Think twice before using social media during a family dispute

It is forecast that, by the end of this year, 90 per cent of the UK adult population will use a social media account at least once a month.  This is a remarkable statistic, but perhaps even more remarkable is that the average user is estimated to spend more than two hours per day on social media.  There is no doubt that we are putting more of our lives online than ever before.  We are more comfortable with posting about our family celebrations, our personal dilemmas and our relationship status.  ‘Unfortunately, social media can bring its own set of problems when it comes to a family breakdown,’ says Robert Bellhouse family law expert at Ware & Kay in York & Wetherby ‘Once you may have told only your closest friends about your relationship problems, but…

Gifts and inheritance tax in the season of goodwill

Christmas is the season of goodwill and, aside from choosing what presents to wrap and place beneath the Christmas tree, you may also be wondering if you can make some more substantial gifts to take advantage of tax reliefs such as agricultural relief and lifetime gift exemptions. Emma Elwess, Director of Private Client at Ware & Kay in York & Wetherby, explains the different ways farmers can use tax reliefs to give away gifts without incurring inheritance tax. General lifetime gifts During your lifetime you can give away any of your possessions worth up to a total value of £325,000 without being liable to inheritance tax. Gifts given over this amount will usually be subject to inheritance tax when you pass away (unless you live longer than seven years after the gift is given). There…

Reconciliation; can we change our minds about getting a divorce?

You are likely to have spent some weeks, months or perhaps even years contemplating getting a divorce before you decided to apply, and even then, you may still wonder if it is not too late to save your marriage, particularly if you have children together. ‘Issuing or receiving a divorce petition can be the spark that awakens feelings or renewed efforts and could lead to a reconciliation,’ says Robert Bellhouse, a Family Solicitor with Ware & Kay. ‘It is not uncommon following a divorce petition for a couple to talk more openly to each other, perhaps supported via counselling or mediation.  This can be the start of working together to address the cause of unhappiness and could lead to a route forward together again.’ While the decision to divorce is a big step, there is…

Can a fraudster really steal a house?

A solid building, made of bricks and mortar, seems an unlikely target for thieves. For most of us our homes evoke a powerful sense of security; ‘safe as houses’ as the old saying goes. But the facts tell a different story, as there has been an exponential growth in property fraud which now accounts for 70 per cent of all frauds. Media reports of a Luton vicar discovering his locks changed and a stranger in his home, is an extreme example.  However, there is no room for complacency and there is a lot that you and your solicitor can do to prevent you becoming a victim of property fraud. What happened in Luton Reverend Mike Hall made the headlines when a fraudster targeted his modest terraced house in Luton. Working away from home, he was surprised…