More than 100,000 homes throughout the UK have now been bought through the Help to Buy schemes, according to the latest government figures. Eight out of ten of these homes went to first time buyers at an average cost of £184,000. More than 90% of the purchases were outside London, and more than 50% of
Lasting power of attorney (LPA) forms have been updated to make them simpler and clearer. The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG), which administers LPAs, says the move is in response to feedback from users following a consultation exercise. LPAs enable you to protect your interests in the future in case you ever lose mental
A steel company has won damages of $7.4m plus interest from a supplier that failed to deliver materials on time. The High Court heard that there had been a contract between the companies for the supply of four consignments of steel billets from Ukraine to Morocco, where the buyer had a factory. Difficulties arose and
Here is the concluding article on powers of attorney with some final thoughts and encouragement. As with so many tasks in life making and registering a power of attorney IS not complicated if you know what you are doing, however there are traps for the unwary and the consequences of getting things wrong can be
A wife has had her divorce settlement increased because her husband inherited money after the original sum was agreed. The couple had been married for nine years and had two children. Their main asset was their home, which was worth £190,000. They were both on low incomes and received tax credits. Following the separation, the
A couple who were plagued by nuisance neighbours after buying a farmhouse have been awarded £155,000 damages. The court heard that the farmhouse had originally been owned by the family causing the trouble. They had sold it when the father had reached retirement. They retained the next-door cottage. The farmhouse was eventually bought by a
An “aggressive” father has been granted sole parental responsibility for his son, even though the court had concerns about his parenting skills and his hostile attitude towards social workers. The court heard that the 12-year-old son had been cared for by his father until 2012 when he was left alone at home and a fire
Employers could face potentially crippling penalties if they fail to pay the National Minimum Wage (NMW). The maximum £20,000 penalty for underpayment can now be charged for each worker underpaid. Previously, £20,000 was the maximum that could be imposed regardless of the number of employees who had been underpaid. The change means employers could be
The ban on exclusivity clauses in zero-hours contracts has now come into force. It means that employees can no longer be tied to a company that may not have any work to offer them. The ban took effect on 26 May as part of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015. The measure was
The Right to Buy scheme is being extended to 1.3 million housing association tenants across England. The scheme was previously only available to council house tenants. The change was announced in the Queen’s Speech and will be part of a new Housing Bill that will enable housing association tenants to buy their homes at substantial