After two years of intensive research the Pension Advisory Group has published an essential guide clarifying the legal treatment of pensions on divorce. Pensions are often the single largest asset after the family home for divorcing couples, yet a lack of understanding and clarity across England and Wales has led to confusion as to how
House prices rose slightly over the year to March, but there was a fall in the latest monthly figures. The UK House Price Index shows that prices fell by an average of 0.2% between February and March. However, there was an annual rise of 1.4%. The average house in the UK is now valued at
A divorcing husband has been ordered to disclose documents relating to his financial affairs, despite claiming that doing so could lead to his arrest. The case involved a businessman whose wife believed he had an interest in a German company that he was refusing to disclose. Two months after the wife had started divorce proceedings,
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 has reaffirmed its commitment to ensure people taking out Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA) are given the help and protection they need. LPAs enable you to nominate someone such as a family member or trusted associate to make decisions on your behalf if you ever lose the ability to do so yourself in
A banker is suing his ex-wife for £500,000 after she refused to move out of their marital home following their divorce. Kerim Derhalli says that his ex-wife Jayne Richardson Derhalli had been ‘trespassing’ at the £6m property. When the couple divorced after 17 years of marriage, they agreed a ‘clean break’ consent order to divide
A leading lawyers’ association says that cohabiting couples should have automatic rights to inherit if their partner dies without making a will. Under current law, a surviving partner must apply to the court to obtain financial provision or a share of the estate if their partner died intestate, that is, without having made a will.
A woman who was dismissed after her eyesight deteriorated due to cataracts has been awarded £15,000 compensation. The case involved NHS administrator Denise Regan. After her vision became impaired, colleagues started to notice errors in her work. She sent a confidential report to the wrong patient, which was an information governance breach. Two months later
The government has issued a new set of guidelines to help people preparing to sell their home. The document, How to Sell, was produced by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and covers everything from ensuring your home has ‘kerb appeal’ to making sure you get good legal advice from a qualified solicitor.