The Tenant Fees Act 2019 came into force on 1st June 2019 and provided more rules regulating tenancy deposits. The new rules undoubtedly provide a new hurdle for landlords, but it’s important that landlords continue to work to get the basics right. We have found that despite it being many years since the law changed
A woman has been committed to prison following a dispute with her brother over their late father’s estate. The court heard that neither of the siblings had been named as executor of their father’s will but the sister had taken the role without authority to do so. The brother applied to have the sister removed
The Court of Appeal has ruled that a landlord was within his rights to end a tenancy agreement without giving his tenant the six-month notice period required under the Housing Act 1988. The tenant, Sarah Bamber, had agreed a seven-year tenancy on the property, which included a 12-month starter period. During this starter period, the
The Tenant Fees Act 2019, which came into force on 1st June 2019, bans so-called ‘hidden fees’ that are charged to tenants throughout the course of tenancies. Previously, some tenants found they were being charged costly fees in addition to their rent and deposit such as administrative fees and credit check fees. These additional fees
The law surrounding gas safety certificates has been problematic for landlords, agents and property lawyers for some time now. Property lawyers are hoping that that the recent case of Trecarrell House Ltd v Rouncefield (unreported, 13 February 2019), due to go to the Court of Appeal in the next year, will add some clarity to
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