Figures published by the online estate agency, Rightmove, show that UK house prices dipped slightly in July. The average cost of a home in June was £272,275. This dropped 0.8% to £270,159 in July. Houses in Greater London were the most durable in holding their value, suffering just a 0.4% drop. Properties in the North and East Midlands suffered a 1.9% drop in value. The fall in prices is thought …Read More

A woman has won the right to inherit some of her partner’s estate, even though she had not lived with him for a long enough period to meet the general legal requirement. The Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 states that if a couple are not married they must live together for at least two years before one of them can claim entitlement to provision from the other’s …Read More

Law firms in England and Wales have reported a rise in the number of couples making pre-nuptial agreements. Pre-nups – as they are commonly known – are drawn up by couples before they get married. They state how assets should be divided if the marriage doesn’t work out. A report in the Daily Telegraph suggests that the rise in numbers is a result of a recommendation from the Law Commission …Read More

The Law Society has raised concerns that the online service for lasting powers of attorney (LPA) could be open to cases of fraud and abuse. LPAs are well established documents that enable you to nominate someone in advance to look after your affairs should you become incapable of doing so yourself at some point in the future. LPAs can be very helpful but need to be drawn up properly with …Read More

A talented athlete has received £77,000 compensation after she was hit by a negligent driver as she cycled to work. The incident took place in February 2013 when the woman was cycling along a main road. The motorist was driving towards her from the opposite direction. He turned right across the road into a side street and then collided with the woman. She was thrown from her bicycle and sustained …Read More

A woman who was trapped against a wall by a reversing bus has been awarded £3,800 compensation. The 45-year-old had been walking along the pavement with her daughter when a bus driver misjudged a turn. The bus swung too far and backed on to the pavement towards the woman. She was trapped against the wall and couldn’t move. She needed to push her daughter into the wall to stop her …Read More

He had worked as a forecourt cleaner at a garage and was often given demeaning tasks and made to perform them repeatedly. His boss made him collect things from the cash and carry up to four times a week even when he wasn’t on duty. When he complained that he wasn’t getting paid he was told: “You need your job don’t you? If you can’t go, you’ll lose your job.” …Read More

A mother has been given a second chance to try to leave the UK despite a judge’s concerns that she was only doing so to take her children away from their father. The case involved a German couple who had lived in England for more than 12 years. They had two children aged four and two who had both been born in England. The couple’s relationship broke down in 2012 …Read More

A grandmother’s will, which led to a family dispute over the ownership of her flat, has been upheld by the High Court. The grandmother had originally intended to leave the flat to her daughter and granddaughter and had written this into her will. When she was 90 years old, she moved in with them because her eyesight and health had deteriorated, although she could still cope mentally. However, tensions arose …Read More

More than 35,000 people have now used Help to Buy The Help to Buy scheme has now enabled more than 35,000 people to buy a new home, according to the latest government figures. Almost three quarters of the homes bought using the scheme were new-build properties. This has helped to provide a boost to the construction industry with private house building rising by 34% since the launch of Help to …Read More