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Two recent surveys have underlined the importance to younger people of getting away from what is increasingly seen as a 'rent trap', in which the high cost of rentals prevents them from saving a sufficiently large deposit to be able to buy a home. The first...

Disputes between insurers and claimants under insurance policies are common, and a recent dispute raised an interesting question: What is the position if a person or business uses a device which they know to be faulty and this results in subsequent damage?...

Family judges are used to controversy and accept the fact that there will always be an embittered few who accuse them of 'playing God'. However, one striking case shows that they will only break up families when doing so is necessary to ensure the...

Building brands is a lengthy and very costly process and it is hardly surprising that brand owners take a very dim view of others benefiting from their goodwill. In one case, car manufacturer Renault came down hard on a businessman who used its name and well...

People who get into financial difficulties leading to bankruptcy will be relieved to hear of a recent decision by the Court of Appeal which has confirmed that a bankrupt cannot be forced to draw down their pension entitlement to provide funds for their...

The legal challenge to changes in the tax regime relating to buy-to-let properties has failed, despite the backing of a £180,000 'crowd fund' and the pleadings of barrister Cherie Blair. The case was pursued on the basis that the changes, which limit...

Claims by disappointed children seeking a share, or a larger share, of a parental estate are on the rise, with the latest figures published showing a year-on-year increase of more than 10 per cent in such claims. Although a widely reported case ( Ilott v...

Slipshod execution of contractual documents can come back to haunt you, and that is one good reason why you should always have the benefit of qualified legal advice. In one case , the waters were so muddied that the High Court was unable to say, without...

Property rights are strongly protected under English law and those who have their land compulsorily purchased by public authorities are entitled to full compensation. In one case, a man whose house was acquired by a local authority against his will in order...

Relentless pressure for more new housing in urban areas tends to relegate to second place the need for office space in planning terms, and in some circumstances full planning permission is not needed to convert office premises to residential use. However, in...