Meet Our Local Business – Hargreaves Gilman Solicitors..

JP & Brimelow Estate Agents Feature – Welcome to Debbie & Faye.

Hargreaves Gilman Solicitors have been serving clients in south Manchester & Cheshire for decades, with a history stretching back to the 1950s.

Hargreaves Gilman is a well-established and respected firm of solicitors now in their 22nd year in business.

Specialising in Residential Conveyancing together with Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, Deputyship and Probate.  Hargreaves Gilman offer a bespoke service with professionalism and empathy at its very core.

History

Hargreaves & Co first started in 1956, their offices in Didsbury & Withington being familiar sights to residents over the decades.  It was Deborah Millington’s first job after qualifying as a solicitor in November 1992.

In 1998 the Withington and Didsbury branches of Hargreaves & Co split.  Gerald Peacock retained the Withington branch and Deborah, Alan Rogerson and Andrew Cunningham joined forces with Fergal Farrell and David Hobbs to form Hargreaves Farrell & Hobbs on School Lane, Didsbury.  It has always been important to keep the connection with the Hargreaves name.

In 2002 Deborah Millington & Alan Rogerson, took over Gilman, Wallwork & Tarran on Kingsway, combining two well-known local legal names to form Hargreaves Gilman.

In 2004 they acquired Carole Bale’s practice (Gatley), in 2009 they acquired Simon Townsend & Co (Withington), and in 2015 they acquired the Withington branch of Hargreaves & Co.  Gerald Peacock became a Consultant of Hargreaves Gilman and he retired in 2023.  

Way back in 1992, a newly qualified Deborah Millington was interviewed by Gerald Peacock, and then employed by Hargreaves & Co, never expecting that over 30 years later she would become the proud owner of the firm that gave her her first job.

Alan Rogerson retired in 2017, and in 2023 Faye Scragg joined Deborah as co-Director and shareholder of Hargreaves Gilman.

2024 brings more changes with additional Residential Conveyancing staff coming on stream and planned expansion of the Wills & Probate department to strengthen our aims of improving customer experiences still further.

Director and Head of Conveyancing Faye Scragg is a keen Macclesfield FC fan, so we are official Goal Sponsors of the Silkmen for the 24/25 season

Moving home, remortgaging, investing in property? We can help!

We don’t want you to phone round our competitors for a conveyancing estimate but you should be clued up if you do.

You should ask:

• Do you charge for your time performing third party ID checks or for complying with anti-money laundering legislation? 
• Do you charge extra for completing the HMRC Stamp Duty Land tax form?
• Do you charge extra if I am buying with a mortgage or paying one off?
• Do you charge extra if the property I am buying is not already registered at the Land Registry?
• Do you add extra commission onto the search provider & land registry charges?
• Do you charge extra for postage or photocopying or “administration” fees?

At Hargreaves Gilman we can confidently answer “NO” to all these questions. 

We have no hidden extras. All these services are offered as standard in your estimate.

Most of our work is from repeat business, client recommendations and also recommendations from property professionals like estate agents and mortgage advisors.

Our conveyancing team – Faye, Dusty, Lynne and Clare – will be joined by additional experienced staff over the next few months – watch this space.

Wills

• Over half of all adults die “intestate” without a Will. Have you…
• Bought a property?
• A child under 18 who would need a guardian to take care of them?
• A grown-up child living with you?
• Any grandchildren?
• A disabled child in receipt of benefits?
• Recently inherited?
• Concerns about long-term care needs?
• Thought about inheritance tax?
• Lost a loved one?
• Lost a Beneficiary or Executor named in your current Will?
• Not reviewed your existing Will in the last 5 years?

If you have relatives, assets, or even pets you need to take action and make a Will.

If you have already made a Will and anything has changed we can help with reviewing and amending your existing Will. 

Making a Will is on most people’s ‘to do list’ and our clients are always pleasantly surprised at how easy and painless it is.

Don’t delay any longer – make an appointment NOW. We SPECIALISE in Will Writing.

Solicitor Tony Learoyd would be more than happy to advise you.

Probate

Probate means the Administration of Deceaseds’ Estates

Taking on the role of Executor or Administrator is a great responsibility.

It is time consuming and there are many pitfalls. You are personally liable for your actions, however well-meaning they may be.

Most clients say that they feel that a heavy burden has been lifted from their shoulders when they hand the paperwork over to us to be dealt with in a professional reliable way.

Our experts can administer the whole estate from arranging the funeral, to a distribution of assets to the beneficiaries, or just to extract the Grant of Probate (where there is a Will) or Letters of Administration (no Will).

This includes preparation of the necessary Probate Application Forms and submission of returns to HMRC to claim maximum inheritance tax exemptions (ie. spouse and charitable) and for transfers of the nil rate  band and residence allowances to reduce or even extinguish any inheritance tax liability.

Fixed fees can be quoted or a ceiling placed on professional charges at the outset.

We can deal with undertakers, property insurance and clearance, vehicles, banks, building societies, investments, estate agents, the list goes on… how can we help?

Director Deborah Millington is Head of Wills & Probate with over 30 years of experience.

Wills & Probate Practitioner Atiq Khan will be your point of contact.

We can prepare Lasting Powers of Attorney

These were introduced on 1st October 2007 and there are two parts – Property & Financial Affairs and Health & Welfare. They are totally separate documents from your Will. 

If you are over 18 years of age then you should have Lasting Powers of Attorney.

Lifetime Gifting

We can help if

• The value of your Estate is in excess of the inheritance tax nil rate band allowance.
• Your matrimonial home is in the sole name of one of you.
• You want to gift a deposit to help your child to purchase a property.
• You want to help a parent purchase their council house.

If you wish to discuss any of these topics which have many implications you may not have considered (eg. death, divorce, bankruptcy, tax consequences, potentially exempt transfers, deliberate deprivation of capital, reservation of benefit, creating disparity between children) please make an appointment to see our experts.

Free services

Free local home visits for those unable to visit the office.

Free on-site car parking.

Free document storage.

Free document retrieval.

We don’t have…

Voicemail.

Automated call handling – you will always speak to a human being.

Stairs – level entrance into Reception and just one step up to Meeting Rooms 1 & 2.

Situated on the main A34 into Manchester on the Didsbury/Burnage border we have our own customer car park and can guarantee a friendly and warm welcome! How can we help?

Eddie – Monday 12th August 2024. (Text & picture supplied by Debbie).