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THE North East Landlords’ Association is to hold its first meeting in Sunderland this week, giving landlords and associated businesses across Wearside the chance to get the latest updates in the property market. The meeting will take place this Tuesday, November 27th from 5.30pm-9pm in the Bede Tower in Burdon Road, Sunderland (SR2 7EA) with a host of interesting talks and advice seminars. On the fun side, there will be the ‘Brucey Bonus Landlord Quiz’ hosted by Bruce Haagensen. But other talks include: ‘How to Spot Common Defects in Houses’ by Rob Harrison, ‘Cyber Security – Why it is Vitally Important for Landlords’ by Nick Atkinson, ‘Protecting Your Wealth’ by David Smith. There will also be an update on local and national issues of interest to landlords.

If you’re looking at selling your property, you might not realise just how much a conveyancer can help. Although you won’t be the one shelling out thousands for the property, it doesn’t mean you don’t need legal help. By selling your house, you’re transferring equity, which is heavily protected and governed by law. This (inevitably) means there’s a lot of important paperwork to be completed! The conveyancing process must be completed correctly, or you risk costing yourself a lot of time and money. In this article, we explain exactly what a conveyancer will do in order to help you sell your property. Identity Check As soon as you accept an offer on your property, it’s time to involve a conveyancer. Their first job will be to complete an identity check on you, which means your sale will comply with anti-money laundering regulations…

Facing redundancy is undoubtedly a nerve-wracking situation. Legally, you do have rights. If you think these are being breached, you may be able to take your claim to an Employment Tribunal. In this article, the Sweeney Miller team looks at what to do if you’re facing redundancy. Make sure it’s fair First, you need to find out if your redundancy is fair. You’re probably feeling shocked at the news, but it’s important to stay proactive and protective over your own rights. When employers select people for redundancies, their decision must be objective. This means that, unfortunately, the amount of time you’ve worked there will no longer factor in on their decision. However, they cannot make redundancies based on “protected characteristics”. These are: Race Disability Gender reassignment Pregnancy/maternity leave Age Sex Marriage/civil partnership Sexual orientation Religion/belief Additionally, your employer cannot make a redundancy…

Good job! You’ve incorporated your brand new startup, and now you’re looking to grow your business. Hopefully, you have a few shareholders already. Your next step is to consider creating a shareholders’ agreement. We know it might seem unimportant at the moment, but making a shareholders’ agreement is a vital step in protecting the fate of your business. Also known as a founder’s agreement, a shareholders’ agreement will regulate how company changes are made in the future.   What is a shareholders’ agreement? A shareholders’ agreement is a legal contract, agreed to by all company shareholders, as a precautionary measure regulating the way they conduct business. It can form a basis for the procedures that should be followed should any unforeseen issues arise between your stakeholders and the company itself. This protects the success (and consequent value) of your company. Plus, there’s no…

Exempting the Home Office from new data protection rules could lead to miscarriages of justice, the Law Society of England and Wales and the Bar Council have warned. Like thousands of other firms across the country, Sweeney Miller has been ensuring compliance with new GDPR rules due to come into force before the end of May 2018. But the Law Society has pointed out that The Data Protection Bill currently before Parliament exempts the Home Office from personal data requests, that has prompted Law Society president Joe Egan to warn the Bill will undermine the ability of British and EU citizens, as well as other non-UK nationals, to challenge unlawful deportation ordetention. “Recent events have shown how important it is to be able to scrutinise Home Office decision making,” he said. “The GDPR and Data Protection Bill are based on accountability and transparency…

Guests who want to get involved with North East Landlords, which aims to bring together and support landlords across the region, can attend the meeting due to be held at Bede Tower in Burdon Road on Tuesday, July 3 at 5.30pm. More than 100 guests attended the first meeting of North East Landlords, held at the NatWest offices in Broad Chare, Newcastle. And the hope is the association will grow to become a big help and support to landlords as far north as Berwick and as far south as Bedale. The new association is the brainchild of four separate businesses – solicitors Sweeney Miller, accountants Robson Laidler, mortgage advisers Approved Mortgages Solutions Ltd and Coversure Insurance Services Newcastle. They are working with former National Landlords Association’s North East representatives Bruce Haagensen and Steve Johnson to engage with councils…

The launch event was held on Thursday, May 17th at the NatWest Offices, One Trinity Gardens, Broad Chare, Newcastle. Explaining the mission of the new group, a spokesperson said: “We are setting up a landlords’ group with a few other professionals in the area. “The idea is that we will hold events aimed at investors buying residential and commercial properties and talk about the various trends in these areas. “So our message to landlords is this – would you like to see a Landlord Association that has all the benefits that a National Association can offer but with a local presence engaging with local Councils on your behalf? “If so, you are going to be interested in our new Landlord Association which will be run by local people for the benefit of local Landlords. “The new organisation will look to meet the needs of all Private Landlords…

Like thousands of other firms across the country, Sweeney Miller has been ensuring compliance with new GDPR rules due to come into force before the end of May 2018. But the Law Society has pointed out that The Data Protection Bill currently before Parliament exempts the Home Office from personal data requests, That has prompted Law Society president Joe Egan to warn the Bill will undermine the ability of British and EU citizens, as well as other non-UK nationals, to challenge unlawful deportation or detention. “Recent events have shown how important it is to be able to scrutinise Home Office decision making,” he said. “The GDPR and Data Protection Bill are based on accountability and transparency and the proposed exemption completely flies in the face of these principles. “Anyone seeking their own personal data from the Home Office could be denied access without justification…

In an unprecedented judgment, Mr Justice Charles, vice president of the Court of Protection, placed responsibility on the government to ensure each vulnerable individual whose liberty is considered in the Court of Protection has appropriate representation when their case is considered. Law Society vice president Christina Blacklaws said: “The judgment shines a light on a largely hidden area of our justice system where people suffering from dementia, Alzheimer’s or a learning disability wait indefinitely for their cases to be heard because of a lack of funding for representation.” “People can be deprived of their liberty, their movements closely supervised and restricted and they may be given medication and other treatments to control their behaviour. “These restrictive arrangements may be in the individual’s best interests, but authorisation from the Court of Protection is needed to ensure the vulnerable person’s rights are adequately protected.” The…

The suggestion was made by the  Law Society of England and Wales argued in response to a consultation by the Department for Communities and Local Government. The Law Society believes making clear and concise information available at the right time could speed up the entire home buying process. And Sweeney Miller is all in favour of efforts to help the public understand what is often a very complex process. Paul Miller said: “Buying or selling a house can be a time-consuming and complicated business and occasionally it can be very confusing to the public who are unsure of exactly what the process entails. “In such circumstances, any moves which give the public a greater understanding of what is involved is to be welcomed. Paul’s words were echoed by Law Society president Joe Egan. He said: “Buying a home is one of the biggest decisions people…

From January 2018, time limits preventing victims of domestic violence from obtaining legal aid for court proceedings will be scrapped. These restrictions have been heavily criticised, not least by the Law Society, and have left large numbers of women confronting abusive ex-partners without representation. The restrictions will also be relaxed to accept evidence from victim support organisations. Paul Miller, senior partner at Sweeney Miller, said: “The decision by the Government to move in this direction can only benefit the public and in particular those who have suffered domestic violence and seek their day in court. The move is also long overdue, according to Law Society of England and Wales president Joe Egan. He said: “The government’s decision will make it easier for victims to provide evidence and to qualify for legal aid.