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Nearly one quarter of UK properties are now privately rented from landlords and the number of households in the private rented sector has more than doubled since 2001. As the rise in house prices continues to out-pace average wage increases, particularly in London and the South East, renting for many people has become the only
The vast majority of people still prefer to ask a solicitor to write their will, according to new research by Will Aid. The number of people consulting solicitors about their will has risen by 2% over the last four years. Meanwhile, the number of people using will writers instead has fallen from 17.9% in 2008
A husband who behaved in a “blatantly dishonest” way while giving evidence in court has failed to reduce his wife’s divorce settlement. The court heard that the couple had married in February 2006 and separated in December 2011. They had three children aged between four and nine. During their marriage they had enjoyed a wealthy
A woman who was brought over from India to work in Britain for as little as 11p an hour has been awarded £184,000. It’s thought to be the first successful case in the UK involving “low caste” discrimination. Permila Tirkey and her family are Adivasi people from Bihar, one of India’s poorest states. They are
Rising court fees could prevent some small businesses from recovering debts and so force them into insolvency, according to the Law Society. The Society says it’s concerned that the government is considering more increases when the higher fees introduced earlier this year have “failed to deliver any tangible improvements in the court service or helped
The Court of Protection has helped a family resolve difficult issues over lasting powers of attorney for an elderly woman suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. The woman’s husband, who also suffered from dementia, had applied for an order appointing him and her two cousins as deputies so they could manage her affairs for her. The woman’s
How much can you rely on a property information form provided by the seller when you are buying a home? A recent case before the High Court shows the need for caution when interpreting the responses given on some questionnaires. The case involved a couple buying a property surrounded by woodland and farmland. Question 3.1
There has been a steep rise in the number of grandparents taking legal action to secure a role in the lives of their grandchildren. Some try to acquire parental responsibility in cases where the parents are unable to cope or unwilling to take responsibility for their children. Other grandparents simply want to have contact with
A woman who was divorced but still living with her former husband when he died has won the right to claim a share of his estate, despite opposition from his sons. The case involved a man who had made a will in 1980 leaving all his estate to his two sons. In 1982, he divorced
The discovery that a grandmother had set up a trust relating to a house has saved a woman more than £1.4m. The court heard that the house had been bought by the grandmother in 1986 as a home for her son, his wife and their three children. The son and wife separated later that year