Will introducing 'Help to Buy' in Scotland take us down the route of another housing bubble?

The controversy surrounding the Help to Buy Scheme south of the border has not prevented a similar government-backed scheme being introduced in Scotland. The Scottish Government announced investment of £220m over three years to provide financial assistance to eligible homebuyers in what it has described as a "game changing initiative" for the housing industry.

The Help to Buy scheme, which has the support of the Council of Mortgage

To most people the word servitude conjures images of slavery, although thankfully that way of life is long gone! In Scotland, however, a servitude is a right over a piece of land (the burdened property) for the benefit of another (the benefitted property). This longstanding concept is still very much relevant today.

What does that really mean?

A servitude can give someone else rights over your property. Conversely, it can give you rights over a property belonging to someone else. Common examples of servitudes include:

As a factor, how can you ensure your factoring paperwork is legal. Should you use deeds of conditions or a written statement of services?

The establishment of the Homeowner Housing Panel (HOHP), provides a forum for homeowners to challenge whether their property manager / factor has failed to carry out their factoring duties, or breached the Code of Conduct. The most important decision from the HOHP thus far can be found in a recent case brought by Mr Park against Hacking and Paterson  (the Factor).

The Green Deal in Scotland encourages homeowners and tenants to introduce energy saving measures to their properties. It has been promoted as a solution to solving some of the problems which put off individuals financing energy saving improvements to their homes. 

When Green Deal finance has been obtained there is no requirement to repay the loan in the standard way, instead the money is recouped by the energy supplier by way of added charges to their energy bill. Another feature is that the obligation does

Not only do torrential downpours make everyone feel miserable the severe weather can also cause serious flooding and damage to your property. Forecasting the weather is a science, and while you can take steps to reduce the damage and be prepared for the worst, it is also very important to insure your contents against flooding. We are often asked - will my insurance cover damage caused by flooding?

Will your insurance policy cover any damage caused by flooding?

Check all insurance policies and make sure

For first-time buyers or those who have been out of the property market for a while, the steps involved in purchasing a property can be daunting. So how do I buy a home in Scotland? Each transaction will differ depending on the circumstances, but the initial steps are:-

1. Set your budget - before looking at properties, you should visit a mortgage adviser to work out your budget. Ideally, you should have an 'agreement in principle' in place with your lender before offering to buy a

Climate change burden
Real burdens? ?Boring?, you may say?. Indeed, often little consideration is given to imposing real burdens or conditions upon the sale of land or property. After the introduction of?legislation in 2010, however, real burdens have become more attractive to charities, housing associations and individuals with an environmental conscience as they can now be used to combat climate change.

The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 creates a concept known as a 'climate change burden', which must have as its purpose the