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A will apparently executed in 2012 by John Payne, leaving most of his estate to his son by his first marriage, has been overturned on the grounds that the attesting witnesses' evidence was unreliable. The England and Wales Court of Appeal instead admitted to probate an earlier will leaving everything to Payne's second wife, despite significant doubts about that will's execution and attestation, too. FATTO

The Privy Council ruling in Investec v Glenalla is being welcomed as good news for Guernsey, by reassuring settlors that assets in a Guernsey or Jersey trust are protected from creditors even if the trustee unreasonably incurs a liability or acts in breach of trust and thus invalidates its indemnity. The decision will prove to be of huge importance to settlors, beneficiaries and trustees across the offshore world, said Nick Robison of Guernsey law firm Babbé, which represented the trustees. FATT

ESTATE DISPUTES: Some important judgments from last month

Currency repatriation requirements were extended on 14 April to cover loans issued by Russian residents to foreign borrowers, reducing the opportunities for businesses to shift funds abroad through non-repayable loans.

The Privy Council has handed down judgment in Investec Trust (Guernsey) v Glenalla Properties (2018 UKPC 7), in which the former trustees of the Tchenguiz Discretionary Trust had made loans of over GBP200 million to various BVI companies.

INTERNATIONAL - UK - Nearly 100,000 properties in England and Wales owned by foreign entities

NETHERLANDS: Measures against 'letterbox companies' seek to improve country's reputation

INTERNATIONAL - UK: Foreign investors may be discouraged by capital gains tax on commercial property

INTERNATIONAL - AUSTRALIA: Consequences of using foreign trusts for capital gains

INTERNATIONAL - UK: Legislation this summer on register of foreign property-owners

INTERNATIONAL - FRANCE: Wealth property tax has significant effects for non-residents

The Japanese government's 2018 tax reform bill abolishes the recently introduced rule under which the heirs of a long-term resident foreigner who died outside Japan remain liable to Japanese inheritance tax (IHT) on estate assets anywhere in the world. The rule had threatened to derail the government's efforts to attract foreign talent to live and work in Japan, because it meant IHT liability could follow a foreign national for up to five years after leaving the country.

COMPRAVENDITA - NEW ZEALAND: Government tightens ban on foreigners' land purchases

UK - BREXIT: More detail on post-Brexit rights for EU citizens and families

'Foundation company' vehicle established in Cayman Islands

INTERNATIONAL - UK, TRUSTS: online trusts register is delayed

SWISS BANKING: Sweden and the Netherlands demand names of Swiss Banks clients

INTERNATIONAL - UK: Doubts cast on non-dom reforms' commencement date

INTERNATIONAL - Cayman Islands: Beneficial ownership regime ready for launch

The italian Notary

It often happens that, after a prospective property has been inspected and chosen, substantial agreement is reached with the other party even if this is not yet formalized in written form. It is advisable to contact a notary at this early stage before signing the preliminary contract (the so-called “compromesso”). In the preliminary contract, both signatories undertake to stipulate the definitive sale contract by a certain date and on given conditions. The preliminary agreement (even i

Notaries and real estates

Notaries and real estates

For many years now, in Italy and throughout the world,  the associative phenomenon has encountered ever greater consideration, in addition to a growing enthusiasm. The explanation of this progressive attention may be found in the ever more widespread awareness that the ideas, dreams and projects that each individual nourishes in the course of his/her existence may be concretely expressed, not only through acting in isolation, also by following a path which leads a number of persons to join f

The Notary as existing in Italy belongs to the “latin (o roman)  notarial system”. The “latin notary” system is largely spread around the world, adopted by approximately 71 countries, mostly belonging to the civil law system. Although the same word “public notary” is used within the “common law” legal systems, it must be underlined very clearly from the beginning that the concept (the meaning) behind the word in the civil law system and in the common law system is completely, absolutel

The vendor has the right to receive the full amount of the agreed price from the purchaser at the time the sale contract is settled. Frequently the vendor has already received an advance payment on that price, generally as a deposit: in that case he will have the right to receive the difference to make up the full agreed price. The vendor has the option to allow the purchaser a deferral of payment, with or without interest. It is up to the discretion of the vendor (based on the trust h

Having broached subjects from the vendor's point of view as well, it is useful to recall that the burdensome INVIM (a tax originally levied on the vendor consequent upon his sale of a property) has been definitively abolished, to the great relief of the notary as well, given not only the complexity of calculating it but also (as always) the irksome role of tax collector that the law imposed on him. Nevertheless, it is helpful to emphasize that the vendor may still have to pay certain sums

Following marriage, unless an explicit declaration to the contrary is made at the time of the ceremony, spouses find themselves in a shared property arrangement, this being the automatic legal regime in force in our system since 20/9/1975. This means that any purchase made by a spouse during the marriage is subject to legal community (or, simply put, is common property) with the other. The law excludes (to take a few of the more important cases) only assets acquired by donation or inherit

One of the essential elements in the negotiation of a home loan is the delay allowed for  repayment of the capital, i.e. the duration. In general terms, one may say that the longer the duration of a home loan the lower the amount of each repayment instalment, which gives the borrower more breathing space; all this, however, means paying overall a larger amount in  interest, precisely because the capital is repaid more slowly. The practice also is that a longer duration

A  "public officer" is a professional who performs "public functions". This means that he is vested by the State  with public authority and faith, which allows him to draw "authentic deeds"  (or "public deeds"). The “authentic deed” is the characteristic  "product" of the latin notary system. Even though  the notaries' discipline can show slight differences in  the different countries adopting the latin system, they all draw up authentic (public) deeds with the same legal meaning.

The purchaser's main obligation is obviously to pay the agreed price to the vendor at the time the sale contract is completed. Where an advance payment has been made as a deposit, the difference must be paid to make up the full agreed price. It is legitimate for the purchaser to request a deferment of payment, but it is not his right to insist upon it, it being left to the discretion of the vendor whether or not to grant this: the purchaser's obligation to pay the price in full derives fr

The purchase of a home is always an important step in our lives. Just as the sale of a property also carries significant overtones: from investment decisions, to the reordering of assets, to the need for generational change. Whether it be the purchase or the sale of a property, it is not something to be taken lightly. Indeed, these are extremely complex operations that are full of pitfalls and that cannot be undertaken without the advice of an expert. Are you aware of the rights and oblig

A property conveyance gives rise to a series of rights and obligations for both parties. For a number of the rights of one of the contracting parties, there are corresponding and equal obligations of the other party, so that the vendor and the purchaser find themselves involved in an interactive web of expectations to be met and duties to be performed. While some of these rights/obligations, such as the payment/receipt of the purchase price and the delivery/receipt of the property, are

In "land credit" contracts, the borrower has the legally-assured option of early repayment of the home loan; but generally, even in ordinary contracts, that possibility is foreseen. The borrower may decide, therefore, at a certain point in the repayment plan, to close out the contract and repay the remaining capital, on which obviously he will no longer pay interest. Given this loss of earnings, the bank could, if the contract so stipulates, demand compensation (a penalty). According to a

Home loans are generally guaranteed by a mortgage and so are the preserve, in our legal system, of the notary. The presence of the notarial profession has become more significant with the recent increase in the number of such contracts, a result of the lower cost of money (though this is still subject to fluctuations) and improvements in living standards that allow an ever greater number of citizens to aspire to the ownership of their home and often of a second home as well. Year after ye

A person may not always be able to express his intentions directly: for example, because he is abroad or far from the place in which he is supposed to sign a particular deed or contract.In such cases, it is possible to use a power of attorney, i.e. a document giving another person the power to undertake a material or legal act in one's stead.For example, if a husband is abroad and a purchase contract for a house must be signed urgently, the husband – before he leaves or from abroad – may give hi

In general the purchase/sale is the contract having the purpose of transferring the ownership of a house or the transfer of some other right for the equivalent of a price;  more generically it could be said that the purchase/sale of real estate is the formal agreement by means of which one party, called the seller, transfers to another, called purchaser, the ownership of a given property against payment of the price agreed on. Our juridical system, in view of the extreme importance of rea

Law no. 52 of 1996 introduced rules into the Italian legal system to protect the consumer in his contractual relations with professionals. In order to rationalize regulations which have been complicated by a long sequence of amendments, a Consumer Code was recently published (Legislative Decree no. 206 of 6 September 2005), which contains a thorough reworking of most of the consumer-protection rules. Article 3 of the Consumer Code defines a "consumer" as a physical individual who acts

A home loan is a contract whereby one party, called the lender (usually a bank), transfers a given sum of money to a second party known as the borrower, so that the latter may use it for a given time in exchange for paying the former an amount representing interest. To this outline of the essential structure and functions of the contract must be added that a home loan includes various clauses that are not always immediately comprehensible but are necessary for regulating all the relations

In general terms, the conveyance is the contract that transfers ownership of an asset or some other right in exchange for a consideration; more generically, one may say that a real estate conveyance is the formal agreement whereby one party, known as the vendor, transfers to another party, known as the purchaser, the ownership of a particular property in exchange for payment of the agreed price. Given the extreme importance of real property ownership, our legal system not only requires th

In order to grant a home loan, the bank requires a guarantee: by definition, the most common of these is the mortgage. A mortgage gives the bank the right to be repaid from the proceeds of any forced sale of the asset offered as collateral, with priority over other creditors. A mortgage has better legal standing if it is a first mortgage, i.e. if there are no higher-priority mortgages: a "land credit" guarantee generally requires a first mortgage. A mortgage is established over the

When does one need a notary? The areas covered by Italian notaries are mainly:a) the purchase of a house or other real property;b) the formalization of a mortgage contract with a Bank;c) the preparation of powers of attorney so as to be represented by a third party;d) changes to property arrangements between spouses;e) applications to a court for authorizations regarding minor children;f) donation of assets;g) setting up of and changes to companies, and all relevant legal documents;h) acceptance

The conveyance may rightly be considered the notarial transaction par excellence, considering all the actions the law imposes on the notary following settlement (to cite the more important ones: filing, cadastral registration, transcription, notification of the competent authorities specified by law etc.). It is the notary who writes the contract after having established the intentions of the parties and after having obtained all useful information and carried out all the necessary search

A foreigner may make a will, i.e. indicate in an official document to whom he intends leaving his property after his death. A foreigner also may give away assets during his lifetime.

Any change, even only a purely formal change, in the clauses of the by-laws of a company is considered to be an amendment to the by-laws.  As a rule this competence belongs to the extraordinary shareholders’ meeting and the relevant decision must be written in the minutes by a notary public and then registered with the Register of Companies.The decision must be taken by a majority vote, any clause in the bylaws setting forth that unanimity is required to change the Memorandum of Association

The limited liability company is intended for smaller companies than joint-stock companies, and the equity participation in the company has a personal connotation which is absent in the s.p.a.  In fact, it has a limited number of shareholders who are not personally responsible for the social security liabilities, even if they have acted in the name and on behalf of the company.The legislation in place as of 1 January 2004 has had a major impact on the limited liability company, which is an e

In early 2003 the Italian legislator issued a law decree (n° 6 of 17 January 2003) which thoroughly reformed companies limited by shares.  The declared aim was to simplify, where appropriate, and enrich, wherever possible, the rules governing such companies, with a view to increasing their competitiveness on both domestic and international markets.Many changes were made and the following results have been achieved:  a better, though still not complete, co-ordination between the rules governi

Limited partners are excluded, in principle, from managing the company.However, they may negotiate or conclude individual deals on behalf of the company, providing they have received a specific proxy or authorisation empowering them to do so.Each limited partner is responsible for social security liabilities in a degree that is proportionate to the contribution they made to the company. Accordingly he/she does not assume any other risks, except that of losing the value of the capital he/she

The functioning of the company with share capital, in its traditional model, is based on the necessary simultaneous presence of three bodies:  the shareholders’ meeting, the board of directors and the board of statutory auditors, each of which has its own distinct sphere of competence. Accounts are audited by an auditor or by an audit firm, except for closed companies where this is decided in the By-laws.The shareholders’ meeting, which is a sovereign body since it is empowered to decide on

The rules applying to limited partnerships are similar in many respects to those that apply to informal partnerships (please refer to the related paragraph).In addition, as regards subjective changes arising from the transfer of a partner’s capital share, a distinction needs to be made between the unlimited partner’s share and that of the limited partner.If one of the unlimited partners decides to transfer his/her capital share he may undoubtedly do so through a conveyance deed; however, unl

From the historic and regulatory point of view, the joint-stock company is the prototype of the company with share capital whose body of rules apply to the limited partnerships with share capital (s.a.p.a.), with which it is compatible, and in some respects they are very close to the rules that govern the limited liability company, which however makes little reference to the rules on joint-stock companies, which consequently do not directly apply. The joint-stock company (s.p.a.) differs fro

Limited partnerships with share capital is a modified form of a company with share capital in which permanent directors manage the company who have unlimited liability, also contingent liability, for  social security liabilities. The provisions that are specific for this type of company are reduced to a few which concern above all the management of the company by the unlimited partners.    The peculiar characteristic of this type of company consists in the co-existence of two different group

Consortiums are formed between entrepreneurs who decide to set up a common enterprise for regulating and carrying different phases of their respective businesses. The consortiums too are of a mutual character, since the consortium’s activity is carried out in the interest of its member enterprises. “Regulating” given steps of the members’ enterprises is a typical function of internal consortiums, and may be non-competitive in nature, while the “carrying out” of given steps in the respecti

Co-operatives are associations of persons which are protected in the Italian Constitution:  in fact Article 45 of the Italian Constitution states: “the Constitution recognises the social function of co-operative societies that are based on the values of solidarity and that do not pursue goals of private profit”.In co-operatives predominant importance is ascribed to the social function, which consists in implementing a democratic decentralisation of the power of organisation and management of

The individual partnership may be resolved following the exclusion of a partner from the company.In some cases this occurs by law (e.g. in cases of bankruptcy), while in other cases the exclusion is decided by the other partners, when circumstances envisaged by the law or by the  partnership contract occur. Your Notary public will describe such cases to you.In all the cases examined thus far in which the relationship of a single partner ends as a result of death, withdrawal or exclusion, the

Let us take the case in which the Parties decide to undertake an entrepreneurial activity by setting up  a partnership.What would the general characteristics of such a company be?First of all, as regards the unlimited and joint liability of the partners:- in the case of a general partnership, all the partners have unlimited and joint liability;- in the case of an informal partnership, all the partners have unlimited and joint liability, but there can be an agreement whereby the partners who

The management of a company is the activity of running the corporate enterprise. The power of management is the power of carrying out any activity that falls within the scope of the corporate purpose.When the management of the company falls on more than one partner (all or some), and the partnership contract makes no provision on how the power of management is to be exercised, then the notion of  separate management shall apply:  each partner is a director, that is, he has the power of manag

The share capital is a numerical entity that expresses the value of the contributions in monetary terms, as indicated by the valuation expressed in the Memorandum of Association.A share capital of 100 means that the partners have committed to contributing (underwritten capital) and/or have contributed (fully paid-up capital) money or other entities which at the time of the signing of the partnership deed, were attributed that given monetary value.The share capital remains unchanged throughou

Individuals interested in becoming partners, whether they be natural persons, companies, associations or in general, entities, must have the legal capacity to act, i.e. carry out transactions that are valid from a legal standpoint.Can joint-stock companies  be members of a partnership? The issue was a matter for debate up to recently, but an affirmative solution was provided by the law that entered into force as of January 1 2004.Participation by other entities in companies can give rise to

Individuals who set up a company do so because they want to carry out a given economic activity together with other individuals.  This activity is the corporate purpose and must be indicated in the Memorandum of Association.  It may be changed during the life-time of the company only in accordance with the amendment rules envisaged in the Memorandum of Association.The activity must be a productive activity, i.e. a business aimed at producing or trading goods or providing services, while it c