How to Deal with Rent Arrears (Help for Tenants)
Should you fall behind with paying your rent, you run the risk of being evicted by your landlord and losing your home. Generally, your landlord will be less likely to threaten you with eviction if they can see that you are doing your best to put things right. Taking steps as soon as you come […]
Housing Grants – Support for Low Income Families
Housing grants are available from charities, energy suppliers, government organisations, and private sector bodies, to improve your home or assist with household bills. There are a wide range of housing grants available, depending on the kind of improvements you wish to make to your home, your location, and your personal circumstances and eligibility. Housing grants […]
Joint Tenancy Agreement: Property Rights of Shared Ownership
If you are thinking about buying a property together with your partner, a relative or even a friend, you will need to understand the basis upon which that property will be jointly owned. The following guide looks at what is meant in law by a joint tenancy agreement in the context of shared ownership property […]
What is an Assured Tenancy?
In response to the question “What is an assured tenancy?” the following guide provides an overview of this type of tenancy, including how assured tenancies are defined, together with the general rights and responsibilities for landlords and tenants under an assured tenancy agreement. What is an assured tenancy? Assured tenancies are a form of long-term […]
Rent Agreement (Terms to Include)
A rent agreement, also known as a tenancy agreement, is the contract between a landlord and tenant. The rent agreement should set out the conditions of the occupancy, including the rights and responsibilities on both sides. Generally, a rent agreement should be written. While a verbal rent agreement may still confer legal rights to both […]
What are the Different Types of Family Trust?
A family trust is a legal mechanism by which an individual can financially cater for their loved ones, essentially controlling how their family is to inherit their legacy, either during that individual’s own lifetime or upon their death. But what are the different types of family trust? Below we consider family trusts in more detail, […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]