A dispute between a property owner and builder has been settled by the High Court, with the owner ordered to pay for work completed, even though he was not happy with it and the job was cancelled. The parties had entered into a JCT minor works building contract for work to be done on the
A woman has been awarded £1.2m despite being written out of her father’s will after they fell out in the later years of his life. The judge found that the woman was entitled to the sum because she had worked on the family farm for 30 years on the understanding that she would inherit it.
A judge has ruled that a son was entitled to a share of the family farm, despite having fallen out with his parents, because he had worked for more than 30 years on the understanding that the land would pass to him. The High Court heard that in 1981, the parents made wills under which
Corporate insolvencies continue to rise with companies struggling to cope with falling consumer confidence and Brexit uncertainty. Underlying corporate insolvencies rose by 6.3% in Q1 2019 compared to Q4 2018, and rose by 5.1% compared to Q1 2018. Stuart Frith, president of insolvency and restructuring trade body R3, said: “These insolvency figures – the highest
A tenant has successfully appealed a service charge he incurred after his landlord removed rubbish from the car park of the property. The tenancy agreement included the rent payable as well as the right of the landlord to add a variable service charge to cover services specified in the agreement, such as garden maintenance and
The government plans to bring an end to unfair evictions with what it describes as the biggest change to the private rental sector for a generation. It will introduce legislation to abolish so called ‘no-fault’ evictions, which are one of the biggest causes of family homelessness. Ministers say the plans will be beneficial to both
The leader of the political group, the Christian People’s Alliance, has lost a court battle with his sister over their mother’s will. Sidney Cordle gained national prominence in 2014 while campaigning against same-sex marriage. He also stood for Parliament for Hitchin and Harpenden but failed to get elected. Mr Cordle’s mother Peggy died in 2016
A widow has won the right to claim a share of her of her husband’s estate even though she was 26 years late in beginning legal proceedings. Shantabai Bhusate, aged 67, was the third wife of Kashinath Bhusate, who died intestate in 1990 at the age of 72. He left five children from his first
A City banker has successfully sued his architect after a home cinema designed to float above an indoor swimming pool failed to deliver a “wow factor”. Philip Freeborn was a successful banker and owned a luxurious home. He hired architect Daniel Marca to redesign his pool-house. They agreed on a cinema screen that would appear
Manchester Building Society has lost its £48m negligence claim against the accountancy firm Grant Thornton. The claim arose because Grant Thornton had audited the society’s accounts from 1997 until 2012. In 2006, the society began a policy of hedging lifetime mortgages by entering into 50-year interest rate swaps. The 2008 financial crisis led to a