Caring for your property and your future
Residential Property Legal Advice
Residential property affects all of us whether as a domestic vendor or purchaser, or as developer, investor or landlord. Whichever category you represent, our resourceful and knowledgeable team has the ability to guide you safely through the mesh of potential hazards. In a market which has seen unprecedented depreciation of residential property, our goal is to ensure that your investment is protected and your risk minimised. We achieve this by establishing your objectives and producing viable strategies to navigate you seamlessly to your required objectives.
What we do
- Domestic Sales and Purchases Legal Advice
With years of experience in this area we pride ourselves in providing a service which keeps you at the forefront of the entire process. From the point of sale to completion our objective is to keep you fully informed. We work closely with a wide range of other professionals such as estate agents, surveyors, mortgage brokers and therefore have the ability to provide a seamless service. Selling or purchasing a house is well-acknowledged as one of life’s most stressful events. We like to think that we bear that stress leaving you to look forward with confidence to enjoying your new home.
- Re-Financing: Re-Mortgaging, Private Loans & Home Equity Advice
Mortgages are an evitable part of most domestic conveyancing transactions. Our team has vast experience in organising mortgage intermediaries to arrange mortgages, the redemption of an existing mortgages and the re-mortgaging of properties with new lenders. Also we can assist with the preparation of private loans, for example where parents may be assisting their children to purchase a first property. Schemes involving the freeing up of equity in your home, such as home equity release, can prove complex but our knowledge and experience will ensure you are thoroughly prepared.
- Transfers of Equity and Deeds of Gift
As we all live longer and healthier lives our property ownership is frequently extending well beyond the life of our mortgages. Thus, in planning for the future it may be necessary to consider the transfer of ownership of your property to your children or into a trust. The timing of such transactions and the manner of their implementation are critical to achieving optimum security and value. We have the experience and knowledge to provide appropriate and innovative solutions to these situations.
- Rights of Way and other Easements
In addition to the bricks and mortar of your home, your property will enjoy and require other rights such as rights of way, parking rights, common areas, rights of repair, rights of drainage and other services. These rights are as valuable to your property as the cement that holds it together and we take pride in making sure they are available and adequately protected.
- Residential Property Development Legal Advice
We operate and provide a full spectrum of services to property developers from acquisition of sites, through planning, implementation of finance and ultimately the forward sales of mixed or residential units within the development. Our proficiency is underpinned by being able to provide expertise in other practice areas such as environment & planning, banking, energy, commercial property and construction.
We have a wealth of experience in providing effective and commercially based advice in connection with the acquisition of the development site, joint development agreements, licence agreements, planning issues, Article 161 Agreements, road bonds, formation of management companies, preparation of transfer deeds, leases, mapping issues and ultimately effective completion of all transactions to ensure that the developer receives the money from the transaction on the day of completion.
Whether dealing with a mixed use or residential site, developers need to engage at the earliest opportunity with the complex elements of acquisition and development in order to safeguard their investment and assure that their long-term objectives are properly managed and commercially achieved. All of this we can do for you.
Wills, Trusts and Estate Planning
We are one of the few firms in Northern Ireland with a dedicated
estate planning team. We pride ourselves on being able to deal quickly and efficiently with what are essentially complex, highly personal and uniquely sensitive matters for our clients.
Our established success is enhanced by the interdisciplinary approach we take. We work closely with our corporate, property and dispute resolution teams, when necessary, to ensure our clients’ goals are achieved effectively and sympathetically.
What we do
Without a Will your estate will pass in accordance with the rules of intestacy which prescribes the order of persons entitled to your estate and this excludes your partner if you are not married or in a civil partnership. Using our specialist knowledge we can prepare a suitable Will to ensure your wishes are carried out.
- Creation, Administration & Termination of Trusts
We can advise on the creation, administration and termination of trusts and the use of trusts in estate planning. We deal with a full range of trusts – discretionary, life interest, trusts for the disabled and trusts for minors. We advise and assist trustees, settlors and beneficiaries in the ongoing administration of trusts to ensure that the objectives of the trust continue to be met.
- Estate Planning for individuals and businesses
We take a straightforward and sensible approach to our clients’ individual circumstances and requirements. Our team is happy to work with accountants, stockbrokers, financial and tax advisors to ensure the best results for transferring a client’s wealth to succeeding generations. We also work closely with our corporate team to ensure a complete approach to the estate planning requirements of our business clients.
- Administration of estates
During inevitably distressing times, we aim to provide sympathetic yet pragmatic services in relation to the administration of an estate, from initial advice through to the completion of the administration.
- Enduring Powers of Attorney and Office of Care and Protection
We act for many of our clients in formulating Enduring Powers of Attorney. Currently, this service has been most popular with our more elderly clients. However, in recent years, an increasing number of younger clients are appreciating the value of this service, particularly those in business, where life could be very difficult if one partner or shareholder was suddenly unable to manage their own affairs through accident or illness. We also routinely deal with applications to the court to appoint Controllers where a person does not have an Enduring Power of Attorney in place before losing the capacity to look after their own affairs.
Tughans is recognised in the UK Legal 500 2012 directory as a first tier firm for its work in the areas of 'personal tax, trusts and probate'.