The government says it wants estate agents to become “professionalised” as a way of improving the housing market and reducing the number of sales that fall though each year. Ministers say delays and complications during the process of buying or selling a home can cause unnecessary financial and emotional stress to customers. This uncertainty can
An apprentice who was made redundant two years before his apprenticeship was due to be completed has been awarded £25,000 compensation for loss of earnings. Daniel Kinnear was employed as an apprentice roof tiler under a four-year apprenticeship contract from October 2014. In June 2016, the employer terminated his apprenticeship for redundancy reasons. At the
The main residence inheritance tax allowance has by risen £25,000, reducing the death duty burden for thousands of families. The allowance was introduced in April last year and was set at £100,000. In April this year it rose to £125,000 and will rise to £175,000 by 2020. It only applies to a person’s home, not
A director of a haulage business has been disqualified for seven years after he sold company assets for his own benefit, leaving creditors unpaid. Gilmour James McFarlane was a director of Garden Haulage Ltd. His company went into liquidation in 2015, owing £38,670 to creditors. While the company was insolvent, McFarlane sold off assets including
The leaseholder of a maisonette has been prevented from extending her home by digging down into the subsoil beneath her cellar. The High Court held that the general presumption of being allowed to develop a property upwards did not automatically apply to developments going the other way. The case involved a house which had been
The BBC drama series The Split, featuring family law firms, got off to a roaring start with the main characters at each other’s throats and competing to sign up rich clients. It will no doubt continue with more high-powered thrills and spills but while it may be gripping entertainment, it’s far removed from the real
The parents of a sperm donor have been granted the right to see their biological grandchild. The case involved a same-sex couple and a friend who had agreed to donate his sperm, so they could have a baby. For the first few years of the child’s life, the donor saw him every week or fortnight
An office manager who resigned after being placed in a stressful and “intolerable situation” has been awarded £60,000 compensation. Mrs A Fletcher had worked for Ashby Lowery estate agents in Northampton since 2003. She acted as deputy to the owner Darren Wilson and was left in charge when he was away. She dealt with the
A company has prevented an aggrieved employee described as a ‘loose cannon’ from revealing confidential information about some of its clients, including a foreign government and a royal family. The High Court heard that the company provided operational and logistical support to members of the Dubai government and its royal family when they were in
A woman has been granted an interim instalment from the estate of her deceased husband to ease her financial struggles. The woman had been married to a wealthy businessman. When he died, she sought to administer his estate. However, the deceased man’s son from his first marriage began proceedings to replace her as the administrator.