A recent Court case illustrates that it is not always in an employer’s best interests to immediately place an employee on garden leave, or seek injunctive relief against a departing employee when they leave to set up in competition. […]
Many private residential landlords, particularly those with large tenant portfolios, will be concerned by a recent County Court decision. The court held that, even if the tenancy deposit had been protected at the outset of the fixed term of the assured shorthold tenancy (AST), the registration requirements must be followed when a statutory tenancy arose [...]
Although small businesses will not be subject to the pensions auto-enrolment requirements until June 2015 at the earliest, they should nevertheless take note of a recently published Pensions Regulator report. The report highlights key points for employers to consider to ensure they comply with their auto-enrolment duties. It suggests that employers experiencing difficulties in meeting [...]
The Court has recently delivered an important judgment on the principles of private nuisance. The case related to a noise nuisance caused by the Respondents’ motocross and speedway stadium. The Court unanimously agreed with the Appellants (who lived near to the stadium) that the Respondents’ use of their property was a nuisance. […]
A recent Court of Appeal decision underlines how useful restrictive covenants in employment contracts can be in protecting an employer’s business. The court dismissed the appeal of a former employee and director who had been ordered to pay at least £50,000 in damages, following a breach of his post-termination restrictive covenants. […]
The Department for Communities and Local Government has introduced a new empty property rate relief scheme for newly built commercial property. Relief will be available for new properties completed after 1 October 2013 and before 30 September 2016 and that are unoccupied for the first 18 months after completion of their construction. […]
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has fined the Bank of Scotland plc £75,000 for a serious breach of the Data Protection Act 1998. […]
A High Court case has provided another reminder that the purpose of a deposit is to secure the buyer’s performance. The court ordered the buyer of a ship to pay to the seller the full amount of an unpaid deposit (either as a debt or as damages), and not a lesser sum in damages for [...]
What is the right? From 6 April 2010 a new right for employees to request time off work for study or training will come into force. It will initially apply to businesses with 250 or more employees and will be extended to all employers, regardless of size, from April 2011. […]
Two recent cases concerning the use of social media by employees highlight the importance for employers of having a clear policy on the use of such public forums by their employees. […]