Eugene is a partner in the Residential Conveyancing Team.
Eugene is a graduate of Newcastle University and attended the College of Law. He qualified as a solicitor in 2002. Eugene joined Machins as an assistant solicitor in the Residential Conveyancing team and has wide-ranging experience of residential property transactions. He became a partner in November 2021.
We are proud to announce that family law partner, Paul Owen, alongside nine friends from his local running club, has smashed a Guinness World Record during the London Marathon – all in support of Pancreatic Cancer UK.
More than 500 households will no longer be subject to terms that cause their ground rents to double, after eight more firms agreed to remove problematic clauses from their leasehold contracts. Their decision follows action by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Some leasehold contract terms, which kick in every 10 or 15 years, can
The Government has announced proposals to cut ground rents to help homeowners in leasehold properties. Housing Secretary Michael Gove has launched a consultation that will set out options including capping ground rents at a so called “peppercorn” rate for existing leaseholders, freezing ground rents at current levels and capping the ground rents at a percentage
A new insurance scheme has been developed to enable people living in high-rise buildings to sell their homes in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy. Following the fire in 2017, mortgage lenders became reluctant to lend to buyers of flats in high-rise buildings, and sales dropped rapidly. To provide assurance, a building industry
Parliament has just passed The Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022 which will impose a peppercorn ground rent in new leases of flats. There will be a few exceptions such as shared ownership properties and in Islamic financing – they will continue to include rent. Ground rents will also be allowed to remain in flats
Taylor Wimpey has agreed to remove terms from leasehold contracts that cause ground rents to double in price every 10 years. The effect of these increases has been that people have often struggled to sell or obtain a mortgage on their home. Their property rights can also be at risk if they fall behind on
The government is hoping to provide more new homes by improving the way land is made available to developers, making it easier and more streamlined. Homes England launched its new Delivery Partner Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) to mark a significant shift in the way the agency procures housebuilders, as well as increasing flexibility and accessibility.