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:

• replace all existing benefits
• involve the eventual removal of housing benefit as an individual benefit.
• remove the current system where housing benefit can be paid directly to a landlord on a tenant's behalf

Many landlords have rightly expressed concern that the proposed welfare

As a private landlord you'll be glad to know that when it comes to repossessing your property in Scotland, the lawmakers have made it nice and complicated for you. Even if a tenant has committed a serious breach of the tenancy agreement, there is no guarantee that you will be able to evict them. So how to evict a tenant?

There are two handy routes for eviction that are available to you, but neither is fool proof.

HOW THE SECTION 33 ROUTE WORKS:
-At least

Do you know Someone Whose Home is in Dire Need of Improvement?
Or has the Local Council placed a Statutory Notice on it for major repairs? Councils are currently tightening their belts and housing funding may no longer be available to assist with home improvements or repairs. Does this also affect home repairs for the elderly and the vulnerable?

So Who will Pay for Home Repairs or Improvements?
If someone is property rich but cash poor and they are working alongside their local authority or

The Bribery Act 2010 will come into force on 1 July 2011. The Act sets out a range of bribery related offences which could give rise to prosecution for both organisations and individuals.

The offences include:-
1.Giving bribes
2.Receiving bribes
3.Bribery of a foreign Public Official
4.Failure of commercial organisations to prevent bribery

The definition of a bribe is a broad one and can include any payment or other benefit which is intended to induce or reward the improper performance of a public function or

The Finance Bill 2011 will provide a fairer system of charging SDLT for those buying property in bulk, be this blocks of flats or a number of properties off plan from a Developer.

Historically, on purchases of this type, the SDLT rate would be calculated on the global price paid often resulting in a huge SDLT bill. For some trading subsidiaries of RSLs this substantial outlay has been off putting. Once the Finance Bill receives Royal Assent, SDLT for such multiple purchases will be

I am often asked by parents what age their child has to be to express a view in a child custody dispute between parents. Although many people still talk of custody and access, these terms are no longer legally correct and are now called residence and contact. Scottish Family law states that where a child wishes to express a view they must be allowed to do so. Thought must be given to the best way to obtain that view. It will not be the only factor

As a landlord, how do you ensure a tenant pays their rent?

Well, in a nutshell, you can't! But you can try to protect yourself by taking some basic steps before you hand over the keys to the property.

Credit checks
What is your prospective tenant's financial position? Have they got multiple debts to other creditors? Are there any payment decrees granted against them in court? If so, alarm bells should ring and you should think twice about handing over those keys!

Referencing
Obtain references

Clients continue to have a lot of questions concerning the procurement process and rightly so. The risk of getting it wrong can be very costly for an organisation. So just how do you get the procurement process right?

A common pitfall under the procurement regulations is a failure to make the distinction between selection and award criteria. Such failures can be costly, leading to a challenge under the regulations. Although it seems that there is little guidance in the area, there are some useful hints

A number of national newspapers, along with the BBC, reported (from a Government source) that the Coalition were planning to introduce wide-ranging and controversial reforms to UK employment legislation.

This was to include:

• a cap on discrimination awards at tribunals
• dilution of the TUPE rights protecting transferring employees
• a reduction in the current redundancy consultation periods

The actual published statement when it came was somewhat weakened: they will be "looking carefully at the arguments for reform" and "legislation will not necessarily be the route to

We are often asked by housing associations to look at a contract for the purchase of land and to explain what it means. Legal contracts are supposed to provide certainty and clarity but the opposite can sometimes be the case. So how do you avoid contract confusion?

We recently looked at a contract for a housing association that had an 'option' to purchase some land for development. Rather than agreeing to buy the land outright the association had instead entered into an agreement where it

"Help! My Aunt Has Dementia and No Longer Understands". Under Adult with Incapacity Legislation - Would a Guardianship help?

Jean recently visited the office looking for advice on how she can help her elderly auntie, who's in hospital. The medical staff caring for Jean's aunt believe she no longer has capacity to make decisions on her own behalf but have told Jean that she has no legal authority to make decisions for her aunt.

Jean sought legal advice, which confirmed that as her aunt's nearest

The law is raining down on the private rented sector and over the next few years there will be major legal changes affecting you and your tenants. Are you ready for more changes in the private rented sector?

Ahead of the pack is the Private Rented Housing (Scotland) Act 2011 which should be in force by the end of 2011. If you're really keen or just looking for a cure for insomnia, the entire act can be found here. Meanwhile, keep reading for a handy

Would you know a dangerous dog if you saw one? Most tenants wouldn't and who can blame them. You may think the huge black snarling beast with the sharp teeth next door is a dangerous dog but the law probably disagrees. How can the Dangerous Dogs Act help?

The problems caused by dangerous dogs remains a topical issue and a controversial one. I've often had calls from landlords, who in turn have had calls from their tenants or other residents in the area - The

Charities will no longer have to obtain signed gift aid declarations on the first £5,000 of small donations per year in order for those donations to qualify for the tax relief, Chancellor George Osborne announced in his Budget speech.

Gift aid will be automatically applied to the donations. Osborne said 100,000 charities would benefit from this to the tune of £240m. The announcement was the first of a number of major new initiatives affecting charities which Osborne described as "the most radical reforms to charitable

Following a recent review, the Scottish Government announced they will not be seeking to remove the distinction between the types of property for the purposes of calculating legal rights. The Scottish Law Commission proposed to amend the calculation of legal rights to take into account the deceased?s entire estate both heritable (land and buildings) and moveable (cash, money in the bank, shares, furniture, cars, jewellery and other personal effects).

What are legal rights?

Legal rights mean that a deceased person cannot entirely disinherit family members.

In an earlier blog we discussed the benefits of the new abandonment ground contained within the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016.

Ground 10 states;

"It is an eviction ground that the tenant is not occupying the let property as the tenant's home."

This ground is only applicable to private residential tenancies.

A practical difficulty now anticipated in connection with this ground relates to service difficulties in the application for eviction.

The First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber) arranges service of the eviction

Registered Social Landlords will be all too familiar with the reasonableness defences available to tenants facing eviction in the Sheriff Court. However, they may be less aware of an additional defence under the Equality Act 2010 which is increasing in frequency

15 (1) of the Equality Act 2010 (the Act) provides:

A person (A) discriminates against a disabled person (B) if (a) A treats B unfavourably because of something arising in consequence of B's disability, and (b) A cannot show that the treatment is a

Are skylights and velux windows part of the roof? In the case of Waelde -v- Ulloa the Sheriff decided they were not. A single dwellinghouse in Edinburgh had been converted into three flats - top, middle and bottom. The top floor owner carried out roof repairs and sought to claim a share of the maintenance costs from his downstairs neighbours. The middle floor proprietor agreed to pay for the roof but challenged that he was not liable for repairs to the skylight or the felt

Employment tribunal procedure is designed to deal with claims brought against employers by employees, which have not been resolved by other means. Many employment rights are contained in legislation and the majority of these rights can only be enforced by Employment Tribunals. Tribunals also have jurisdiction to consider some contractual claims arising from contracts of employment. While an Employment Tribunal hearing is less formal than a court hearing, the decisions made by Employment Tribunals are legally binding and must be followed. So what happens on