Are you caring for an elderly parent at your home? Perhaps they are already ill and would otherwise be reliant on care provided privately or through Social Services at a cost of somewhere in the region of £14.00 an hour? The cost of such care over the course of a year is unthinkable. What if it was possible to secure assets to pay you back for the cost of the care over time?
Our expert solicitors for the elderly, based in Cardiff, can help your elderly parents to set up a Trust in recompense for the provision of such care.
A trust will act to ring-fence assets from the future imposition of care home fees. This will ensure you are paid a calculable sum if the costs of care do become a burden for you in the future.
Although this process is not without risks, with the expert and professional assistance of a specialist team of solicitors for the elderly, the chances of success are high.
We have a specialist team of solicitors for the elderly, headed by Claire Davis, the only Welsh Director of a national organisation of specially qualified elderly solicitors. She has direct experience of dealing with issues relating to elderly care and dementia as her mother suffers from Alzheimer’s. You are therefore guaranteed not only an expert service and advice but empathy which is not always present from other solicitors for the elderly.
If you are interested in this or any other issues relating to elderly client matters such as asset preservation through Wills, Trusts, Lasting Powers of Attorney or Court of Protection, please contact our expert team of solicitors for the elderly based in Cardiff.
Howells have put together a plain, expert guide to lasting power of attorney. Whether you are considering arranging lasting power of attorney for a family member, friend or solicitor, or have been asked to take on the role of attorney, this complete guide will answer all your questions. In this guide we will be covering:
- The duties of an attorney
- Who can and cannot be an attorney
- Having more than one attorney
- Different types of attorney
- How to choose an attorney
- How to find highly regarded solicitors for the elderly More...
In the first report published as Chief Ombudsman for England and Wales, Adam Sampson, said that thousands of people are being ripped off by businesses that provide unregulated legal services, such as the writing of wills.
The Legal Ombudsman said that most complaints heading his way were to do with property law (conveyancing), family law and wills.
As only some legal services have to be provided by qualified solicitors, many will-writers and unregulated conveyancing firms have recently emerged, some offering a very poor service to consumers.
Commenting on the report, Mr Sampson said "One service which crops up a lot is will writing. It's a service carried out often by will-writing firms who aren't regulated. Because of this, customers are left with little means of redress when things go wrong.
"We've seen similar confusion about claims management companies, with lots of consumers believing they're getting a legal service even though most of the work is carried out by a non-authorised person. Again, we can't help."
In late 2010 the Legal Ombudsman was appointed, with the responsibility of acting on complaints from consumers. Unfortunately, complaints that can be brought to the Ombudsman have to be about qualified solicitors, so many unqualified advisors are escaping scrutiny.
In a recent article on the BBC, Des Hudson, chief executive of the Law Society for England and Wales, said: "The gap in regulation which allows unregulated cowboys to operate in areas like will writing does not just cause unfair competition to solicitors, who provide a regulated, professional service.
"It is also damaging to consumers because the unregulated providers are not insured, do not provide a compensation fund and are not covered by the Legal Ombudsman's scheme for consumer redress."
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Justice said that it welcomed the report ant that will writing was “an important issue”.
If you would like to speak to someone with regards making or amending a Will, our approachable and measured team of solicitors will make the best use of your assets, planning carefully so you pay the minimum amount of Inheritance and Capital Gains Tax ensuring your loved ones receive as much of the money as possible. We pride ourselves on the time we spend with our clients listening to their wishes, views, fears and desires before crafting the Will to meet each individuals particular needs.With years of experience and full qualifications in this area, we can make sure your will is a legally binding document.
Here our trained solicitors share help and guidance on the topic of gifting a family home and the legal repurcussions of doing so:
Contents Summary
- Introduction
- For and Against Outright Gifts of the Family Home
- Reasons for Caution About Making Outright Gifts of the Family Home
- Other Issues When Considering Gifting
- Transferring the Family Home into a 'Flexible Life Interets Trust': A Family Trust
- Standard Guidance on the Cost of Long Term Care More...
Spring may have come early this year – at least as far as the property market is concerned. The property portal, Zoopla, has seen inquiries rise to more than three times the number at the beginning of last year.
During the first four days of January, there were more than a million property searches on the site across the United Kingdom, more than double last year’s early tally.
March, traditionally one of the most important times of the year for house hunters and vendors, might have been supplanted if the initial surge of inquiries during recent weeks is anything to go by.
There are several theories as to why we are seeing an upturn in activity so early in 2011. One is that the autumn market, which used to be almost as important as the spring, has been squeezed by long summer holidays and the pre-Christmas run-up.
People have had time over Christmas and the New Year to prepare their houses for sale or to organise finance and draw up a shortlist of dream homes.
It has also been suggested that householders might be rushing to get their properties to market, under the looming spectre of the threatened double dip recession, which would see the British economy plunged back into chaos.
Howells Solicitors, with offices in Cardiff, Swansea, Caerphilly, Talbot Green and Newport, say they have seen an increase in market movement, regardless of the reason.
“Even though the property market is still subdued, by January 14 this year we had completed on two separate £1m transactions,” commented business development manager, Tristan Lewis.
“On one of these residential transactions we acted for the seller of a small holding on the outskirts of Cardiff. The other completion occurred where a local businessman and his family had purchased a property in a popular Cardiff suburb.
“We have also received a further instruction on a £1m property this week, which we expect to complete shortly.
“We are still some way off the levels of instructions we were receiving pre-August 2007, however we have had about a 25% increase in the levels of instructions we have received so far in January, corresponding with the numbers for the same period in January 2010.
“This is very encouraging and we hope this will continue to increase as we head towards the spring and the warmer weather.”
Kelvin Francis, RICS Wales spokesperson and director of Kelvin Francis Chartered Surveyors, agrees there has been an early surge this year – but is somewhat more reserved.
“There has been a rapid upturn in the level of inquiries and people are optimistic and upbeat about the market. But it is still early days as it is yet to be converted into an increase in sales,” he said.
“We have also been pleasantly surprised by the number of first time buyers expressing an interest in buying a home, which we were not expecting given the current difficulties obtaining a mortgage.
“People put their plans on hold over Christmas so we would normally expect an upturn in the New Year as they start to look ahead to the future.
“The signs are good but we are waiting to see if the high levels of inquiries will turn into the decisions which will generate sales. We are certainly hoping for lots more activity in the next couple of weeks.”
The above is taken from Welsh Homes magazine, part of the Western Mail on the 29th January. If you are considering buying a residential property then contact Howells Solicitors today. Our expert residential conveyancing team will ensure the entire process runs as smoothly as possible.
