Newly-divorced couples may still be married because of a series of blunders by officials. A senior judge said that those affected were granted legal break-ups too quickly. In some cases, couples submitted divorce petitions before they had been married a year – the minimum period. In others, officials approved divorces before the applicants had spent
A woman who was in the process of divorcing her husband when he was killed by a speeding driver wants almost £700,000 in compensation, claiming they would have reconciled had he not been killed. Cathryn Craven, 50, has taken her claim to the High Court amounting to £676,985 against Davies on behalf of herself and her family under
According to a report by the housing, communities and local government committee, councils should be given powers to seize the properties of the “worst” landlords when accommodation fails to meet proper legal standards. The committee has called out a “clear power imbalance” in parts of the private rental sector. They further said that landlords should
An Irish couple who got married and then divorced now want to get remarried, however are prevented from doing so because of a legal loophole. Laura Hamilton and Paul McSherry, from Dublin, got married in Ireland in 1990 and then moved to London. In1998 they decided to get divorced in London’s High Court. Both Laura
A high-profile divorce ruling scrapping future payments signifies a sea change in how courts regard maintenance, according to a leading family lawyer. As reported by the Law Gazette, in the case dubbed the ‘meal ticket for life’, the Court of Appeal ruled that maintenance payments for Kim Waggott from her ex-husband should end after three
From April 1 the Government’s Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards came into force. This means renters may be able to save up to £1,150 a year on their energy bills. Landlords will now have to improve the energy efficiency of their properties and risk facing fines of up to £5,000 if they don’t. The new scheme
The High Court has ruled in favour of a woman who received nothing from her late partner’s £1.5 million estate. In a ruling handed down on 29 March, the High Court ruled in favour of 79-year-old Joan Thompson, saying she should be entitled to a distribution of Wynford Hodge’s estate. According to the Law Gazette,
New “digital mortgages” have been launched as the Land Registry moves the process online to save time and inconvenience for homeowners. The Land Registry announced the first mortgage deed not to have been signed with a pen and paper has been accepted as part of a trial with Coventry Building Society. It said a new
Residents living in an apartment block in Kingswood have taken the building’s owners and managers to court over “skyrocketing” and “extortionate” management fees. Residents of Grantham Apartments in Two Mile Hill claim the amount they pay per month to management company ABC Estates for general works and repairs has more than doubled in the past
A woman is urging the Scottish Government to change a law which allows her brother control of the home where he strangled their mother to death. Ross Taggart muredered his mother three years ago but still remains executor of her will. Taggart, 33, has refused to relinquish control of his mother’s £350,000 estate, despite being in prison