Will High Court appeal secure improved rights for unmarried couples?
In England and Wales, unmarried couples’ rights are very different from the law that applies to a married couple. An unmarried couple that lives together have different rights in respect of wills or pension sharing, for example. An unmarried couple has none of the inheritance tax advantages of a married couple. A couple that lives…
Making a will: Make it your New Year resolution
We know how easy it is to keep on putting off making a will, but are the consequences of not having a will worth the risk? As Antoine de Saint said “A goal without a plan is just a wish’’ and not having a will can mean not being able to choose who inherits your assets, not…
Housing disrepair claims: what is my landlord responsible for?
It has been said that one in four households will be rented by 2021 and many of those who rent their home are in the dark about their legal rights. Did you know that if you rent your home from a private or social housing landlord that they are responsible for most of the repairs? A landlord…
Budget 2017 news: slightly less income tax; stamp duty scrapped for first-time buyers
There was good news for some in the 2017 Autumn Budget delivered this week by Chancellor Philip Hammond. There has been a slight increase in the national living wage, which will rise from £7.50 to £7.83 in April 2018. The tax-free personal allowance (ie how much you can earn before you have to pay tax)…
Road Safety Week 2017 urges people to ‘Speed Down Save Lives’
Road Safety Week 2017 launches today (20th November) and this year is focusing on the impact that excessive driving speed can have on people’s lives. The campaign organiser – road safety campaigners Brake – is hoping to illustrate the different ways in which reducing speed can make our roads safer and our communities more pleasant. Brake claims that the rise in popularity of…
Opportunist de-icer thefts on rise – don’t leave your car unattended!
The recent cold snap has left motorists across the North East needing to de-ice their car in the morning. It is absolutely crucial to de-ice your car thoroughly and carefully: it is dangerous to drive with limited visibility, either because of ice on the outside or condensation on the inside. However, it is also important…
Should we scrap daylight savings to improve road safety?
There is a long-running campaign in the UK to scrap daylight savings to save energy and improve road safety. The idea is that we stick with British Summer Time – ie when the clocks go forward – for the whole year. It would mean an end to Greenwich Mean Time. Major campaigners Brake, the road safety…
Tougher sentences for drivers who kill or injure
Earlier this month, (October 2017), the Ministry of Justice announced long-awaited plans to increase maximum sentences for drivers who cause death by speeding, racing or using a mobile phone. Offenders who cause death by careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs will also face life sentences, and a new offence of causing…
Is it legal to sleep in your car?
The short answer is yes, it is legal to sleep in your car, but there are important considerations to keep in mind before you do so. Why is it legal to sleep in your car? Mainly for safety reasons. It is estimated that as many as one in five serious accidents are caused by somebody falling…
Should I include a pet in my will?
Many people omit one of their most prized possessions from their wills: their beloved pets! This is possibly because we don’t think of them as property as much as ‘part of the family’, but the law views pets as possessions and it is therefore important to make sure that they will continue to be looked…