Will Writing

A recent report undertaken by the Legal Services Consumer Panel (LSCP) has uncovered evidence of poor quality wills, sharp sales practices and lost wills where will writing companies disappear without trace. It is likely many solicitors will support the panel’s recommendation that will writing becomes a regulated activity, especially as approximately 10% of wills (180,000) annually are prepared by unregulated companies. The resulting litigation whereby family members challenge a will following the loss of a loved one can, as panel chair Dianne Hayter says, have “huge personal and financial consequences for those we care about most”.

S20b Landlord and Tenant 1985 Service Charges

Warning to Landlords: within 18 months of a service charge being incurred the Landlord must serve a Section 20b Notice on the Tenant. The service charges must have either been demanded from the Leaseholder or the Leaseholder must have been notified in writing that the costs have been incurred and that they as tenants are required to contribute to these costs by payment of the service charges in accordance with the terms of the Lease.