Tenant eviction and the bedroom tax (or the 'spare room subsidy' if you're a cabinet minister!) continue to dominate conversation in the housing world.
My blog last month put forward some ideas to minimise the impact of the changes to Housing Benefit which are now just two weeks away.
It also seems that the UK government are starting to get cold feet. Yesterday Iain Duncan Smith, the current Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, announced that guidance will be issued that will exempt foster
The suggestion, as part of the current consultation by the Scottish Housing Regulator, that Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) should be allowed to pay committee members has generated considerable debate. Views have been put forward on both sides of the argument. So should RSL Committee Members be paid?
The current position is, of course, that such payments are outlawed by Schedule 7 of the 2001 Housing Act. However in April 2012 Schedule 7 will disappear from the scene. In a wholesale reversal of governance standards the
Child Contact Orders - What happens if contact doesn't take place?
When a court order is in place stating the times a child has contact with a parent each week, and the parent with whom the child lives wilfully refuses to obey the order, then the other parent is entitled to ask the court to make a finding of contempt. Disagreement with a sheriff's decision does not entitle a parent to withhold contact.
The situation is less clear cut when the reason given is that
We asked our blog readers whether a conviction for supplying Class A drugs within a social rented house (antisocial behaviour) should be made a mandatory ground for evicting a tenant. 97% of those who voted were in favour. Is evicting tenants for antisocial behaviour a good thing?
In 2011, Grant Shapps, Housing Minister in the UK Government launched a consultation document; it asks whether a new mandatory power of eviction should be available not just for drugs offences but for all antisocial behaviour?
We
Powers of Attorney and Guardianship are often confused and I am regularly asked for advice on which is more appropriate. So Power of Attorney vs Guardianship, what's better? Although both concepts are regulated by the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 and have similar effects, there are significant differences between the procedure for each.
What is a Power of Attorney?
A Power of Attorney is a legal document appointing someone to act for and make decisions on behalf of the granter. The Power of Attorney
What are living Wills?
They are:
- a statement expressing your views about how you would like to be treated in the future
- a Will of sorts but applies whilst you are alive not after your death
- essentially an expression of your wishes set out in advance of illness at a time when you have the mental capacity to understand the issues involved and give clear directions
- used to outline circumstances in which you'd like medical treatment withheld e.g. if you suffer
Attorneys acting under a Continuing and Welfare Power of Attorney must comply with the five guiding principles set out in the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000. Arguably, the most important of these is that an Attorney must always act in the best interests of the adult. Does this include tax planning?
Best interests of the adult - not always clear cut?
At first glance, it seems that deciding what is in the best interests of the adult is pretty straightforward. However, grey areas often
The Welfare Reform bill which is currently progressing through parliament at Westminster has created much debate amongst Registered Social Landlords.
Much of the debate has involved the proposed introduction of universal credit, a single benefit payment for all claimants. This credit would:
Many landlords have rightly expressed concern that the proposed welfare
