Couple Find Loophole in High Hedges Legislation
A dispute between neighbours in Lundin Links in Fife over the height of a hedge has taken a new twist after the owners of the hedge turned it into a row of trees rather than scale back its height, reports the Daily Mail. Neighbours had been asking the owners of the hedge to trim it […]
Statistics Reveal Fall in Debt Cases
The latest civil justice statistics, published by Scotland’s Chief Statistician, have revealed a fall in the number of debt cases being considered by Scottish courts for the fifth year in a row. According to the figures, there were 35,400 debt cases raised in 2013-14, a drop of 46% since 2008-09. Changes in types of borrowing, […]
Dispute between Neighbours over Height of Hedge
Scotland’s High Hedges Act has been used once again to resolve a long-running and bitter dispute between neighbours, reports the Telegraph. Residents of the village of Buchlyvie in Stirlingshire used the legislation to require a neighbour to drastically cut back a leylandii hedge that had reached around 40ft in height. The height of the trees […]
Sheriff Appeal Court Appointments Confirmed
The appointments of Sheriff Principal Mhairi Stephen QC as the President of the new Sheriff Appeal Court and Sheriff Principal Craig Scott QC as Vice President have recently been confirmed by the Lord President. It has also been confirmed that retired Sheriffs Principal Alastair Dunlop QC and Brian Lockhart are among those to be appointed […]
Private Landlord Report Attracts Criticism
The National Landlords Association (NLA) has spoken out against a recent Citizens Advice study that claims 740,000 households in England live in privately rented homes that present a severe threat to tenants’ health. The report says that these properties have category 1 hazards – the most serious of problems. The report also claims that: 16% […]
Neighbours Resolve Dispute over High Hedges
A couple from Uddingston in Lanarkshire have successfully used the High Hedges (Scotland) Act to resolve a dispute with their neighbour over the size of leylandii trees in her garden, reports the Daily Mail. The couple obtained an order under the legislation that four trees, varying in height from 33ft to 49ft, be reduced to […]
Reforms of the Private Rental Sector
The Scottish Government has launched a consultation over plans to overhaul legislation governing the private rental sector. According to Housing Minister Margaret Burgess, the proposed reforms will remove the fear of eviction and help tenants to assert their rights. The current “no-fault” repossession clause that allows landlords to reclaim their property simply because a fixed […]
Insurance Bill Becomes Law
Legislation that implements reforms recommended by the Law Commissions of England and Wales and of Scotland to modernise and simplify insurance contract law across the UK has received Royal Assent. The Insurance Act 2015 will give effect to a number of reforms recommended by the Law Commissions, including: Under a new “duty of fair presentation”, […]
New Powers for Business Groups to Tackle Late Payment
The UK Government has announced its intention to introduce tough new laws and bulk up existing codes of practice to tackle the issues of late payment and other unfair payment practices. These measures include: consulting on ways to tackle poor payment practices, such as by giving representative bodies greater powers to challenge grossly unfair payment […]
Landlords Concerned About Rent Arrears
The issue of rent arrears continues to be a major problem for landlords in the UK, according to a recent study by the National Landlords Association (NLA). The research found that as many as a third (32%) have experienced rent arrears in the last 12 months, and that the average amount of outstanding rent owed […]
