What is a Life Interest Trust?
Life interest trusts can be used for a number of reasons, not least to ensure that financial provision is made for your spouse or civil partner during their lifetime, whilst preserving any assets for the benefit of your children at a later date. But what is a life interest trust and exactly how it can […]
Family Trusts Explained
The family trust can be an effective way of making financial provision for your loved ones, both during your lifetime and after you die. This type of trust can be used for all sorts of different reasons, from helping to fund a child’s education to mitigating the cost of care home fees or inheritance tax. […]
Housing Act 1996 – An Overview
The Housing Act 1996 lays out the legal requirements for the provision of rented properties, including: social rented properties houses in multiple occupation (HMO) rights and responsibilities of both tenant and landlord the related handling of universal credit and housing benefit how local housing authorities allocate accommodation homelessness Social rented sector regulated by the Welsh […]
How to get a court order for eviction
To evict a tenant, you must follow the correct legal rules and procedures or you may find yourself facing prosecution for illegal eviction. As a first step, you must give notice to your tenant before you can evict them. Generally, this will be a Section 21 or Section 8 notice. Should your tenant refuse to […]
Letting Agreement – What Tenants Need to Know
A letting agreement, also known as a tenancy agreement, is the contract between you as tenant and your landlord, which lays out the conditions of the tenancy including the rights and requirements of both parties. The agreement may be in written form, or merely an oral agreement. It is always recommended to have a written […]
What is a Break Clause in a Tenancy Agreement?
Private tenants wanting to end their tenancy early should look at whether there is a break clause within their tenancy agreement. This also applies to landlords looking to bring the tenancy to an end before the agreed duration. What is a break clause? A break clause in tenancy agreements for private housing sector […]
Ending a Tenancy Agreement Early (Guide for Tenants)
A tenancy agreement is a legally binding contract which places certain obligations on both you as the tenant and the landlord. When the tenancy is for a fixed term, you generally have an obligation to pay rent for the property until that fixed term is over. When it comes to ending a tenancy agreement early, […]
Do I Need a Break Clause in a Tenancy Agreement?
A break clause permits you as the landlord or your tenant to end a tenancy agreement within the arranged fixed term period, bringing the tenancy agreement to an early end. A break clause generally carries a number of conditions that must be fulfilled before the tenancy agreement can be brought to an early end, such […]
Does a Family Trust Protect Assets?
Family trusts are commonly used for a number of reasons, not least to help protect valued assets, such as the family home or hard-earned investments, for both existing and future generations. But does a family trust protect assets effectively? What exactly are the pros and cons of a family trust within the context of asset […]
Family Trust – What is it?
The following guide to family trusts considers what these are, how they work and when you might consider setting one up, not least in the context of financial planning for the future, both during your lifetime and after you die. Family Trust – what is it and why would I need one? A family trust […]
Family Trust Disadvantages
The family trust, when used for the right reasons at the right time, can be an effective way of preserving and protecting personal assets for the benefit of loved ones, both during your lifetime and after you die. That said, as with any type of trust, there can also be a number of drawbacks to […]
Setting up a Family Trust
Setting up a family trust can be an effective way of controlling your personal assets during the course of your own lifetime and upon your death, ensuring that you have a say in exactly who benefits from your hard-earned wealth. It can also be a good way of protecting and preserving that wealth for generations […]
Using Bare Trusts for Grandchildren
Trusts are not simply the preserve of the wealthy, but are also commonly used by families of relatively modest means looking to make provision for their loved ones, either now or in the future. In particular, the trust can be a useful mechanism for a grandparent to invest money on behalf of their grandchildren, typically […]
Lasting Power of Attorney Guidance
A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document that allows you, the ‘donor’, to appoint trusted people, known as your ‘attorneys’, to make financial or health and care decisions on your behalf. Lasting Power of Attorney guidance: the financial LPA A financial LPA can be used while you still have the mental capacity […]
Power of Attorney Meaning (Attorney FAQs)
A Power of Attorney (POA) is a legal document that allows an appointed person (the attorney) to make decisions for another person (the donor), where the donor needs help managing their affairs or they are no longer able to make their own decisions. If you have been asked to act as an attorney by a […]
Which Lasting Power of Attorney Forms?
If you want to create a Lasting Power of Attorney you will need to know which forms to fill in and what to do next. The following guide looks at which Lasting Power of Attorney forms you will need to complete and how the whole application process works in practice. What is a Lasting […]
Power of Attorney Refund: How to Make a Claim
The following guide looks at the Power of Attorney refund scheme, the eligibility criteria and how to apply. If you applied to register a Power of Attorney (POA) between 2013 and 2017 you may be entitled to some of your money back. The Ministry of Justice has set up a scheme to give a partial […]
How to Apply for Power of Attorney
If you are concerned about the ability of a relative or friend to manage their own affairs or to make their own decisions, where you may need to step in to act on their behalf, there may still be time to make a Power of Attorney (POA). There may be all sorts of reasons why […]
Which Power of Attorney?
There are three different types of Power of Attorney: Ordinary Power of Attorney; Lasting Power of Attorney and Enduring Power of Attorney. We look at the factors determining which Power of Attorney will be appropriate for your circumstances. What is a Power of Attorney? A Power of Attorney (POA) is a legal document […]
New Parent Discrimination Claims on Rise
Employment law professionals are reporting increases in maternity and paternity related discrimination claims in the last 12 months, according to research by Direct Line Insurance. Issues have included women claiming they were dismissed when on maternity leave, men claiming harassment and demotion on their return to work after taking paternity leave and more instances of […]