News Archives - Page 3 of 6 - Bowling & Co Solicitors

New: Law Society calls for review of end of SDLT holiday to prevent sales collapsing

The Law Society has made a press release that calls for urgent action to prevent the end of the temporary increase in the residential SDLT nil-rate band. This is due to end on 31 March 2021, resulting in possibly, thousands of aborted sales. The Law Society is urging people to write to their MP to call for action. It has also suggested three possible options for the government to address the problem: Extend the temporary increase in the SDLT nil-rate band, thereby providing more time for buyers to complete transactions.…

Law Society Conveyancing Quality Scheme members

Bowling & Co has once again been accredited as Law Society Conveyancing Quality Scheme members - the mark of excellence for the home buying process. This is the 10th year in a row that we have achieved CQS accreditation. The Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) accreditation is the hallmark of high standards and establishes a level of credibility for regulators, lenders, insurers, and consumers. It is the quality mark of the home-buying sector and enables consumers to identify practices that provide a quality residential conveyancing service. With so many…

Have a pet and need to rent?

If you have a pet and need to rent, you will no longer struggle to find properties Under the new Model Tenancy Agreement, announced by Housing Minister Rt Hon Christopher Pincher MP, on the 28th January 2021, landlords will no longer be able to issue blanket bans on tenants with pets. Instead, consent for pets will be the default position, and landlords will have to object in writing within 28 days of a written pet request from a tenant and provide a good reason. The pandemic has led to an…

Update to the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm regulations for residential landlords

In late 2020, the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government published a consultation seeking views on proposed amendments to the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/1693). Landlords of residential rented properties in England must comply with the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015. The aim of the consultation was to require landlords to: Install a carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living accommodation where a fixed combustion appliance that uses any fuel type is installed (excluding gas cookers). Repair or replace…

Returning faulty Christmas gifts: What are your rights?

It can be disappointing to discover that a Christmas gift is faulty, but fortunately, you do have certain rights when it comes to returning gifts that do not function as they should. You may also be able to return gifts that you simply did not want or do not need. However, your rights differ if the product is in good working condition. In this post, we look at your rights when returning both faulty and unwanted Christmas gifts. Can I return a faulty Christmas gift? If a gift you have…

Why Big Brother needs to watch out when it comes to employee monitoring

November 27, 2020
David Downham
Risk Management, Corporate, Employment, News, General Data Protection Regulation

The ‘Big Brother’ surveillance scenario envisaged by George Orwell has long since become reality. The ability to watch citizens outlined in the futuristic novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, published in 1949, is now firmly fact, not fiction. Rolling back to 2013, the British Security Industry Association estimated that the number of CCTV surveillance cameras in the UK numbered some 4 to 6 million and recent estimates put London in the top three cities worldwide having the highest number of cameras by population. This race towards technological surveillance and monitoring saw a further boost during…

Christmas, coronavirus and separation: what are the rules around taking children away from home?

November 20, 2020
Vikram Kumar
Family, News

For many parents, the issue of spending time with children at Christmas can be tense. Both parents want to spend Christmas day with their loved ones and their children, but this becomes complicated when they do not live in the same town or city or if they have to travel to visit relatives. In addition, coronavirus restrictions may mean that travel and visiting relatives is not advised or even permitted. In this article, we look at some of the key issues and questions surrounding, Christmas and coronavirus for separated parents.…

How secure is your password?

The need for cybersecurity is more crucial today than ever, with individuals and companies alike relying heavily on hardware and cloud-based servers to store and retrieve secured data, particularly when working remotely during COVID-19 lockdowns. We live in an evolving digital age with consistent advancements in technology, but as technology grows and develops, so do cyberattacks. A brute force attack method is simply trying every possible combination there could be. The colour-coded chart from Hive Systems provides an indication of just how long it would take a hacker to crack…

How will my loved ones access my estate in England when I live overseas and non-UK domiciled?

October 16, 2020
Manal Fouad
News, Private Client

With the changes of Brexit and an increasing number of people choosing to retire and live abroad, it is becoming very common that they keep their assets in England for a “rainy day”! But how would their loved ones access the English estate when they are domiciled abroad? Much will depend on where the deceased was permanently living at the date of their death. In order to administer an estate of a person, the Executors or Administrators would need to extract a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration from…

When bullying goes on behind the screen

In the run-up to this year’s Anti-Bullying Week, which runs from 16th- 20th November 2020, employers are being encouraged to look at how new styles of working may be affecting employees Employers are being encouraged to focus on how they manage and respond to bullying and harassment issues, including cyberbullying, in the new virtual working landscape. Working away from the office, staff may be missing working alongside their colleagues and the chance to have face-to-face meetings, according to a YouGov poll, but few will miss the fear of dealing with…

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