Common law marriage - does it exist?
Does common law marriage exist? The short answer is “no”, however, almost half of people in England and Wales mistakenly believe that unmarried couples who live together have a common law marriage and enjoy the same rights as couples that are legally married.
Making it easier for leaseholders to manage their properties
The Law Commission is proposing changes that would make it quicker and easier for leaseholders to take control of the day-to-day management of their building. A partner in local law firm said, ““The right-to-manage process appears not to be working effectively for leaseholders at the moment and change is needed.”.
Risky Business- Employment Law Changes 2019
How new Lifetime ISAs could help first-time buyers
If you’re looking to buy your first home it’s likely that you’ll already be aware of the Help to Buy ISA. But with the phasing out of the Help to Buy ISA on 30 November 2019, should you consider moving to a Lifetime ISA?
Uber drivers entitled to workplace protections
The ‘gig’ economy is characterised by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work, as opposed to permanent jobs. Depending upon your viewpoint, it is either a positive working environment that offers a great deal of flexibility (for example, employment hours in the control of the individual) or it is a form of worker exploitation with very little protection (for example, lack of paid holidays, sickness benefit and so on).
New service for identifying charitable bequests
A new system alerting charities to when they have been left money in wills is to be established by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) following a decision to end its current arrangement.
To employ or not to employ?
Tips for becoming a landlord
Understanding Cohabitation
Cohabitation is the name given to unmarried couples living together. Whether you have previously been married, or are living with your first ‘partner’, you are called cohabitees. But what does this actually mean in practice, and what are your legal rights if anything were to happen to the relationship, or to either of you?
Right to refuse a business tenancy cannot be misused
An interesting case is currently making its way through the court system and may have far reaching implications for the landlord/tenant relationship in relation to tenancy renewals; making it more difficult for a landlord to refuse the renewal of a tenancy.
Advice: Employing Older Workers
With an ageing population leading to a need for many people to work longer, coupled with the abolition of the compulsory retirement age, the average age of people leaving the workplace has increased steadily over the last two decades. In fact, the over 50s now make up over a third of the working population.
Reforming the Divorce Laws
4 key ways to prevent your grown-up children derailing your retirement savings
The Bank of Mum and Dad is a well-known concept and we all hate to see our children struggle financially, which is why many parents continue to support their children well into adulthood. Instead of being ‘empty nesters’, many parents discover that their offspring return to the family home straight after university (that is if they ever left in the first place!) due to the problems of getting a foot on the property ladder.
Get your Power of Attorney set up
You will have seen lots of articles recommending that you plan for death by writing a will, but what happens if you become unable to make decisions for yourself whilst you are alive; either through illness or accident? Who will make decisions on your behalf and how will your finances be run?
Don’t forget your digital legacy
When we think about what we leave behind when we die, the majority of us take an approach that gives little regard to the vast amount of digital assets we hold.