2010 Archived News
December 2010
- Flood damage risk to listed buildings rule breach: Winter flooding – especially after so much snow is disastrous for all homeowners and the clean up can take a significant amount of time. If you live in a listed property, you need to ensure you also follow listed building rules on repair and restoration or face a heavy fine, imprisonment or making your property unsalable, warns Suzanne Bowman solicitor at Adams & Remers LLP.
November 2010
- "The wisdom of a London firm in a county town" says Chambers UK 2010: Sussex law firm Adams & Remers has received acclaim in the annual Chambers and Partners guide to law firms in the UK which was published this week. The guide highly rates the firm in its Agricultural & Rural Affairs, Private Client, Corporate M&A and Employment Law sections and singles out several individuals for praise.
- Hot Topics in Employment Law Seminar 25th November: The Adams & Remers Employment Law team are hosting a free seminar *'Hot topics in Employment Law' *on Wednesday 25th November at MyHotel Brighton, 17 Jubilee Street, Brighton, BN1 1GE, with registration from 4.45pm, followed by a drinks reception.
- Environment Agency rule change for homeowners: All home owners with a septic tank and or sewage treatment plant that does not have an Environment Agency permit, must now follow new environmental regulations which require them to register for a free Environment Agency discharge exemption for discharges of sewage effluent by 1 January 2012 warns Adams & Remers LLP.
- Employment Breakfast Briefing on Gross Misconduct : 18th November: The Employment team at Adams & Remers are hosting the third in a series of Breakfast Briefings on hot topics for employers and HR professionals which will take place at our Lewes offices on Thursday 18 November 2010.
- Time limit warning for landlords on deposit scheme: A ruling in a recent court case should put an end to residential landlords being fined for failing to comply with the requirement to pay a tenants’ deposit into a regulated tenancy deposit scheme and supply the tenant with information about the scheme within 14 days of taking the deposit says Philip Rowland, solicitor at Adams & Remers.
October 2010
- Lease of life for landmark Dover hotel: The property team at Adams & Remers solicitors have helped bring back to life one of Kent’s best located hotels – the Churchill Hotel, Dover, after a new lease was agreed by the new management team with hotel owners the Dover Harbour Board.
- Victory in landlord Council Tax ruling: In a High Court ruling that will bring some good news to landlords, Goremsandu v London Borough of Harrow held that a landlord is not liable for council tax where the property is not a house in multiple occupation (HM0) and that liability remains with the tenants.
- The new Equality Act and its implications: It has been hailed as a landmark move to harmonise discrimination legislation and to strengthen the law to support progress on equality. But what will the Equality Act mean in practice for employers and employees?
- Buying Property with Bats: People buying a property which has bats in residence should consider carefully if they can live alongside their nocturnal friends as their presence could reduce the amount of renovation work that can be done to a property warns Suzanne Bowman, Solicitor at Adams & Remers LLP.
- Adams & Remers advises on £21.5M AIM Admission of Paragon Diamonds: Just one month after opening its London offices, Adams & Remers has advised nominated adviser and broker ZAI Corporate Finance Limited on the flotation of Paragon Diamonds Limited on the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange and its placing of new ordinary shares with institutional and private investors. The placing raised approximately £4 million.
September 2010
- Seminar for Listed Property Owners at Hever Castle: “Renovation work needn’t strike fear in the hearts of listed home owners and with the right advice owning a listed building should be a pleasure not a chore” says Suzanne Bowman at Adams & Remers LLP. To highlight this, Adams & Remers LLP and The Listed Property Owners Club (LPOC) are hosting a joint seminar for listed home owners - Exploring Listed Property at Hever Castle, 15th October 2010.
August 2010
- Flexible pension draw down benefit to SIPP owners: Investors previously discouraged from investing commercial property into a Self Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) may wish to reconsider following the Government’s recent announcement on pensions, which, if it becomes law, will remove the need to buy an annuity at age 75 and introduce flexible drawdown, allowing individuals to draw down unlimited amounts from their pension funds, provided that they satisfy a minimum income requirement. Read more ...
- Default Retirement Age to be Abolished: The Government has announced that it will remove the default retirement age of 65 from October 2011, with a phasing out process starting from April 2011.
July 2010
- Employment Seminar 29th September 2010 with Tate Recruitment: Adams & Remers are teaming up with Tate Recruitment to present a morning seminar, designed for employers and HR professionals, focusing on the key current issues in employment law: The Equality Act, Fit Notes, Pensions Reform, The right to request time off for training, The Agency Workers Regulations. Read more ...
- Trusts - Not Just For The Wealthy: The assumption that trusts are only useful for financial planning for the wealthy should be revisited by people looking to reduce their exposure to nursing home fees says Adams & Remers LLP. Read more ...
- Capitalising Maintenance to Protect Divorcee Retirement Income: Women who have received a lifetime maintenance order following their divorce should consider capitalising their maintenance in advance of the former husband’s retirement or they may face a big drop in income warns Adams & Remers solicitors. Read more ...
June 2010
- HIPs Suspended: EPC Requirements Remain: Home Information Packs (“HIPs”) were suspended by the Government from 21 May 2010. The Government has launched a review and it is expected that HIPs will not be re-introduced. Read more ...
May 2010
- The Current Landscape for Owner Managed Businesses: In a surprising move, the Chancellor doubled the threshold for CGT entrepreneur’s relief to £2 million in his March budget. Most commentators were expecting an increase in CGT rates, not a decrease! However, this move does not appear to have stimulated the small business M&A market noticeably or at all. Despite a slight increase in confidence among owner-managers, there is still considerable uncertainty about the prospects for the UK economy. This has only been made worse by the uncertainty regarding the result of the 2010 election. Read more ...
- Work-Based Pension Reforms: In December 2002 the Government set up an Independent Pensions Commission to review the Pension System and make recommendations for reform to meet the challenge of providing a fair and adequate retirement income in a society where the population is growing and people are living longer. Read more …
- How to Ensure Your Business Copes with World Cup Fever: With the World Cup and Wimbledon fast approaching, businesses would be well advised to consider whether they might see a rise in the number of staff taking sick days in order to watch key matches. It is a well known fact that sickness levels rise during key sporting events, either because employees wish to take time off work to watch the match itself, or because they are recovering from the night before.
April 2010
- How to Ensure Your Business Copes with World Cup Fever: With the World Cup and Wimbledon fast approaching, businesses would be well advised to consider whether they might see a rise in the number of staff taking sick days in order to watch key matches. It is a well known fact that sickness levels rise during key sporting events, either because employees wish to take time off work to watch the match itself, or because they are recovering from the night before. Read more …
- Increased Stamp Duty Threshold for 1st Time Buyers: The Chancellor’s headline giveaway in last month’s Budget was the increase in the Stamp Duty threshold for first time buyers of residential property from £125,000 to £250,000, which is a saving of up to £2,500.
March 2010
- March 2010 Budget – Impact on Commercial Property: The headline-grabbing property issue in this year’s budget is the increase in the stamp duty land tax threshold for first-time buyers of residential property. What though of commercial property? Perhaps not surprisingly given the impending election, there are no earth-shattering measures, but there are several significant measures to take. Read more ...
- Landowners gearing up for start of new national park: The creation of the South Downs National Park on 31 March 2010 will provide a significant boost to landowners with opportunities for tourism and is likely to increase house prices but it will put further pressure on affordable housing for local people and planning will be more restrictive says Adams & Remers solicitors. Read more …
- Legal Ruling Spells Good and Bad News for Landlords: A recent court ruling may bring both good and bad news for landlords, according to Sussex solicitors Adams & Remers. The case of Newham v Van Staden has caused ripples of concern among solicitors because leases thought to be excluded from the security of tenure provisions of the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 may not in law be excluded. Read more …
- Sickness Absence and the New "Fit Note" Breakfast Briefing, 22nd April: Adams & Remers is hosting a series of Breakfast Briefings for employers and HR professionals, starting on 22nd April 2010 examining the challenging issues surrounding sickness absence and disability. Read more ...
- Employing Migrant Workers: It is now more important than ever to be aware of immigration and visa rules when recruiting staff. With many migrant workers flocking to the South coast for seasonal work, Brighton businesses should be aware of the need to check identity documents carefully.
- End of the Line for Serial Employment Litigants? Serial employment litigants can be an expensive thorn in the side for businesses of all sizes. But, according to Adams & Remers solicitors, a recent Employment Appeals Tribunal ruling may give some protection against individuals who misuse the law.
February 2010
- South Downs National Park brings to light bias in legislation, reports Goodwood House conference: The weight of legislation is unfairly balanced towards members of the public and away from land and home-owners and could be reviewed should a Conservative government be elected, promised Nick Herbert, MP for Arundel and South Downs and Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Read more …
- Social Networking Can Risk Career Prospects: Anyone job hunting should be aware that according to research 32% of all HR managers already use facebook and myspace as recruitment tools and 20% of them have also been put off a prospective candidate by drunken photos or rude comments the person has made and displayed online.
January 2010
- Stamp Duty Land Tax: Changes in Threshold: On 2nd September 2008 the Government announced a increase in the threshold for stamp duty land tax from £125,000 to £175,000. This situation changed on 1st January 2010. Read more …
“A Superb Outfit”
– Chambers UK