This week I read with interest in my local newspaper how Newham had become the first local authority to exercise new powers conveyed under the Housing and Planning Act 2016 (effective from 6 April 2017)

A fine of £5,000 was issued to a landlord who had failed to install fire alarms in the property in question which was a serious breach of their property licence.

It was widely reported last week that Taylor Wimpey has set aside £130million to correct the rent review terms of the good rent in some of their new build leasehold properties.

Ground rent is normally an annual sum paid by a leaseholder to their freeholder. They are usually very modest sum, and some even set at ‘peppercorn’. The problem with the ground rent in the leasehold properties in question, is that they are set to double every 10 years.

This week (24-28 April 2017) is National Stalking Awareness Week which aims to highlight the problems victims of stalkers encounter.

There have been a number of high profiles incidents involving stalkers of celebrities and other high profile individuals but the problem is not limited to that elite group. Anyone has the potential to be stalked and most victims will know their stalker with the most common stalkers being ex-partners of the victim. The Hollie Gazzard Trust has identified a number of traits which stalkers are likely to have which include: rejection, feelings of resentment, seeking intimacy, and predatory.

Breach of confidentiality and data protection has become more and more prevalent in the UK as the public become more educated about their rights. We have certainly seen an increasing number of enquiries in the last 12-24 months from clients who want to seek compensation and make organisations account for their actions.

Getting legal aid for contempt of court cases Today there have been a number of news reports (Law Gazette and…