The government is introducing new rules on minimum room sizes in homes in multiple occupation (HMO) as part of a crackdown on rogue landlords. Ministers want to strengthen the ability of councils to tackle ruthless landlords who exploit tenants and charge them extortionate rents to live in poor conditions. Other proposed measures to help councils
The High Court has ruled that a company acted unfairly when it removed a director without offering to buy his shares. The case involved a director who entered into a partnership agreement with other shareholders in 2000 to acquire and run care homes. The business was incorporated in 2004. In 2012, the shareholders removed him
A landlord was entitled to require bank references and to impose other conditions before allowing a tenant to assign three underleases on residential apartments. That was the decision of the High Court in a case involving two commercial property companies. At the first hearing, the tenant had sought a declaration that the landlord had acted
Hiring employees on repeated fixed-term contracts to carry work of a permanent nature contravenes EU law. That was the decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in the case of Spanish nurse Maria Elena Pérez López, who was employed by the University Hospital of Madrid. She began working for the hospital
A firm has been ordered to compensate a potential employee after withdrawing a verbal job offer made over the phone. The Employment Tribunal said the withdrawal amounted to breach of contract even though there was no written agreement. The case involved a company that appointed an agency to find suitable candidates for a vacancy. One
A woman has won her claim of sex discrimination against an airline that refused her request for flexible working after she returned from maternity leave. Emma Seville worked full time for Flybe as a cabin crew member for 13 years. Her rota was flexible, which meant she could work any 22 days of each month.
An employer discriminated against an engineer when it dismissed him because he refused to accept a reduced salary after becoming disabled. That was the decision of the Employment Tribunal in the case of a man employed as an engineer maintaining teller machines. He became disabled as a result of back problems. He was unable to
The government says it will continue with the living wage and the National Minimum Wage despite lobbying from leading trade groups. The announcement follows reports that 16 trade bodies had written to Prime Minister Theresa May asking her to reconsider the policy in the face of a potential economic slowdown following the Brexit vote. A
The government is providing a new fund to help small businesses grow and develop. The Enterprise Capital Fund is backed by the British Business Bank and has a total investment capacity of £40m. Active Private Equity, which specialises in helping consumer-focused businesses grow their brands and build the infrastructure needed to scale up successfully, will
An aviation company has won a breach of contract dispute with a bank over a multi-million pound deal to buy an aircraft. The court heard that the company had sought equity investment to finance the purchase and so entered into negotiations with senior bank staff. A commitment letter and a management agreement were drafted and