There has been much publicity in the case of the British Airways worker, Nadia Eweida, who alleged that her employer had discriminated against her by preventing her from wearing a Christian cross with her uniform.
The Court of Appeal last week held that it was not indirect discrimination for an employer’s dress code to prevent a staff member from wearing a cross as a visible neck adornment because it was not a requirement of Christianity that adherents had to wear a public display of their faith.
The case may well now proceed to the Supreme Court.
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Law Gazette: Home Buyers at Risk
Jessica Hurst, trainee solicitor in the property department, writes:
An article in the Law Society Gazette this week has highlighted the risk faced by house buyers who do not obtain a full survey before purchasing a property.
According to consumer watchdog Which? one quarter of buyers find fault with their properties after moving in and it costs on average £2,500 to put these problems right.
The law operates a ‘Buyer Beware’ principle when purchasing property and it is important that buyers are satisfied that the property is structurally sound before entering into a firm commitment to purchase. Often buyers are tempted to rely on lender’s valuations, but these are rarely sufficient and in particular it is highly unlikely that buyers could seek compensation from a valuer for losses arising from a negligent survey.
A comprehensive survey commissioned by the buyer offers greater legal protection and peace of mind to the buyer. Lockings recommends that our clients should give careful thought before buying a property without the benefit of a survey. For further advice speak to your conveyancer.
An article in the Law Society Gazette this week has highlighted the risk faced by house buyers who do not obtain a full survey before purchasing a property.
According to consumer watchdog Which? one quarter of buyers find fault with their properties after moving in and it costs on average £2,500 to put these problems right.
The law operates a ‘Buyer Beware’ principle when purchasing property and it is important that buyers are satisfied that the property is structurally sound before entering into a firm commitment to purchase. Often buyers are tempted to rely on lender’s valuations, but these are rarely sufficient and in particular it is highly unlikely that buyers could seek compensation from a valuer for losses arising from a negligent survey.
A comprehensive survey commissioned by the buyer offers greater legal protection and peace of mind to the buyer. Lockings recommends that our clients should give careful thought before buying a property without the benefit of a survey. For further advice speak to your conveyancer.
Saturday, 20 February 2010
Seminar on "Improving Networking Skills."
Neil Oakes will be presenting a seminar on "Improving Networking Skills" at 1.00 p.m. on Thursday 25th February 2010, repeated on Thurday 4th March.
Business networking is something that does not come naturally to most people. The idea of the seminar is to give some confidence boosting tips and advice to "first time networkers" and hopefully demonstrate that networking is not quite so daunting as one might fear and that it can actually be quite fun!
Anyone interested in attending should contact reception to book their place. The seminar is worth 1 CPD point.
Business networking is something that does not come naturally to most people. The idea of the seminar is to give some confidence boosting tips and advice to "first time networkers" and hopefully demonstrate that networking is not quite so daunting as one might fear and that it can actually be quite fun!
Anyone interested in attending should contact reception to book their place. The seminar is worth 1 CPD point.
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Land Registry Protect Your Property Campaign
Your property is probably your biggest asset. Fraudsters are targetting property where there is no mortgage or the owner lives elsewhere. They try to "steal" the property by using forged documents to impersonate the true owner.
One way of protecting yourself is to ensure that the Land Registry has up to date contact information for you. The Land Registry will register up to three addresses for you - including an email address - and it is important to use this facilty particularly when you own a property and reside elsewhere.
The Land Registry website (click on the title above) has a link to a form so that registered owners can update their contact information.
One way of protecting yourself is to ensure that the Land Registry has up to date contact information for you. The Land Registry will register up to three addresses for you - including an email address - and it is important to use this facilty particularly when you own a property and reside elsewhere.
The Land Registry website (click on the title above) has a link to a form so that registered owners can update their contact information.
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
U.K. House Prices on the Rise
A report in the Wall Street Journal suggests that U.K. house prices rose at the fastest pace in almost three years in February, but signs that public-sector employment is set to fall sharply suggest that may not be sustained.
According to property-listings company Rightmove's latest index, released on Monday, house prices in mid-February rose 3.2 on the month and were also 6.1% higher on the year. That compared with a 0.4% monthly increase in December and a 4.1% year-on-year rise.
Rightmove said the sharp rise in asking prices may prove to be too much for some potential buyers, although in the south of England a higher level of demand has coincided with a fall in the number of new properties to come onto the market.
According to property-listings company Rightmove's latest index, released on Monday, house prices in mid-February rose 3.2 on the month and were also 6.1% higher on the year. That compared with a 0.4% monthly increase in December and a 4.1% year-on-year rise.
Rightmove said the sharp rise in asking prices may prove to be too much for some potential buyers, although in the south of England a higher level of demand has coincided with a fall in the number of new properties to come onto the market.
Familiar name joins residential property team
The firm is pleased to announce that Roger Ricketts, a well known name in the local conveyancing scene, has joined the practice with effect from Monday 15th February 2010. Roger has a wealth of contacts with local builders and developers and we look forward to expanding that aspect of our business.
Roger will be based at the firm's Hull office in Lowgate.
Roger will be based at the firm's Hull office in Lowgate.
Testimonial for conveyancing partner
Simon Fisk of Auditel Limited (www.auditel.co.uk) recently engaged Neil Oakes of our Residential Conveyancing Department to assist in the sale of a property. Simon writes
“Neil provides an excellent service based on expert knowledge & considerable experience. Every aspect was explained in simple terms & carried out extremely efficiently. I was similarly impressed with the professionalism of Neil's staff.”
“Neil provides an excellent service based on expert knowledge & considerable experience. Every aspect was explained in simple terms & carried out extremely efficiently. I was similarly impressed with the professionalism of Neil's staff.”
First Post
This is the first post on the newly created Lockings blog.
The aim of the blog is to keep staff and clients alike abreast of the latest news and developments at Lockings. Anyone may submit copy for publication on the blog. This may be a story about a particularly good result in a personal injury damages case; or a testimonial received from a client for a job well done; or indeed something outside the office such as being involved in a sponsored walk or a charity event.
Please submit copy for inclusion to Neil Oakes.
The aim of the blog is to keep staff and clients alike abreast of the latest news and developments at Lockings. Anyone may submit copy for publication on the blog. This may be a story about a particularly good result in a personal injury damages case; or a testimonial received from a client for a job well done; or indeed something outside the office such as being involved in a sponsored walk or a charity event.
Please submit copy for inclusion to Neil Oakes.
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