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House prices in the UK rose by an average of 5.7% in the 12 months up to May. That was a slight increase on the 5.5% figure for the year up to April. The figures varied from increases of 5.8% in England to 2.5% in Wales, 2.9% in Scotland and 10.5% in Northern Ireland. The
A company has won its appeal against the forfeiture of its head lease, which could have resulted in losses of more than £1m. The issue arose because the company had breached the terms of its lease relating to seven commercial units by sub-letting one to a restaurant without getting the consent of the landlord. The
The High Court has set aside a trust settlement that was drawn up in error and would have resulted in a woman having to pay a large, unexpected tax bill. The case involved a woman who made a settlement on the advice of her father to protect her assets from her former boyfriend. Most of
A father has been told he must stop recording videos of his daughter being handed over to her mother because it was abusive and did not provide any useful evidence in family court proceedings. A non-molestation order was made against him. The case involved a couple who had separated when their daughter, now aged six,
A son who was once very close to his mother but was then disinherited has failed to overturn her will, even though she had suffered from dementia towards the end of her life. The court heard that the woman had originally made a will leaving her estate equally to her two sons, Timothy and Stephen.
The government has announced plans to prevent illegal immigrants renting properties. It will also crack down on rogue landlords who exploit immigrants and supply them with substandard accommodation. Ministers say measures in the forthcoming Immigration Bill will enable landlords to evict illegal immigrant tenants more easily, by giving them the means to end a tenancy
A company that sacked an employee who made abusive comments on Facebook and claimed he’d been drinking on duty had not acted unfairly. That was the decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal in the case of Scottish Canals and one of its employees. The issue arose after the employee posted comments that he had been
The government is planning to appoint a Small Business Commissioner to help firms tackle late payment problems and unfair practices carried out by larger companies. The move comes after research by Bacs showed that small and medium-sized businesses are owed a total of £26.8 billion in overdue payments and that £10.8 billion is spent per
A businessman has failed in his attempt to overturn an injunction preventing him from competing with his former company and trying to poach its customers. The court heard that the businessman had been both a director and a shareholder of the company until 2013 when his employment was terminated. He sold back his shares and
The government is setting up a £26m fund to help developers speed up the process of providing starter homes for first-time buyers. The homes will be offered exclusively to buyers aged under 40 with a discount of 20% on market values. The £26m will be used to identify and purchase sites and prepare them over