Blog Post Blog Post Who Owns Scotland? Consultation Launched on Controlling Interests in Land 4 October 2016 Lesley Mearns Land and Rural Business The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on its plans to set up a public register disclosing who owns a controlling interest in…
Blog Post Blog Post Mud On Roads: A Farmers Liability? 30 August 2016 Lesley Mearns Land and Rural Business, Personal Injury The movements of farm vehicles and machinery in and out of fields can leave deposits of mud and other materials on nearby public roads, but…
Blog Post Blog Post The Law on Hedges - how high is too high? 30 August 2016 Lesley Mearns Land and Rural Business A recent Sheriff Court ruling has seen a landowner in Bridge of Weir ordered to cut back a garden hedge that was deemed to have grown…
Blog Post Blog Post A Sellers Market Home Reports and EPCs for Rural Property Sales 24 August 2016 Robin Dunlop Land and Rural Business, Property When a rural property is being brought to the market, it is worth considering whether or not Home Reports and Energy Performance…
Blog Post Blog Post Principal Private Residence: When is my house My Home? 24 August 2016 Robin Dunlop Land and Rural Business, Property Within the last year, many people have focused on Land and Buildings Transaction Tax queries but in relation to rural properties, owners…
Blog Post Blog Post Landlords Could Lose Out Over Phone Mast Rules Changes 1 August 2016 Lesley Mearns Land and Rural Business The Government has recently published proposals to reform the Electronic Communications Code to encourage mobile phone masts in rural areas…
Blog Post Blog Post The End of Short Assured Tenancies 1 August 2016 Lesley Mearns Land and Rural Business, Property The Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016 was passed in April and is expected to come into force in late 2017. After the…
Press Release Press Release Campbells Call to Sheep Farmers 24 May 2016 Lesley Mearns Land and Rural Business Joyce Campbell, from Armadale Farm, Sutherland, winner of the inaugural Scottish Sheep Farm of the Year Award at AgriScot 2015, has made…
Blog Post Blog Post Voluntary Registration of Title & Keeper Induced Registration 28 April 2016 Lesley Mearns Land and Rural Business The Scottish Government’s drive to ensure transparency of land ownership includes accelerating the registration of titles to land in the…
Blog Post Blog Post The Extension of the Community Right to Buy 18 April 2016 Lesley Mearns Land and Rural Business The Community Right to Buy rules have been extended by the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 and the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill.…
Press Release Press Release Thorntons strengthens its Land and Rural team with new appointment 13 April 2016 Firm News, Land and Rural Business Thorntons bolsters Land and Rural Business team with a new appointment. Ross Low, a qualified lawyer and highly experienced chartered rural…
Blog Post Blog Post Ransom Strips 5 April 2016 Lesley Mearns Land and Rural Business Many landowners who have considered selling land for development will be aware of ransom strips but any considering the voluntary…
Blog Post Blog Post Taxing Times - LBTT 3% Surcharge for Rural Property Transactions 30 March 2016 Lesley Mearns Land and Rural Business From 1st April 2016 additional surcharges to LBTT will apply to some residential property purchases. After 1st April 2016 the Scottish rate…
Blog Post Blog Post Borrowers Be Prepared: Closure of the Register of Sasines to Securities 28 March 2016 Lesley Mearns Land and Rural Business From 1 April 2016 the Register of Sasines was closed to new Standard Securities. As a Standard Security must be registered in the same…
Press Release Press Release Land Reform (Scotland) Bill passed. 28 March 2016 Land and Rural Business The Land Reform (Scotland) Bill was introduced to the Scottish Parliament in June 2015. This followed: The Land Reform Review Group…
Blog Post Blog Post Worried about Worrying? 21 March 2016 Lesley Mearns Land and Rural Business There have been several high profile cases of sheep worrying in Scotland over the last few months and a resulting increase in press…
Press Release Press Release Second Conviction for Vicarious Liability for Wildlife Crime 2 December 2015 Lesley Mearns Land and Rural Business Following a recent court case, landowners and shooting tenants should ensure employees are provided with training in order to comply with…
Press Release Press Release Scottish Sheep Farm of the Year Winner Announced at AgriScot 18 November 2015 Lesley Mearns Land and Rural Business The winner of the inaugural AgriScot Scottish Sheep Farm of the Year Award was announced at the farm business event today. The first ever…
Press Release Press Release Progress to Profit at Farming Scotland Conference 9 December 2014 Lesley Mearns Land and Rural Business The team behind the 12th Annual Farming Scotland Conference, which takes place in Carnoustie on Thursday 5th February, are delighted to…
Press Release Press Release Scotland's Sheep Farms set to Shine 15 October 2014 Kenneth Mackay Firm News, Land and Rural Business Scotland’s sheep farms will be given the chance to shine in 2015 when a major new competition is rolled out. The Scottish Sheep Farm of…
Press Release Press Release Land Registration - why owners should take note 14 August 2014 Christopher Lindley Land and Rural Business, Property Big changes are happening all the time with title deeds and the pace of that change is about to accelerate. In bygone days the 'title deeds…