eviction hearings will not be heard in courts until the end of August and no one will be evicted from their home this summer due to coronavirus,” the housing secretary, Robert Jenrick, tweeted on Friday evening.

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