Divorce rates are on the rise, according to the latest statistics, and with the increase in the value of family assets, couples should do more to face up to financial affairs during the good times according to professionals.

What are the MEES Regulations?

From 1 April 2018, substantial changes are being introduced in relation to Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) for private rented properties. As part of the Government’s continued efforts to improve energy efficiency standard in properties, the MEES Regulations 2015 will call for landlords to ensure that certain rented properties meet a minimum EPC rating of “E”. Failing this, the property will be regarded as “sub-standard”. Note that this minimum rating could be raised in the future, with a Government review expected in 2020.

Recent publicity of the court case earlier this year concerning responsibility for tragic capsizing of the ‘Cheeki Rafiki’ sent a stir through the marine industry and created heightened awareness of the inherent risks of vessels with defective keels. As a result, Verisona Law’s legal specialist, Tim Reynolds, is acting for an increasing number of clients who have discovered problems with their yacht keels.

The popularity of programmes showing the daily workings of high court enforcement officers have thrown into sharp relief the sheer amount of personal debt in the UK today. According to figures released by the Money Charity, it’s estimated that the average debt per adult (including mortgage payments) is £30,277, more than 114% of the average wage. Credit card borrowing is at an all-time high, despite the years of austerity measures after the 2008 crash, with consumer credit borrowing at around £3,909 per UK adult. Nearly 250 people every day are declared insolvent or bankrupt.

Fair pay for a fair day’s work is the bedrock of a good relationship between employers and employees. The National Minimum Wage (NMW) has ensured that everyone gets a minimum amount per hour, which is legally enforceable.

Unmarried couples have no legal rights if they separate – so without an agreement, one of you could be left with nothing*.

According to the Office for National Statistics most recent report on crime in the UK, there has been an unprecedented rise in the number of computer crime and identity theft incidences. The 2017 crime statistics survey estimates that there were 3.4 million fraud and 1.8 million computer misuse offences in year ending March 2017, meaning that an increasing number of UK adults are falling victim to identity theft and online scamming.

In a divorce, nobody really comes out of the process a ‘winner’. Hostilities between battling former spouses can sour relationships not just between them, but throughout the wider family group too. Courts do their very best to protect the interests and the wellbeing of the most vulnerable members of the family, the children.

Verisona Law in Portsmouth have been consulted by a number of vulnerable and elderly clients, relating to the sale of their homes, resulting in them losing most of the value of their property.

There can be no denying that a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) can be an extremely useful document. A Lasting Power of Attorney is a legal document which allows you to appoint people that you trust to make important decisions on your behalf if you become mentally or physically incapable of doing so for yourself.