Totally Legal

Renters Rights - The right to live in a property that’s safe and in a good state of repair  As a tenant renting a property (or a room in a shared property), you have the legal right to live in a property that is safe and in a good state of repair. All private rented properties in England and Wales, must meet the minimum legal health and safety standards, as well as complying with gas, fire and electrical safety regulations. The property you live in must be safe and free from health and safety hazards, such as: damp, condensation or mould  inadequate water supply, including no hot water broken windows  blocked or leaking gutters, drainpipes and sewers or a leaking roof.  Pests or vermina faulty electrics  non-serviced gas appliances or appliances that have not been serviced or maintained in a while.   Your landlord has the responsibility to: · Make sure that all gas appliances provided in the property are safe to use. The landlord should arrange for all gas appli

Does a landlord have to provide a tenancy agreement?  A landlord does not legally have to provide a tenant with a written tenancy agreement, although most landlords do. If a tenant however, requests a written statement of terms, then a landlord has to provide that and this must include; when the tenancy started, how long the tenancy is for and what the rent is.  Verbal Agreements  A tenant without a written agreement, still has legal rights. If the landlord accepts rent from a person, in exchange for them living in the property, any verbal agreement they have, counts as a legal agreement, one which is regulated by the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. Verbal agreements can in some cases be much more difficult to enforce if any disputes arise and that's why it's in the best interests of both parties to have a written agreement. This will help to ensure that both the landlord and the tenant understand their rights and responsibilities.  Fixed-term tenancies for more

If you are renting a home from someone else, it's important to be aware of your rights in order to make sure that your landlord does not take advantage. It's equally important to also know your responsibilities as a tenant, to avoid any potential problems that can arise and subsequently affect your tenancy agreement. All private tenants in England and Wales, whether renting out a room in a shared house or renting a whole property, have basic legal rights. Some of these rights include the right to: Live in a property that is safe and in good condition.  Know who your landlord is.  Quiet enjoyment of the property without the landlord invading your privacy and turning up whenever they feel like.  Challenge excessively high charges.  Get your rent deposit back after the end of the tenancy and in most cases, having your rent deposit protected in a tenancy deposit protection scheme. Protection against unfair eviction and unreasonable rent increases and Have a writte

A new compliance scheme was launched back in November 2017 for social care providers that may have incorrectly paid workers below the minimum hourly rate for full shifts. This relates to sleep-in or night shift care workers who were paid a fixed rate rather than the hourly National Minimum Wage.  How did it come about?  For years, the UK Government and the HMRC allowed employers to pay sleep-in or night shift carers a flat rate, which for some workers was as little as £30.00 per shift. Following two Employment Appeal Tribunal cases in 2016, in which support workers took their employers to employment tribunal to challenge how they were being paid for sleep-in shifts, this all changed. The tribunal ruled that support workers should be paid the hourly National Minimum Wage for sleep-in shifts, with up to 6 years back dated payments. The Social Care Compliance Scheme To help assist social care providers who may have underpaid workers, the Government introduced the Social Care

Did you know that in the UK, you have the right to a full or partial refund,  if your train has been delayed for more than 30 minutes ?  Yes, that's right and some train companies are even more generous by allowing a delay of at least 15 minutes, for a passenger to claim a refund. Which train companies offer compensation for delay? Most train companies in the UK now offer compensation under the national Delay Repay scheme, which is great because under this scheme, compensation is paid out regardless of the cause of the delay and the delay only needs to be as little as 15-30 minutes.  You can find out whether your train company uses the Delay Repay Scheme by checking their website. If the train company does not use the scheme, you will need to check the train company's policies regarding compensation for delayed trains and what they offer. Which tickets can be refunded? You can make a claim for a refund if you are travelling on a return or single journey ticket or

In the last post, a brief overview was provided explaining the protections and entitlements that the Consumer Rights Act 2015 affords consumers in relation to obtaining refunds without a receipt. It is important to know that consumer protection rights regarding refund / return entitlements for faulty or unwanted products, are not just for those who purchase tangible goods from retailers (either in store or online), but it also extends to consumers who purchase intangible items. What are tangible items? Tangible products, often referred to as "goods", mean any tangible moveable items such as a phone, computer, clothing items, household items and including water, gas and electricity if and only if they are put up for supply in a limited volume or set quantity. Intangible items Intangible items include digital content. Digital content is data produced and supplied in digital form such as, software, apps, games, eBooks, online journals, ringtones and digital media such