The old saying goes that there are only two guarantees in life: death and taxes. Therefore, with this in mind, it makes sense why so many of us want to ensure that after we die, our hard-earned assets are passed to the people who mean the most to us. Wills are one of the most…
If you are a trustee of a charitable trust, or a charitable unincorporated association such as a community group or a sports club, you and your fellow trustees may be considering changing the structure of your charity to take advantage of the benefits of a corporate structure, such as a charitable company, or a Charitable…
The Reynolds Report – December 2019 In a recent decision (Neocleous v Rees [2019] EWHC 2462 (Ch)) HHJ Pearce (sitting in the County Court at Manchester, Business and Property Work) accepted that, in light of modern communication practices, the definition of signature had ‘evolved’ sufficiently for a string of email communications with various automatically generated…
Many people hold a joint bank or building society account either with their spouse or partner or sometimes with another family member. This article will suggest some of the difficulties encountered with joint accounts and the common misconceptions regarding ownership of the funds. There are a variety of reasons for holding an account in joint…
This article offers a brief guide to the law relating to Special Guardianship Orders and does not cover all aspects of the matter. What is a Special Guardianship Order (SGO) and how does it work? The law relating to a SGO is contained within s.14 of the Children Act 1989, and if granted by the…
For Landlords who rent their property, one of their concerns will be how they can reclaim possession of their property should it be required. Many tenants will be on Assured Shorthold Tenancies, which allow the tenant to occupy the property for a fixed term for the payment of rent, subject to a number of obligations….
TOLATA is the abbreviation for the Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996 (“the Act”). Sections 14 and 15 of the Act are triggered where there is a dispute relating to a trust of land. In other words, and as an example, where there is a dispute between co-owners of a property, a…
Every year it seems that snow, flooding and leaves on the track lead to people being unable to get to work. What happens when staff call in and say they cannot get in? Can a business owner who consequently cannot open up his shop or offices lay-off his staff temporarily? Problems in travelling to work…
The National Conveyancing Protocol (the Protocol) is a framework or over-arching guide for the sale and purchase of a property/home for an owner/occupier. It has been devised by the Law Society and has been subject to a recent revision and its importance is to help in achieving the objective of a smooth sale and purchase…
