Thursday March 11, 2010 at 10:38am
The recent news that a West Yorkshire pub has been forced to sack some young waitresses due to local by-laws prompts a look at the law on employment of children in the trade.
In the case of the Yorkshire pub the Kirklees Council by-laws state that children under school leaving age cannot work after 7pm, cannot work for more than 2 hours on a school day or a Sunday, cannot work for more than 12 hours in a week during a school term, and cannot work in a commercial kitchen.
So what is the law for....
(read more...)Friday March 5, 2010 at 11:09am
After a long wait, the Consumer Code for Home Builders comes into force on 1 April. It will be mandatory for house builders who are members of a home warranty scheme which has undertaken to enforce the Code. Home warranty bodies such as NHBC, Premier Guarantee and LABCNew Home Warranty have all agreed to require their registered builders to adopt and comply with the Consumer Code.I set out the main issues covered by the Code in this ezine article in October 2008.The Code will apply to all ....
(read more...)Thursday March 4, 2010 at 4:47pm
A case reported this week should prompt all landlords to take advantage of our free 20 minute lease review and check that the obligations of a tenant’s guarantor can be legally enforced.
This judgement will affect any lease where there has been as assignment from the original tenant and a guarantor was involved.
In short it means the continuing liability of the guarantor under a lease can be challenged. Should the tenant then fail to pay the rent then this could prevent the landlord fr....
(read more...)Tuesday February 16, 2010 at 5:07pm
When you take a car in for its service do you ever get the feeling that you have been taken for a ride quite literally?! I certainly do when given the list of parts the garage recommends be replaced. It would be useful to have some way of getting to the bottom of what really is important. This was the inspiration behind my Planning Law Guide that certainly can be as complex as the average Audi.
Take the following example. The word “Development” in planning terms does not just mean ....
(read more...)Tuesday February 16, 2010 at 3:56pm
The Government has begun a consultation process to consider granting special stamp duty concessions on the bulk buying of residential property.
At present if a buyer purchases a number of properties at the same time then potentially they will be classed as “linked transactions”. As a result stamp duty would be payable on the total amount paid rather than treating each purchase individually and this can increase the tax bill hugely. For example stamp duty for a one off purchase at &....
(read more...)Tuesday February 16, 2010 at 3:11pm
The latest inflation figures show another increase and this could persuade investors to start putting their money back into commercial property. We will have to wait and see if this was a blip or a trend that is set to continue over the next few months. The outlook generally is still mixed but the Bank of England belives inflationary pressure is only short term.
Rents have certainly stabilised and most commentators are predicting that they will rise throughout 2010. This is due to the lac....
(read more...)Tuesday February 16, 2010 at 10:41am
Pubs and other venues which pay licence fees to PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited) for playing music are due a substantial repayment following a High Court ruling last week.
It is estimated that they have been overcharged to the tune of £10 million since 2005, and it should result in savings of over £3 million a year to the industry.
The High Court upheld a ruling by the Copyright Tribunal last November, and it leads the way to pubs being able to claim repayments. Full details....
(read more...)Monday February 8, 2010 at 10:39am
Just breaking is news that the government have appointed John Healey MP as minister for pubs, a new role designed to head up a task force to save the traditional british pub which are closing now at the rate of 39 a week (52 a week a year ago) according to the British Beer and Pub Association.
Perhaps the government have woken up to the fact that the agency responsible for the licensed sector, the Department for Culture Media and Sport, and the Licensing Minister Gerry Sutcliffe, have effective....
(read more...)Monday February 8, 2010 at 9:21am
All shared ownership leases, on homes funded by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), granted on or after 06 April 2010 must use new model forms of lease. The leases have been revised to clarify and enhance the protection enjoyed by the lender and provide a clearer explanation to the consumer. An explanatory note is also provided along with key information sheets for shared owners which are also found within the leases themselves.
If you are in the process of developing shared owne....
(read more...)Thursday February 4, 2010 at 10:07am
To mark my arrival at Cousins Business Law I've put together this list of dos and dont's for businesses to help them avoid the potential pitfalls and capitalise on opportunities during 2010.
Landlords should be proactive on recovering rent arrears to avoid being left high and dry by struggling tenants. Look out for warning signs that might mean a tenant has financial issues, like delays in payment or publicity surrounding the performance of the organisation. If it goes into admin....
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