Estate agent not signed up to redress scheme fined £3,000
July 1st 2019By Laura Bright Solicitor An estate agent has been fined £3,000 for not being a member of all the required redress schemes for the services it covered. The case arose following a complaint from a tenant who lived in a block of flats managed by the agent. The local authority discovered the agent was a member of a redress scheme for its letting work but not for property management work.…
Step up to the Plate 2019
June 27th 2019On Saturday the #TeamCartmells super squad took part in the 21 mile Step up to the Plate Ullswater Way walk in aid of Hospice at Home – Carlisle and North Lakeland. The Ullswater Way starts off in Pooley Bridge and leads you up past Maiden Castle and Watermillock church then loops around Aira Force waterfall. The next stops are Glencoyne and Glenridding where you can stop for refreshments and a…
Woman asked for massage by boss wins sexual harassment claim
June 27th 2019By Joanne Stronach Head of Employment & HR A woman who was repeatedly asked to massage her managing director has won a sexual harassment claim. Emma Woolf worked as a sales manager for thermal cooling material provider, Universal Science. When she booked a two bedroom flat for a trade show, managing director James Stratford said that he would also attend the show and share the flat. His conduct throughout the…
Probation officer unfairly dismissed after accusation of abuse
June 26th 2019By Joanne Stronach Head of Employment & HR A probation officer has won her case of unfair dismissal after being accused of developing an abusive and controlling relationship with a former offender. Julia Hyland had worked as a probation officer for the Greater Manchester Probation Service since 1998. She was given the role of senior case manager for an individual referred to only as the Service User (SU) who had…
Surveyors must pay £50,000 for their negligence over knotweed
June 24th 2019A man who is almost blind was awarded £50,000 after his North London property became overrun with Japanese knotweed. Paul Ryb, who represented Great Britain and won the International Blind Tennis tournament, lost his central vision after suffering from a macular disease. Before purchasing the £1.2m property, on the ground floor of a big Victorian house, the former tennis champion hired Conways Chartered Surveyors to perform a comprehensive survey. He…
Getting contact with your grandchildren if their parents say no
June 20th 2019By Laura Ousby Solicitor Grandparents are playing an ever-increasing role in the lives of their grandchildren, often providing free childcare to enable parents to go out to work. Most of these relationships run smoothly to everyone’s benefit but occasionally, problems arise that break that family bond. The most likely cause is an acrimonious divorce or separation, in which children can become ‘weapons’ in the disputes between parents. This can spill…
Refuse collector awarded £20,000 after unfair dismissal
June 19th 2019By Joanne Stronach Head of Employment & HR A council worker has been awarded £20,000 and reinstated in his role after the Employment Tribunal decided he had been unfairly dismissed. The case involved Colin Hart, a refuse collector working for Glasgow City Council. He was a member of a team based at the St Rollox Depot. There was an equivalent team based at the city’s Western Depot. They generally carried…
Landlord was wrong to apply service charge for clearing rubbish
June 17th 2019By Laura Bright Solicitor A tenant has successfully appealed a service charge he incurred after his landlord removed rubbish from the car park of the property. The tenancy agreement included the rent payable as well as the right of the landlord to add a variable service charge to cover services specified in the agreement, such as garden maintenance and lighting. It also stated that the tenant would not leave personal…
Npower failed to make adjustments for autistic employee
June 14th 2019By Joanne Stronach Head of Employment & HR An analyst who suffered with autism was discriminated against by Npower after it failed to make changes to his working environment to allow him to work in comfort. Tom Sherbourne began working for the energy giant in October 2017. He was positioned in an open-plan setting with a busy walkway behind him, and there were also building works going on around him.…
House prices show slight annual rise despite monthly fall
June 13th 2019By Linsey Hayes Conveyancer House prices rose slightly over the year to March, but there was a fall in the latest monthly figures. The UK House Price Index shows that prices fell by an average of 0.2% between February and March. However, there was an annual rise of 1.4%. The average house in the UK is now valued at £226,798. In England, the March data shows a fall of 0.5%…
