Q: What is a contract for the sale of a property? A: A legally binding document between a seller and a buyer, where the seller agrees to sell and the buyer agrees to...

The general rule in England and Wales when it comes to the purchase of a property is the principle of caveat emptor (let the buyer beware), which is one of the oldest...

You may have been presented with a Settlement Agreement (SA) and advised that you need to seek legal advice and arrange for the SA to be returned to your employer...

All cases start at the Magistrates Court, whether that involves minor offences or some of the most serious, such as murder, rape, and robbery. The first hearing at the...

What is a PFD Report? Under Paragraph 7(1) of Schedule 5 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, a coroner has a duty to make a report if they believe action should be...

In order for a professional to be legally liable for an error, there are four essential characteristics which need to be established to succeed in a claim for...

Why This Matters Understanding criminal records helps people avoid unnecessary disclosure and discrimination. Knowing what is spent, what must be disclosed, and when...

You may be considering extending your residential lease. You may also have heard that the law in this area is being reformed and that these changes could make the lease...

Joint assets (such as joint bank accounts and homes owned as joint tenants) automatically pass to the surviving owner, whereas solely owned assets pass according to the...

The answer to this question depends on the terms of your individual lease and will usually turn on one of two possibilities. If the loft space is intended to form part...

Who are CAFCASS? CAFCASS stands for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service. They are an independent body, separate from the Court and Social...

Are you using or occupying land that you do not own? If you are using or occupying land that you do not legally own, you may be able to make a claim for adverse...

If you are a landlord of a property let under an Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement, it is important to be aware of your options should your tenant fail to pay rent....

On the 27th November 2025, Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered the long-anticipated Autumn Budget. Focused on raising revenue for the treasury, the new tax measures were...

Can Partial Blame Reduce My Compensation? The short answer is yes. If you are making a claim for compensation and you are found to be partially to blame for the...

Increasingly, to do anything relating to finance or business, you have to prove your identity. Perhaps surprisingly, there has previously been no requirement to prove...

Christmas arrangements after a separation or divorce can sometimes feel overwhelming and may become a point of contention between former partners. Ideally, you should...

A common question we ask clients after they have approached us either having been interviewed by the police, or charged with an offence and they to go to Court is, were...

Many people find themselves in situations where they have been told to go to Court for the first time. ‘How do I get a Solicitor?’ is a very common question. This...

A parenting plan is widely recognised as a useful tool for separated parents to identify, agree, and set out in writing the arrangements for their children. Such a plan...

Financial proceedings may lead to the making of financial orders, such as periodical payments by way of spousal maintenance, and in rare cases, child maintenance...

There are three main ways of approaching the redistribution of pensions on separation following divorce or dissolution of a civil partnership, namely: Offsetting...

An inquest is a public inquiry to establish who died, when and where the deceased died, and what caused their death. An inquest is held by a Coroner to establish the...

Limitations of Court-Appointed Deputies If you lose capacity—through illness, injury, or otherwise—and have not created a Lasting Power of Attorney: Someone wishing to...

It has been months of searching for the right property, checking your finances, and negotiating the heads of terms. Now, at long last, you have a lease in front of you,...

Everybody remembers the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 It was a tragic event that highlighted exactly what can go wrong when blocks of flats are constructed with...

‘The Post Employment Notice Pay’ (PENP) is the amount of a ‘relevant termination award’ received by an employee in respect of any unworked notice period and which is...

CAFCASS, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, is an independent government agency in England and Wales that works to ensure the safety and...

When acting for prospective purchasers, we are often asked, “Do I really need a survey?” The answer is a resounding “Yes.” It is reported that the average time a person...

During the chilly winter months, our thoughts often turn to sunnier climes and holiday planning. However, when planning a foreign holiday with children under 16,...

A number of Stamp Duty changes come into effect on 1 April 2025. These changes will impact most people buying or selling properties. Even if you are not directly...

Exciting Promotions Within Our Firm We are delighted to announce a number of well-deserved promotions within the firm. These individuals have demonstrated exceptional...

We are absolutely thrilled to announce that two of our trainees have officially qualified and are now solicitors! After years of hard work, dedication, and...

New regulations have been introduced to formally enact Section 27 of The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. This section abolishes the two-year ownership...

Care proceedings can be brought by the Local Authority for a variety of reasons, ranging from poor home conditions to allegations of physical abuse. For the Court to...

Are you a landlord or considering whether to become one? If so, there are several factors you must consider to ensure that you do not encounter problems when seeking...

As expected, Rachel Reeves announced major changes in the Autumn Budget on Wednesday to increase tax revenue. The Inheritance Tax (“IHT”) nil rate band of £325,000 has...

The Youth Court is a special Court that deals with those aged 10-18 years charged with a criminal offence. If your child is under 10 years old they cannot be charged...

Under Section 2C of the Road Traffic Act 1988 it is an offence to cause serious injury by careless or inconsiderate driving. This is a relatively new offence having...

If you are being investigated for or have been charged with a criminal offence, legal aid can help with the costs of legal advice and representation at Court. Not...

What is an ID parade? An identification parade is used if the police believe they may have a suspect but the identity of the suspect is in dispute. It gives the...

When a child is in the care of the local authority they are known as a ‘looked after child’ (LAC) and the local authority have a legal duty under the Children Act 1989...

The most serious offence in England is murder. The unlawful killing of a person is always a tragedy, and the reasons behind it are often complex and require careful...

The temporary stamp duty changes put in place by the last Government to boost the property market during COVID are coming to an end of 31st March 2025. The current...

What is a Personal Guarantee? A personal guarantee is a legally binding agreement between you, in your personal capacity, and the lender. You are agreeing to pay all...

There are many different reasons you may wish to change your name: Return to using your previous name following a divorce/civil partnership dissolution. You have or...

On 29 April 2024 new Family Procedure Rules came into effect. The changes aim to encourage early resolution of family matters, with a focus on private law children and...

If you are successful in your claim, you can recover a contribution towards your legal fees from your opponent. The amount of legal fees you can recover is determined...

We are often told by clients that they have agreed to sell their business/buy a business, but when asked whether it’s a purchase/sale of the assets of the business or...

Many members of our family department are now Dragonfly Champions! Paragon and The You Trust are charities that support victims of domestic abuse in Hampshire, the Isle...

We would always recommend that before you agree the proposed terms with a Landlord, for your new lease, that you run them past your legal adviser, but here are some...

Has your Employer proposed a Settlement Agreement to end your employment – What you need to know. Settlement agreements (previously known as ‘compromise agreements’...

When children cannot be cared for by their parents, it is always better for them to be placed with people that they know and may already have an existing relationship...

A Section 20 (s.20) is a voluntary agreement between the Local Authority and parent and/or carers who share parental responsibility for a child. The local authority...

Rosemary Hardwicke is retiring as a Partner at the end of March 2024. Rosemary has been a Solicitor since 2007, when she left a career at Lloyds bank. Rosemary’s legal...

Asbestos was commonly used across the world as a building material until the dangerous effects to health arising from exposure to asbestos fibres were widely...

A Personal Representative is someone who has legal authority to administer a person’s Estate after they have died.  They can either be appointed under the deceased...

In the last article (click here), I spoke about claims which a non-married partner may be entitled to make for a share of the family home in which they lived with their...

The United Kingdom has one of the oldest and most respected Criminal Justice systems in the world. Despite that, sometimes things go wrong at court, and you find...

It is thought that around 13% of properties in England and Wales remain unregistered. For such properties, the only proof of ownership that the owner will have will be...

A Lasting Power of Attorney is a legal document that enables an individual (donor) to appoint one or more people (known as attorneys) to make decisions on their behalf....

You may have often heard the term common-law wife/husband. On many occasions, I have been asked to advise on the legal rights of common-law husbands and wives. However,...

When a tenant breaches the terms of their lease, the landlord might look to the forfeiture provisions to leverage a solution. Forfeiture is the right for a landlord to...

Estate Disputes and How to Avoid Them We all know the old proverbs – ‘prevention is better than cure’, ‘a stitch in time saves nine’, ‘don’t leave your estate...

If your rented premises no longer suit your business needs, you may be wondering what you can do about your commercial lease. You will need to check your lease to see...

There has been a lot of publicity recently about dog attacks and many people will be rightly concerned. Whether you agree with the idea of banning a breed or not, the...

If you have an interest only mortgage on your rental property, you may be eager to increase the rent your Tenant pays. Rent can only be increased at certain times...

Anyone who has turned on the TV during the day will be familiar with the barrage of adverts extoling the virtues of equity release.  With the cash in our pockets...

A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document which formally appoints an attorney of your choosing, to make certain decisions when you are no longer able to. If...

Many people have questions about transferring their property to a relative or into a Trust. Often, these enquiries are fuelled by concerns about care home fees or...

Public order offences, governed by the Public Order Act 1986, cover a broad spectrum of crimes, from riots to public threatening or abusive language. The law relating...

We are thrilled to announce the opening of our newest office location in Waterlooville, Hampshire. This expansion marks a significant milestone in the company's growth...

If you have been involved in an accident in a public place and want to claim compensation, it is important to act quickly to get as much evidence as possible about the...

If you own your business then at some point you may be looking to sell the business. This may be to retire or move to a new career or take up a new business...

The Sentencing Council published 12 new and revised sentencing guidelines for adult offenders convicted of motoring offences which came into effect on 1st July 2023....

We have all spent far more time at home than we might have liked to in recent years, but it has given us an opportunity to take stock and consider whether we are really...

For many parents the thought of their child(ren) being placed on a child protection plan is extremely worrying. This article will answer some of the common questions...

A HMO (house in multiple occupancy) consists of three or more people living together as two or more households, usually sharing facilities such as kitchens and/or...

What is inheritance tax? Inheritance tax is a tax that may be payable from your estate when you die. Everyone has a tax-free allowance, for inheritance tax purposes,...

As childcare lawyers, one question which we are frequently asked is ‘can a social worker remove my child from my care?’ If the Local Authority/Children’s Services are...

Being a Landlord holds many responsibilities. One is to ensure Tenants are given all the required information at the start of the tenancy to make sure the tenancy is...

A Lasting Power of Attorney is a legal document which formally appoints an attorney of your choosing, to make certain decisions when you are no longer able to. If you...

We all hear the news about “County lines” drug supply networks, about children and young people being forced to supply drugs by criminal gangs. It is real, and it is...

Separating parents could now be hit with a fine for refusing mediation sessions. The government has announced it is set to make mediation sessions mandatory for...

The issue in the following case concerns the concept of Parental Responsibility (PR). Those who have PR are responsible for making decisions on every aspect of their...

What is Public Law Outline (PLO)? Public Law Outline (PLO) and the pre-proceedings procedure enables the local authority to address concerns regarding the care of a...

My child won’t be able to manage their finances due to their disability - what shall I do? If your child is approaching adulthood and has a mental or physical...

A boundary dispute is a disagreement between the owners or occupants of two neighbouring properties over where the boundary between their properties lies. Boundary...

If an original legal document is misplaced or lost, it is no longer legally binding. Therefore, you must ensure your documents are securely stored. Loss of items such...

The word ‘probate’ is often used to refer to the entire process of administering a deceased’s estate. The generic name for people doing this job is ‘personal...

Regardless of whether or not your name is on the title to a property you may be in a position to claim a share of sale proceeds. This can arise if you have made a...

When couples separate, a lot of difficult decisions often need to be made. It may be that you and your ex-partner feel confident separation is the best way forward, but...

You have finally done it and officially registered as an attorney or deputy for a loved one. But now what do you do? Where do you get the nursing or social care they...

It can be difficult and emotive to discuss allegations of assault, but they do happen and cause a lot of hurt and distress. The first step is always to ask for legal...

The Christmas decorations are back in their boxes, skies are grey and many of us are feeling the financial strain from the festive period. Spending more time together...

Being injured or unwell through no fault of your own places you in a difficult and unpleasant situation. However, there are solutions available should you find yourself...

A new state pension system was brought in on 6 April 2016, meaning the number of qualifying national insurance years you have will dictate how much state pension you...

If you are in the armed forces, criminal and disciplinary proceedings can be very confusing. An easy comparison can be made between cases dealt with in the civil...

Christmas is fast approaching, which also means it’s Christmas party season! Our criminal defence and road traffic team at Churchers are very conscious that alongside...

Most people are aware that you are allowed to use force to protect yourself or another person, to protect property, to prevent crime, or to assist in a lawful arrest....