Q – I’m getting we might have to go to court to sort out the financial side of things. Is it complicated? A – Either party can issue proceedings as soon as the Court sends out a divorce petition and even after Decree Absolute, but not once you have remarried; you may then lose
Q – My partner has left me and taken the children. I’ve heard about Parental Responsibility. What’s that? A – Parental Responsibility (or “”PR””) is defined by the Children Act as “”all the rights, duties, powers responsibilities and authority”” which a parent has: in other words, the right to have a say in how a
Two directors have been found guilty of contempt of court after disposing of their company’s goodwill assets in breach of a freezing order. The two directors were involved in a family based agency which sold mechanical breakdown insurance policies. An insurance company became unhappy with the way the directors ran the agency and blamed them
The risk involved in relying on oral contracts was illustrated in a recent case before the High Court. It involved a property consultant who specialised in finding work for development companies in return for a share of the profits. Most of his work was carried out through his own limited company on the basis that
A company set up to preserve parkland has failed to stop planning permission being granted for a housing development. The issue arose when East Devon District Council granted outline planning permission for a 400-home estate in a countryside location. A total of 40% of the homes would be in the affordable housing category. The council
A landlord has won his appeal against the level of penalties imposed on him for operating an unlicensed House in Multiple Occupation (HMO). The case arose after six tenants sought Rent Repayment Orders (RRO) after discovering their HMO was not licensed. The tribunal made an order in their favour for the repayment of all the
The danger of tick box valuations was highlighted in a recent professional negligence case involving a firm of property surveyors. The court outlined what should happen when issues arose during valuations that could not be fully explained using automated systems. The case involved a firm called E.Surv Ltd which had been commissioned by an American
The Government has announced new proposals to make it easier for consumers and small firms to take action against unfair business practices. The new measures were announced by the Competition Minister Jo Swinson who said: “Actions like price-fixing or imposing unfair trading terms can really harm businesses, particularly small businesses, and restrict their ability to
A director has been given a 28-day suspended prison sentence after defying court orders during a dispute with another company. His fellow director was fined £1,000 for his part in the offences. The two men were directors of a company that leased premises to a business tenant. A dispute arose which led to the tenant
Planning permissions for new homes rose by 36% in the third quarter of last year, according to figures released by the Home Builders Federation (HBF). The increase followed the introduction of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) last April, which gave local authorities more power over what is built in their areas. There were 33,881