About Me

London W1, West End Marylebone Westminster, United Kingdom
Andrew Veitch solicitor ( LL.B., M.A., PgDip )is a partner in Guy Clapham and Co solicitors. He deals with the following areas of law: commercial and residential property, conveyancing, litigation (including neighbour disputes), divorce, family, debt collection, landlord and tenant, wills, trust, probate, personal injury and employment. Andrew's clients range from large companies and property developers to local businesses and individuals throughout London and the whole of England and Wales. The office is in the West End of London just off Marylebone High Street and north of Oxford Street and is located within walking distance of the following tube stations: Marylebone , Marble Arch , Baker Street , Bond Street , Oxford Circus , Great Portland Street , Regents Park , Euston and Kings Cross. Please contact me at: Guy Clapham & Co solicitors 51 - 55 Weymouth Street Marylebone London W1G 8NH DX: 83300 WEST END 2 Tel: 020 7935 1095 Fax: 020 7935 9127 E-Mail: andrew@guyclapham.com Website: www.guyclapham.com

Monday 5 October 2015

SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT SOLICITOR LONDON W1 - EMPLOYMENT LAW - ANDREW VEITCH

  PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ANDREW VEITCH FOR AN INITIAL NO-OBLIGATION APPRAISAL OF YOUR EMPLOYMENT ISSUES AND ADVICE ON YOUR SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT (PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS A COMPROMISE AGREEMENT) WHETHER YOU ARE AN EMPLOYEE OR EMPLOYER

If you have been offered a  Settlement Agreement (Previously known as a Compromise Agreement) or a Redundancy Agreement by your employer you will need to obtain Independent Legal Advice before signing and entering into such a legally binding document with your employer. Andrew Veitch can normally offer immediate appointments to advise you on the terms of the settlement agreement with a view to also negotiating:-


Increased compensation payments and advice on the tax position of accepting a payment

Payment of outstanding bonus payments and holiday pay

Your employer paying the legal fees of the cost of advising on the ramifications of the Settlement Agreement

Agreed references for future employers

The extension of benefits after termination of your employment such as health insurance and gym membership

The removal of post employment termination restrictive  covenants with could prevent you from obtaining a new job

The inclusion of confidentiality and non-derogatory comments clause to obtain protection from your employer making complaints or derogatory comments  about you  in the future

Advice on whether or not you should reject the Settlement Agreement and issue a claim for unfair or wrongful or constructive dismissal and/or sexual or disability discrimination.


Settlement agreements  are legally binding agreements mainly used to settle disputes on the termination of employment. Once you have entered into a settlement/compromise agreement with your employer you will probably be prevented from successfully making a claim (either statutory or common law) against your employer in court or the Employment Tribunal. This is because settlement agreements generally contain "full and final settlement" clauses whereby you agree to accept financial compensation in return for giving up  claims you may have against your employer. 


Do I have to accept the offer of compensation made in the draft  settlement agreement or should I reject the offer contained in the Settlement Agreement and bring a claim in the Employment Tribunal ?


Andrew Veitch can advise you on the merits of accepting the offer or making a counter offer or issuing a claim for compensation in the courts or Employment Tribunal


Are payments made under the Settlement Agreement be paid free of tax ?

In general terms the first £30,000 of the settlement payment can be paid without deductions for tax or National Insurance Contributions. However, money owed to you under your contract of employment, such as wages/salary, holiday pay and bonus pay  will be subject to tax as if you were still working. 

In certain circumstances the position is more complex and  specialist legal advice should be obtained on the tax position.

What legal fees/solicitors costs will I have to pay?

In most cases your employer will agree to contribute   towards your legal fees of having to obtain legal advice on the meaning and effect of your settlement agreement. Thus employers often have a clause inserted into the Settlement Agreement limiting their contribution towards legal costs of somewhere between £250 to £500 plus VAT). If the Settlement Agreement is acceptable to you and you  enter into the Settlement Agreement this will mean that your employer is contractually bound to pay  all or most of your legal costs for the advice on the contents of the Settlement Agreement. If you instruct Andrew Veitch to to try and negotiate an increased level of compensation Andrew Veitch will try and negotiate and increase in the level of your employer's contribution towards your legal costs to cover the additional work and have a clause confirming the increased contribution inserted into the settlement agreement. 

 

Please feel free to telephone Andrew Veitch to discuss any Employment law matters or disputes or e-mail Andrew Veitch details of the advice you require or dispute you wish to be dealt with for a no obligation estimate of fees.

Tel: 020 7935 1095

E-mail: andrew@guyclapham.com

Blog: www.andrewveitchsolicitor.blogspot.com

Office: Guy Clapham & Co solicitors, 51-55 Weymouth Street, Marylebone, Westminster,  London W1G 8NH




This blog provides basic general legal information to help people understand their legal rights, but is not a substitute for personal legal advice from a solicitor. By the very nature of a blog the information published in blog posts on this site may be out of date. Therefore this blog is subject to our following disclaimer and conditions of use: Where no personal consultation has taken place with Andrew Veitch or the partners or employees of Guy Clapham & Co under no circumstances will Andrew Veitch or the partners of Guy Clapham & Co be responsible for (1) any information contained in, omitted or received from this site, (2) any persons reliance on any such information, whether or not the information is correct, current or complete, (3) the consequences of any action you or any other person takes or fails to take, whether or not based on information provided (4)

Thursday 1 October 2015

Landlord and Tenant Solicitor London W1 - Update for Residential Landlords in Light of The Deregulation Act 2015

Please contact Andrew Veitch for an initial  no obligation telephone assessment of your landlord and tenant matter, drafting or explanaition of a tenancy agreement or a dispute with your landlord or tenant. Andrew is an experienced and highly recommended solicitor and will aim to obtain the best possible legal outcome for you.

As from 1st October 2015 the Deregulation Act 2015 creates some important changes as to how residential landlords deal with a number of matters including  Section 21 notices, complaints about the property, deposits and information that must now be given to new tenants. The changes mainly relate to assured shorthold tenancies (AST’S)  entered into on or after 1st October 2015.


Under section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 as amended by the Housing Act 1996, a landlord has a legal right to get his property back at the end of an assured shorthold tenancy.

For assured shorthold tenancies entered into before 1st October 2015:


(i)    Landlords can still serve a section 21 Notice at any time during the tenancy using the previous form of the section 21 Notice 

(ii)  Once a section 21 notice is served it does not expire (unless you enter into a new fixed term tenancy or amended  the terms of the tenancy agreement)

However from October 2018 the above will change to the rules which apply to assured shorthold tenancies entered into from  1st October 2015.

For assured shorthold tenancies entered into from  1st October 2015:


(i)    The Landlord will need to provide the following documents to tenants prior to entering into a fixed term tenancy:

(a)    An energy performance certificate (EPC)

(b)   Gas safety certificate (and/or within 28 days of the annual check of the gas appliances)

(c)  A government document called ‘How to rent: The checklist for renting in England’ 

(ii)   In relation to serving section 21 notices:

(a)    The section 21 notice now has to be in a prescribed form

(b)  Landlords can only serve a section 21 notice after 4 months of the first tenancy

(c)   There is now a  6 month time limit  (from the date of service of the S.21 Notice) where the notice expires  

(d)  Receipt of a Health and Safety Improvement Notice served by the local authority results in the prohibition of service of a section 21 notice for 6 months

(e)   In England only, a landlord's ability to serve a Section 21 notice is also restricted where a tenant has complained about the condition of the premises and/or the common parts and the landlord failed to respond within 14 days or provide an inadequate response or responded by serving a Section 21 notice. The tenant can then complain to the local authority which must then inspect the property. If the local authority inspects the property it can serve a remedial notice or carry out emergency remedial action. This would invalidate a previously served S.21 notice, although the landlord can still potentially serve a section 8 notice

(iii) If a tenant writes to a Landlord complaining  about the condition of a property the Landlord has to respond in writing within 14 days setting out what actions he proposes to take and a timeline for any remedial work required

(iv)  Rental deposits paid by tenants to a landlord  after 6th April 2007 but not registered in an authorised rental deposit scheme by the 23rd July 2015 deadline or within 30 days of receiving the money will need to be returned to the tenant as until a landlord does so they cannot serve a Section 21 Notice on the tenant.

If the prescribed information relating to the deposit has not been provided to tenants (and any other relevant persons such as guarantors) within 30 days of the deposit being received then again the landlord is preventing from serving a valid section 21 notice.



Nevertheless, if  the deposit money has been held in a scheme within 30 days the Landlord can still provide the tenant with the ‘prescribed information’ relating to the rental deposit scheme at a later date. Once the  landlord has provided the “prescribed information” the landlord can  serve a valid section 21 notice.

(v)  Pursuant to The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015. every floor of a property must have a functioning smoke alarm and a  carbon  monoxide  alarm  in  any  room  of which  is  used wholly   or   partly   as   living   accommodation   and   contains   a   “solid   fuel   burning combustion appliance”


Please feel free to telephone Andrew Veitch to discuss any Landlord or Tenant matters or disputes or e-mail Andrew Veitch details of the advice you require or dispute you wish to be dealt with for a no obligation estimate of fees.

Tel: 020 7935 1095

E-mail: andrew@guyclapham.com

Blog: www.andrewveitchsolicitor.blogspot.com

Office: Guy Clapham & Co solicitors, 51-55 Weymouth Street, Marylebone, Westminster,  London W1G 8NH


This blog provides basic general legal information to help people understand their legal rights, but is not a substitute for personal legal advice from a solicitor. By the very nature of a blog the information published in blog posts on this site may be out of date. Therefore this blog is subject to our following disclaimer and conditions of use: Where no personal consultation has taken place with Andrew Veitch or the partners or employees of Guy Clapham & Co under no circumstances will Andrew Veitch or the partners of Guy Clapham & Co be responsible for (1) any information contained in, omitted or received from this site, (2) any persons reliance on any such information, whether or not the information is correct, current or complete, (3) the consequences of any action you or any other person takes or fails to take, whether or not based on information provided (4)