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Landlord and Tenant Cases, and Housing generally

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We are Chartered Surveyors specialising in Lease Extension and Enfranchisement - the valuation and negotiation of additional 90 year lease extensions and freehold purchases. See Lease Extensions, Freehold Enfranchisement and Lease extension London or call 44 207 792 9950.

Evictions South East is a professional eviction service company with highly experienced lawyers who will work on behalf of the landlord or letting agent to resolve your tenant issues quickly and professionally. Free initial advice.

Citizens Advice Bureau provides information on housing matters.

Shelter provides housing advice in England, with sections on Homelessness, Finding accommodation, Help with housing costs, Home ownership, Renting privately and EU Accession. For advice in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, start here.

Coventry Law Centre has set up a detailed advice section on housing, welfare benefits and employment. The briefing sheets can be downloaded in pdf or Word formats. There is also a very extensive set of links on legal advice centres and resources in each of these areas.

Landlord-Law is a membership service for residential landlords and tenants from solicitor Tessa Shepperson. She provides "packaged" advice to landlords and also to tenants. For example, there are documents and forms which can be filled in online, an extensive set of FAQ's (based on real questions sent in to Tessa), a number of interactive "trails" allowing users to find the answer to problems by question and answer, and a Q and A page where readers questions are answered. Part of the site is free but access to documents and more detailed information requires a modest subscription payment. Tessa Shepperson also provides several other sites as follows:
* Landlord Law Blog which has news and articles about landlord and tenant law and practice.
* Lodger Landlord provides guidance for anyone taking in a lodger in their home. The site has legal help and guidance on most aspects of renting a room to lodgers, and also gives guidance on how to evict lodgers who outstay their welcome.

Enfranchisement Solicitors is a site from Bonallack and Bishop - Salisbury, Andover, Amesbury, Verwood and Warminster relating to the legal situation for leasehold property. The site includes information on how to extend a lease, how leaseholders can join together to buy the freehold of a block of flats, how to buy the freehold of a leasehold house and how to take on the management of a block of flats.

Leasehold Advisory Service is an independent advice agency, funded partly by Government grant and partly by the private sector, providing free advice to leaseholders, landlords, professional advisers and others on the law affecting residential leasehold property.

compactlaw.co.uk is a commercial concern offering advice and documents on this topic.

LandlordZONE is a portal for landlords involved in letting property - novice and experienced alike. It provides free access to information, resources and contacts of value to residential & small commercial landlords, tenants, letting agents and other property professionals. There is a glossary of legal terms with extensive descriptions and information on each.

Residentiallandlord.co.uk is a source of information and advice for residential landlords, helping them to be well informed property investors and up to date with opportunities, responsibilities and latest requirements. There is news, features, links to sources of information from Government and other agencies, and updates on latest buy to let mortgage offers, auction dates and new property developments. There is a forum and an opportunity to "ask Sharon".

Bartletts of Liverpool, Chester and Ellesmere Port, offer a specialised site www.landlordsolicitor.com particularly covering problem tenants.

Dilapidations Direct is a consultancy organisation providing advice on dilapidation topics for Tenants and Landlords throughout the UK. Dilapidations claims are becoming an increasingly specialist area of surveying and legal practice. The site contains information on these topics. The service is managed by Howard Garde, a Chartered Building Surveyor with 20 years experience in the residential surveying field.

Landlord Recoveries is a commercial service (but using lawyers as appropriate) providing tenant eviction and litigation specialists for landlords. They can assist in all areas of housing law, including evicting problem tenants, squatters and trespassers. They can also assist landlords with residential tenancies including Assured Shorthold Tenancies, Assured Tenancies, Rent Act Tenancies, Regulated Tenancies and Secure Tenancies. There is information on many of these legal areas on the site.

Tenancy Agreement Service provides information on the obligations and rights of both landlords and tenants in Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreements (these are the most frequently used tenancy agreement by landlords when letting residential properties). There is extensive information on many aspects of these tenancies, a FAQ section and a glossary of terms used in the property market.
Useful blogs: two on landlord and tenant issues and one on party walls:

Painsmith Solicitor’s Landlord and Tenant from solicitors Painsmith.

Party Wall Advice from Justin Burns of Peter Barry Surveyors.

Legal Aid - now provided by the Legal Services Commission

For general advice and assistance, see also
Sources of help and assistance and
Firms of Solicitors willing to offer Free (Initial) Legal Advice by Email

The Legal Service Commission is an executive non-departmental public body created under the Access to Justice Act 1999 to replace the Legal Aid Board. It is responsible for the development and administration of two schemes in England and Wales:
*The Community Legal Service, which from 2000 replaced the old civil scheme of legal aid, bringing together networks of funders (eg Local Authorities) and suppliers into partnerships to provide the widest possible access to information and advice.
*The Criminal Defence Service which from 2001 replaced the old system of criminal legal aid and provides criminal services to people accused of crimes.
Organisations which have met the Commission's standards will display the Community Legal Service Quality Mark or CDS logo.

Citizens Advice Bureau provides extensive and detailed information on "help with legal costs".

Scottish Legal Aid Board

Compact Law offers information on who is eligible for public funding, and on what types of case.

Fisher Jones Greenwood offers a variety of "calculators" to work out whether you are likely to qualify for legal aid, including green form and criminal legal aid; you fill in your financial details and the program advises you (but only if you have the Macromedia Shockwave plug-in).

Magistrates and Judges

Judiciary is a new site to explain the work of judges to members of the public. Apparently there are 42,000 judicial office holders in England and Wales. There is lots of information on the roles, responsibilities and powers of the different members of the judiciary; information on the history of the judiciary; the importance of judicial independence; and key concepts like judgments, sentencing powers, practice directions, and tribunal decisions. You can even find out about judicial dress.

The Magistrates Association, representing 29,000 lay magistrates, is designed to help the public understand the history and the work of magistrates and includes information on how to become one.

Mental Health

Mind is the leading mental health charity in England and Wales. They work by: advancing the views, needs and ambitions of people with mental health problems, challenging discrimination and promoting inclusion, influencing policy through campaigning and education, inspiring the development of quality services which reflect expressed need and diversity, achieving equal rights through campaigning and education.

Mental Health Foundation is a leading UK charity that provides information, carries out research, campaigns and works to improve services for anyone affected by mental health problems.

Mental Health Law Online is an internet resource on mental health law in England & Wales. There are three sections:
i) Caselaw; regularly updated commentaries on the cases, with links to the full text judgments on Bailii. (Bailii contains nearly every judgment, but no specific commentary.)
ii) Legislation; The full text of, and a simple and up-to-date commentary on, the Mental Health Act 1983, the Mental Capacity Act 2005, and related legislation.
iii) General articles to explain the concepts and terminology used in the caselaw and legislation sections and practical guidance for lawyers.
To add to the wiki, you have to register (create an "account") but it is free.

Access Law, a firm of solicitors in Southampton, provide a brief summary of the Act. They are accredited with the Law Society's Mental Health Review Tribunal Panel as well as being a member of Resolution and an accredited member of the Law Society's Children Panel. They will provide an initial free response to an email request for information.

Counselling Directory provides a UK-wide counselling support network, enabling those in distress to find a counsellor close to them and appropriate for their needs. The directory (free to use) also contains a number of sections on emotional disorders (types of distress section) and provides some useful statistics. Every counsellor on the site who has submitted their profile has either sent a copy of their qualifications to the organisation or is registered with a professional body online with recognised codes of ethics and practice.

Notaries

The Notaries Society is the representative society for the 900 Notaries' Public practising in England and Wales outside Central London. Their web site has information about notaries and a search process to find one in any particular area.

James Couzens provides information on the work of a notary, inclding the difference between 'Civil Law' and 'Common Law' Notaries. A description of a notary is given on his website, as follows: "A Notary Public is an officer of the law who holds an internationally recognised public office. The signature and seal of a Notary is recognised in most countries of the world as being evidence of the intervention of a responsible and trusted legal officer. The work of a Notary always involves an international connection. It will typically involve the authentication and certification of deeds and other documents, in order to make them fully and sufficiently proved to the satisfaction of any person, corporation or government organisation anywhere in the world. A Notary should accept instructions from anyone who seeks their assistance."

Ken Morgan, Notary Public in Swansea, provides informtion on the role of notaries and can assist, particularly, Welsh individuals.

Kober-Smith & Associates provide the full range of Public Notary services for private and commercial clients in London and internationally. The site provides an extensive set of FAQs with information on this topic, all in a number of languages.

Margaret Masterson, a notary in Norwich, gives useful information on What does a Notary Public do?, Seeing a Notary Public, What is the difference between a notary and a solicitor?, What is Legalisation or Apostille?, Documents in a foreign language, What identification does a Notary Public require? and What does it cost?

Nicholas Cook, who is part of legal firm Wollastons, in Chelmsford, describes the purpose and function of a notary and gives a guide to notarial services.

Owen Lowry, of Bishopsgate in London, gives information on what a notary is and the different types of service they can provide.

Philip Wallace, Notary, provides answers to typical questions asked about notarial services.

Philip Price, practising from the offices of Brian Barr, of Manchester, provides useful information on notaries, what they do, when you need one, how to use them and what they charge.

Viney Jung is a solicitor at Jung & Co. in Southall, Middlesex. The site provides information on many topics relating to notaries. She can assist clients who speak Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu and Gujarati.

Raj Padhiar is a Notary Public and Solicitor based at Carltons Solicitors in Birmingham. He can assist clients who speak Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and Gujarati.

Thames Valley Notary (Bryn Howell-Pryce) provides information on the services notaries can provide.

Vanner Perez Notaries is a firm of notaries in London and their website provides plain language information on what notaries do and what individual and company clients can expect when they visit a notary. They have notaries who specialise in Spanish and German matters, although they do work for all jurisdictions.

Fiona Wilson ("Lancashire Notary") provides information on notaries and useful web sites.

Edward Young is a Notary Public and practicing solicitor in London offering UK notarial services with offices open to the public and commercial clients. There is a useful glossary of technical terms relating to notarial services on the site and also an international guide to apostille and legalisation.

Patents, Trade Marks and Intellectual Property

A sponsored link

The widely-acclaimed Trademark Registration service provided by Silverman Sherliker LLP independently recommended by Chambers Legal 500 Directory as UK Leaders in the Field of Intellectual Property Law. The service includes free trademark search reports and a wealth of information on how to register a trademark.

The Intellectual Property Office provides information on patents, trade marks, copyright and intellectual property, designed for members of the public as well as patent experts.

Azrights, solicitors of Islington Green, London, provide information on Intellectual Property and Internet law including patent registration and licensing. They also have a special site on trademarks with extensive free information and you can also submit a question for a (free) initial reply.

Field Fisher Waterhouse have a special area of their site devoted to Trade Mark and Brand Protection.

Crossguard are Trade Mark & Copyright Attorneys covering all areas of trade mark registration, brand selection, protection and licensing, copyright, design law, domain name disputes, and character and personality rights. They offer a free 20 page guide Trade Marks, Brand Protection & Related Copyright and Design available by email.

Forde Campbell - Downpatrick, Co. Down, have guides and other information on trademark registration, design registration, international protection and application costs on their special site www.trademarkdesignprotection.com.

Jenkins are Trade Mark and Patent Attorneys with a very impressive set of resources on their site, including UK Patent, copyright and design Statutes and Statutory Instruments, comprehensively hyperlinked,

London IP is a firm of UK and European patent attorneys and trademark attorneys providing patent application, trademark registration and design registration services in the UK, EU and internationally. The site contains free information on all these topics and they offer a free initial consultation on any intellectual property matter.

Mewburn Ellis LLP is one of the UK's largest firms of Chartered Patent Attorneys, European Patent Attorneys, European Trade Mark Attorneys and European Design Attorneys. They cover the full range of intellectual property issues: Patents, Trade Marks, Designs, Industrial Copyright and related matters. There is "basic" information in the site as well as detailed practice sheets for those already knowledgeable here.

N.J.Akers & Co. - Truro, Cornwall, Chartered Patent Attorney and European Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys, provide a straight forward explanation of the various forms of protection available related to patents, trademarks and copyright & design rights.

OUT-LAW from solicitors Pinsent Masons, provides a vast amount - 10,000 pages - of free legal news and guidance, mostly on IT and e-commerce, and including patents and intellectual property issues, with many new items posted every day. There are also a large number of quite detailed "Guides" on technology and laws for the technology sector.

Silverman Sherliker LLP offer a specialised site uktrademarkregistration.com with information on trade marks and registration and case studies of people who did not do this. As a special promotion, the firm is also offering free trade mark searching at the moment and fixed fee trade mark registration in the UK, EU and Internationally. There is also an additional site uktrademarkregistration.co.uk concentrating on the UK.

Tomkins, Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys based in Dublin, provide a useful introduction to patents, trade marks and design. There is also a set of links to patent-related material.

Williams Powell, British and European patent and trade mark attorneys based in London, provide lots of information on patents, trade marks and intellectual property.

Planning Matters including Highways, Environmental Law, Boundary Problems and Gardens

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For legal advice for SMEs and family owned business contact Cousins Business Law. Help with commercial contracts & business agreements, settle contract disputes, advice on director & shareholder disputes, commercial property purchase & sale, commercial lease & tenancy agreements. Free telephone appointment: call 0845 003 5639 or visit www.business-lawfirm.co.uk.

planning-applications.co.uk is a free comprehensive guide to all aspects of the UK Town Planning System, prepared by Ian P.Butter BSc FRICS a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors with over 20 years professional experience in the field of planning. There are guides to submitting planning applications, planning appeals, planning enforcement, permitted development, a database of local authority sites, links to useful sources of information and specific professional advice, as well as national Development Plan monitoring. The site also runs an email based enquiry service, with simple queries answered for free.

The John Hughes Partnership - Birmingham, offers information on Town & Country Planning, Highways and Environmental law, as well as a glossary of terms relating to Planning law.

Cavell House is a site from Nicholas Hancox, Solicitors, covering Highways Law. Topics covered include maintenance, obstruction, case law, compulsory purchase and also the law relating to the many different types of council and public body who have a role in Highways and Planning.

EarthRights, solicitors based in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire and Axminster, Devon specialise in environmental and community law, freedom of information and related topics. Their "Resources" page provides access to a number of sites where useful information and paperwork is available on these topics, including how to challenge government decisions, information rights, environmental rights and human & social rights.

The Boundary Problems Website has been set up by Jon Maynard, FRICS, on boundaries, rights of way, neighbour problems and related topics, including how to find an expert to assist in solving the problem and lnks to other planning-oriented websites.

Garden Law is a site set up by solicitor Richard Smithies of Bearders Solicitors, Brighouse, West Yorkshire, with lots of free information relating to walls, trees, hedges, fences, boundaries and even whether you can bury a loved one in your garden. There is also a discussion forum were visitors can post questions and receive answers from Richard Smithies or other viewers.

Gary Webber is a barrister who specialises in property law, and is author of two widely used books on possession actions. His site includes substantial papers on property claims and the Civil Procedure Rules, an "on-line" book dealing with boundary disputes and other material of use to property litigators.

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Please email me - delia@venables.co.uk