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A Guide to the Adoption Process
The most important requirements for adoption are that the adopter must be over 21 years of age, the child to be adopted must be under the age of 18 and joint applications to adopt can only be made by married couples and civil partners. Unmarried couples can... -
Accessing Your Own Land
Prior to the introduction of revised procedures (set out in regulations under Section 68 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 , which came into effect in July 2002), people who had to cross common land in order to reach their homes were sometimes... -
Administering Estates - Procedures and Pitfalls
A recent survey has shown that more than one in ten people who are thought to have died intestate (i.e. without leaving a will) may actually have made a will and that a similar number of those who leave a will which is initially believed to be the last will... -
Are You a Sophisticated Investor?
In March 2005, the rules relating to approaching people regarding financial promotions were relaxed so that so called ‘sophisticated investors’ and high net worth individuals (HNWIs) could be more easily approached with a view to making... -
Asset Valuation Problems - Chattels
When dealing with an estate, an increasing problem for executors is the valuation of assets in the form of the chattels of the deceased. In probate terminology, chattels are the ‘everyday’ assets such as furniture and ordinary possessions, as... -
Bank of Mum and Dad Lending Issues
Tthe 'bank of Mum and Dad' is unsurprisingly one of the leading sources of finance for house purchase – it was estimated that 317,000 mortgages were undertaken with parental assistance in 2018. The survey, sponsored by the Centre for Economics... -
Business Assets and Divorce
Divorce is seldom an easy business, but the problems are compounded when there is a family business involved. The division of the spoils has traditionally been the subject of a great deal of argument, but recent cases have at least clarified the thinking of... -
Buying Abroad - Considerations
More than 400,000 UK citizens own properties abroad. If you are thinking of joining them, here ar some of the main issues: as well as it being essential to take independent and high quality legal advice, there are several other considerations you should be... -
Buying a House and Consumer Protection
With the appointment of a Property Ombudsman , the laying down in statute of the duties of estate agents and the passing of the Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Act 2007 (CEARA), a property purchaser might reasonably conclude that their interests are... -
CGT and Shares in Estates Valuation Trap
In the UK, there are quite generous exemptions from Inheritance Tax (IHT) which apply to business assets. One problem with making use of such exemptions is the effect this may have on the subsequent value of the relevant assets for Capital Gains Tax (CGT)... -
Changing Wills For Benefit
A will expresses the final wishes of the deceased person and it is commonly thought that a will is irrevocable after death. However, provided everyone agrees, it is normally possible to vary a will provided that the application is made within two years of... -
Charity Trustees - Guidance
The regime governing charities has been progressively tightened up over the years, making the sort of scandals that were once not uncommon much more of a rarity. This means that trustees now have to adopt a more professional attitude to the management of a... -
Child Custody Explained
Arrangements over the custody of children (called residence arrangements by lawyers) after the breakdown of a relationship are usually best decided without the intervention of the court. Unfortunately, it is not always possible for the two parties to... -
Child Maintenance Explained
The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (CMEC) – a statutory non-departmental public body – was established in 2008 to take on the work of the Child Support Agency. At the same time, the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008 ... -
Civil Partnerships And Same-Sex Marriage Explained
The first civil partnerships were formed on 21 December 2005, after the Civil Partnerships Act 2004 came into effect on 5 December 2005. Same-sex marriages contracted abroad, however, have been recognised as valid civil partnerships from 5 December... -
Cohabitation Agreements - Protection for Unmarried Couples
One of the most common myths in English law is that there is such a thing as a ‘common law marriage’. It simply doesn’t exist and this misapprehension has led the Law Commission to suggest proposals giving additional rights to cohabiting... -
Cohabitees and Death - Who Can Claim?
When one member of a cohabiting couple dies, it can come as an unpleasant surprise to the bereaved partner to discover that not all of their late partner’s estate will pass to them in the absence of a will. It is only when this happens that many people... -
Compensation for Loss of a Chance
Most claims for damages are claims for damages or losses which have actually happened. For example, if a lorry mounted the pavement and smashed a garden wall, the claim would be for the cost of restoring the wall to its former condition. The law relating to... -
Consumer Rights Law - Guidance
Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Since 1 October 2015, under changes introduced by the Consumer Rights Act 2015 , it has been compulsory for most businesses to offer Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to... -
Correcting Your Credit Rating
Most people require credit at some time, whether it is in the form of a credit card, a loan or an overdraft. However careful you are, it is possible to find yourself blacklisted for credit purposes. When you apply for credit, the lender will apply to either... -
Credit Card Purchases: Know Your Rights
When you order something and pay using a credit card, you are protected against loss...or are you? Although many people think that the protection that applies is absolute, it is not. Unless your credit card contract specifies otherwise, your protection is... -
Dealing With an Insolvent Estate
One of the rules that applies to the administration of estates is that whilst a person appointed as executor under a will can refuse to accept the appointment, once an executor ‘intermeddles’ in the estate, in principle he or she cannot then... -
Divorce and Foreign Nationality
Approximately one in six marriages in the European Union is between persons of different nationalities. Not surprisingly, approximately one in six divorces also involves spouses of different nationalities. This can make for some complexity on divorce as to... -
Divorce and Foreign Residence: Children
When a marriage breaks up, it is usual for the couple to separate physically as well as legally and in some cases the physical separation can be considerable. With the increase in international travel and residence abroad, marriages between persons of... -
Divorce and Money
When it comes to dealing with money and divorce, it is important to know what has to be taken into account and the powers available to arrive at fair decisions. For most couples, the basic problem is how to finance two separate households from income and...
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© Rutter and Rutter Solicitors.
Rutter and Rutter, St. Audreys, South Street, Wincanton, BA9 9DR Tel: 01963 32224 | SRA No. 8006704
Rutter and Rutter, St. Audreys, South Street, Wincanton, BA9 9DR Tel: 01963 32224 | SRA No. 8006704