Blogs
IHT boost for Treasury coffers
The money the Treasury receives from inheritance tax (IHT) has increased for the third year in a row, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). In 2012-13, it totalled £3.147 billion – a rise of 8% on the previous year and the highest figure since the recession started i....
Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee now available for homebuyers
The 'Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee’ scheme has been introduced three months early to boost the housing market and enable more people to own their own home. The 'Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee’ scheme has been introduced three months early to boost the housing market and enable more people ....
Disinherited sons fail to overturn their father’s will
A man’s will leaving most of his estate to his daughter and sister-in-law has been upheld despite opposition from his sons who had been disinherited. A man’s will leaving most of his estate to his daughter and sister-in-law has been upheld despite opposition from his sons who had been d....
Software company enforces restrictive covenant on salesman
A court has ruled that a restrictive covenant involving a software company and a former employee was reasonable and so therefore enforceable. The company produced software for the fresh produce industry. They licensed their products for 12-month periods and renewed the licence upon payment of an ....
Man wins victimisation claim over bad employment reference
A man who said his former employers gave him a bad reference because he had brought a discrimination case against them has won his victimisation claim. The man worked for a car sales and repair company but was dismissed because he was over 65 years old. He began proceedings for unfair dismissal a....
Help to Buy guarantees arrive early
The Help to Buy: Mortgage Guarantee scheme was introduced three months early, in October, to boost the housing market and enable more people to own their own home. The scheme applies to both new-build and older properties and is available to both existing homeowners and first time buyers. It was due....
Whistle-blowing policeman dismissed after becoming ‘unmanageable’
A police officer has lost an unfair dismissal claim after it was ruled that his conduct in making a legitimate complaint had resulted in him becoming “unmanageable”. During his time with the police force, the officer made several complaints about the attitude towards victims of rape, child ab....
Home buy schemes help 100,000 families on to property ladder
More than 100,000 people have used various government schemes to buy a home over the last four years. Households have taken advantage of schemes such as Right to Buy and Help to Buy. The Right to Buy scheme gives people who have lived in a council property for at least five years the right to buy....
More than 6,000 take advantage of new home buy scheme
More than 6,000 people have applied to use the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme since it was launched in October 2013. More than 6,000 people have applied to use the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme since it was launched in October 2013. The scheme is intended to help people ....
Ban on exclusivity clauses in zero hours contracts
Exclusivity clauses in zero hours contracts are to be banned so that employees can no longer be tied to a company that may not have any work to offer them. Some firms, including recruitment agencies, have been using exclusivity clauses to prevent an individual from working for another employe....
PA unfairly dismissed after affair with her boss was discovered
A personal assistant who was sacked after her affair with her boss was discovered has won her claim of unfair dismissal. The PA lost her job after the affair was discovered by the boss’s wife. The PA, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had been in a relationship with her boss who was chi....
Applying for a mortgage?
The UK mortgage application process is undergoing the largest changes in a decade on 26thApril 2014. Many lenders have already implemented these changes in anticipation of the formal change. Affordability check At the heart of the changes, known as the Mortgage Market Review (MMR), is the new ....
