From 1st August 2026 court claims for rent arrears and possession of a property will be invalid under section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 and Part 8 where either notice was served prior to the 1st May 2026.
Due to an increase in the probate application fee to £526 now £300 from the 13th July 2026. This recovers the cost of an ever-improving service, and the new cost accounts for rising inflation as well as investment in delivering an efficient and modern service.
A reduced fee will be introduced for requesting copies of probate documents concurrently with a probate application, so that, instead of £16, the fee will only be £2. This will better reflect the cost of that service.
These are the questions currently running through employees minds when severing their employment today. Whilst the Employment Rights Act 2025 extends the time limit from bringing most claims, such as unfair dismissal, from three to six months in October, Tribunals are already reporting a wait of up to four years. Perhaps more people will be prepared to negotiate hard a good settlement agreement now?
A judgment was handed down by the Court of Appeal recently considering the criteria required when applying to seek permission to re-open an appeal or a permission to appeal application. A panel of two Lord Justices of Appeal refused, after an oral hearing, to re-open a permission to appeal application. The respondents did not appear but some had sent in short written representations objecting to the application to re-open the permission to appeal decision.
It is interesting to note that the Lord Justice of Appeal, who originally refused the permission to appeal application on paper, had recused himself for another Lord Justice to order at an oral hearing that the application to re-open be adjourned to a further oral hearing before a two-judge court.
Therefore, in total, four Court of Appeal judges considered the case.
Business confidence is very poor sparking a large increase in settlement agreements high street solicitors are reporting in conditions not witnessed since the pandemic. London appears to be being hit heavily, notably east London, and those under 35. The hospitality and retail sectors are particularly affected.