United Kingdom Laws
280 articles · page 4 of 5
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Recording Conversations at Work UK: Is It Legal?
Is it legal to record a work conversation in the UK, and can a covert recording be used as employment tribunal evidence? What the law actually says.
Recording Phone Calls in the UK: The Law
Recording phone calls in the UK: lawful for personal use, but business recording, sharing, and intercepting others' calls all carry separate legal duties.
Redundancy Pay UK: Statutory vs Enhanced
Statutory redundancy pay is the legal minimum; enhanced pay is anything more. How the £751 cap, £30,000 tax-free limit and consultation rules work.
Released Under Investigation (RUI) vs Pre-Charge Bail in the UK
What being released under investigation, RUI, means, how it differs from pre-charge police bail, the time limits that apply, and how Scotland compares.
Rent Increase in Scotland: Rules and Rent Control
How rent increases work for a Scotland Private Residential Tenancy: the 12-month gap, notice, Rent Service Scotland challenge, and the future CPI+1% cap.
Rent Increase Notice UK: Section 13 Rules by Nation
How much notice a UK landlord must give for a rent increase: England's Section 13 process, and the rules in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Renters' Rights Act 2025 Explained
What the Renters' Rights Act 2025 changes now in England, from Section 21's abolition to pet requests, and what is still to come in late 2026.
Renting With Pets: Can My Landlord Say No?
Since 1 May 2026, England tenants can request a pet; landlords must reply within 28 days and cannot unreasonably refuse. Rules for Wales, Scotland and NI.
Revenge Porn and Intimate Image Abuse Laws in the UK
Sharing or threatening to share intimate images without consent is a crime across the UK. Deepfake and cyberflashing offences, sentences and how to report.
Right of Way UK: Easements, Prescription and Public Access
How rights of way and easements work in the UK: express and implied easements, 20-year prescriptive rights, public rights of way, and Scotland's servitudes.
Right to Be Forgotten (Right to Erasure) in the UK
How the UK right to be forgotten (Article 17 UK GDPR) works: the grounds for erasure, the exemptions, how to ask, and what to do if refused.
Right to Buy UK: England Rules, Discount Caps, Scotland and Wales Abolition
Right to Buy across the UK as of 28 September 2026: England eligibility and 2024 discount caps, Scotland abolished 2016, Wales abolished 2019, Northern Ireland House Sales Scheme.
Right to Rent Check: Documents, Share Codes and Landlord Rules (2026)
How to pass a Right to Rent check in England: the documents that count, how the online share code works, follow-up checks for time-limited visas, and the penalties landlords face.
Right to Work Checks UK: Employer Duties, Penalties and the 2026 Gig Economy Extension
What UK employers must do to check right to work, the three check methods, the up to £60,000 civil penalty, and the gig economy and platform extension from 1 October 2026.
RIPA 2000 Explained: UK Surveillance Powers and Safeguards
How RIPA 2000 now governs UK covert surveillance, informants and protected-information notices, alongside IPA interception rules and Scotland’s regime.
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School Attendance Fines: The National Penalty Notice Framework
How school attendance penalty notices work in England: the £160/£80 amounts, the 2-notice cap, the 10-session threshold, and the section 444 criminal offence.
Scotland's Low Emission Zones: Rules, Penalty Charges and the Four Cities
Scotland's four LEZs run under their own law, not ULEZ or England's Clean Air Zones. How the escalating penalty charge actually works, city by city.
Section 21 Notice: Abolished in England From May 2026
Section 21 no-fault eviction notices were abolished for private tenancies in England on 1 May 2026. What Section 21 was, and how Section 8 grounds now work.
Section 75 Claim: Credit Card Protection Explained
Paid over £100 on a credit card and it went wrong? Section 75 makes your card issuer jointly liable with the retailer. How it works, and how to claim.
Section 8 Notice 2026: Grounds and Notice Periods in England
Since Section 21 ended on 1 May 2026, landlords in England must use a Section 8 notice. Grounds 1 and 1A need 4 months' notice; Ground 8, 3 months' arrears.
Self-Defence Law in the UK: Reasonable Force Explained
UK self-defence law: the reasonable force test under s.76, the England and Wales householder defence for a trespasser at home, and the rules in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Service Charges: Your Rights Under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985
How service charge law works: the reasonableness test in s.19, s.20 consultation thresholds, and challenging a charge at the tribunal under s.27A.
Settlement Agreements: Protected Conversations & Advice
Settlement agreements explained: the section 203 conditions, independent advice, protected conversations, and tax rules on payments up to £30,000.
Shared Ownership Rules UK: Leases, Repairs and Staircasing Explained
How shared ownership works in the UK as of 28 September 2026: the leasehold structure, the 100 percent repair liability trap, the 2021 model, London and the devolved nations.
Single Person Council Tax Discount: The 25% and 50% Rules
Who qualifies for the 25% single person council tax discount, the 50% rule, disregarded persons, the student exemption, and the duty to report changes.
Small Claims Court UK: Limits, Process and Fees
How the small claims track works in England and Wales: the £10,000 limit, letter before claim, MCOL, court fees, and what happens if you win.
Small Claims in Northern Ireland: Limits, Process & EJO
Northern Ireland small claims: the £5,000 limit, excluded claims, applying online or by paper, court fees, and EJO enforcement if you win but are not paid.
Small Claims in Scotland: Simple Procedure Explained
How to claim money owed in Scotland under Simple Procedure: Sheriff Court process, the £5,000 limit, decrees, and enforcement by sheriff officers.
Special Guardianship Order UK: Who Can Apply and How It Differs From Adoption
Special guardianship orders under section 14A of the Children Act 1989: who can apply, the three month notice to the council, and why Scotland and Northern Ireland differ.
Speed Awareness Course UK: Eligibility, Cost & Rules
Eligible if your speed is in the police offer band and you've had no course in 3 years. Offered at police discretion; no points if completed; you pay the fee.
Speeding Fines UK: Fixed Penalty & Court Bands Explained
How UK speeding fines work: the £100 fixed penalty (£60 plus a £5 levy in NI), Sentencing Council bands A-C, and the £1,000 (£2,500 motorway) fine cap for England and Wales.
Spent Convictions in the UK: England, Scotland & NI Rules
How long it takes a conviction to become spent in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and why spent is not the same as filtered.
Squatters' Rights in the UK: England, Wales and Scotland Explained
Squatting in a UK home is a crime in England and Wales (up to 6 months' prison) but not commercial premises. Scotland's rules and penalties differ. Full guide.
Stamp Duty UK: SDLT, LBTT and LTT Rates Explained by Nation
SDLT, LBTT and LTT rates for England, Scotland and Wales as of 28 September 2026: thresholds, first time buyer relief, additional dwelling surcharges, and filing deadlines.
Statute of Limitations UK: Limitation Periods Explained
The UK has no statute of limitations. England and Wales use limitation periods; Scotland uses prescription, for contract, tort, injury, and defamation claims.
Statute-Barred Debt Rules: England, Scotland & NI
How long before a debt is statute-barred: 6 years in England and Wales, 5 years in Scotland (extinguished), 6 years in Northern Ireland.
Statutory Maternity Pay (2026/27): Rates and Rules
SMP for 2026/27: 90% of AWE for 6 weeks, then the lower of £194.32 or 90% of AWE for 33 weeks (39 weeks total). Eligibility rules explained.
Statutory Redundancy Pay 2026: Rates, Cap and Examples
Employees with 2 years' service get 0.5, 1 or 1.5 weeks' pay per year by age, up to 20 years, with a week capped at £751 (max £22,530). NI limits are higher.
Statutory Sick Pay 2026: £123.25 a Week From Day One
From 6 April 2026, SSP is the lower of £123.25 a week or 80% of average weekly earnings, paid from the first day off sick for up to 28 weeks. No earnings limit.
Stop and Search Laws in the UK: PACE, GOWISELY and Section 60 Explained
How UK stop and search law works: PACE 1984 reasonable grounds, the GOWISELY checklist, suspicion-less section 60 searches, and how Scotland's rules differ.
Subject Access Request (SAR): How to Make One in the UK
How to make a subject access request (SAR) under UK GDPR: the one-month deadline, when it is free, and the 2026 DUAA changes explained.
Subscription & Auto-Renewal Rights in the UK
Your subscription and auto-renewal rights in the UK today, plus the DMCC 2024 subscription rules, which the government has announced for January 2027.
Surrogacy Law UK: What Is Legal, Parental Orders and the Six Month Deadline
UK surrogacy law explained: why arrangements are unenforceable, what payments are lawful, the parental order route under sections 54 and 54A, and the unenacted 2023 reform report.
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Telling DVLA About a Medical Condition: The Law and the Fine
The legal duty to tell DVLA about a medical condition that could affect your driving under section 94 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, the up to £1,000 fine and the DVA rules in Northern Ireland.
Tenancy Deposit Protection: UK Rules by Nation
How to check your deposit is protected, the approved schemes, and the deadlines and caps in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Tenancy Types in the UK: England, Wales, Scotland & NI
How tenancy types differ across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: assured tenancies, occupation contracts, PRTs and private tenancies.
The Right to Remain Silent in the UK: The Caution and Adverse Inferences
The exact police caution wording, and when staying silent can let a court draw an adverse inference under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.
Theft and Shoplifting Law UK: Theft Act 1968 Explained
Theft and shoplifting law in the UK: the Theft Act 1968 test, the 7-year maximum, the £200 low-value shoplifting rule, penalty notices, Scotland and NI.
TikTok Drops ICO Appeals and Accepts £12.7m Children's Data Fine
TikTok withdrew both appeals on 24 September 2026, making the ICO's £12.7m children's data penalty final and unblocking the open recommender systems probe.
Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026: What It Bans and When It Actually Comes Into Force
The Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 got Royal Assent on 29 April 2026, and the generational tobacco sale ban applies from 1 January 2027. Which parts start when, and which still need regulations.
Tribunal Time Limits Rose to Six Months on 1 October 2026
SI 2026/954 took UK employment tribunal time limits from three to six months on 1 October 2026. The three-month limit still governs earlier relevant dates.
TUPE Transfers: Protected Terms and ETO Reasons
TUPE explained: automatic transfer of employees, protected terms, automatically unfair dismissal, ETO reasons, and information and consultation duties.
TV Licence 2026: Do You Need One? £180 Fee and the Rules
Do you need a TV licence? When live TV, BBC iPlayer and streaming count, the £180 fee from 1 April 2026, households, students and who gets a discount.
TV Licence Law: Is It Illegal Not to Have One?
Is watching TV without a licence a crime? The offence, the £1,000 maximum fine, Scotland's fiscal fine route, and the still-unresolved decriminalisation debate.
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UK Air Rifle Law: Certificate Thresholds in England, Scotland and NI
UK air rifle law by nation: England and Wales 6/12 ft-lb certificate threshold, Scotland's certificate for any air weapon over 1 joule, and Northern Ireland's 1-joule limit.
UK Benefits: Attendance Allowance, PIP, Carer's Allowance, Blue Badge and Council Tax Reduction
A guide to UK disability, carer and low-income benefits: eligibility, rates, how Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland differ, and how to challenge a decision.
UK Consumer Rights: Refunds, Section 75 & Claims
Your UK consumer rights: faulty-goods refunds under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, Section 75 and chargeback, flight delay compensation, and how to complain.
UK Court of Appeal: Misleading Headline Can Be Unfair Data Processing Even Where Libel Fails
Court of Appeal: a misleading Daily Mail headline was unfair UK GDPR data processing, even where a libel claim over the same article had failed.
UK Criminal Law and Your Rights: England, Scotland & NI
How criminal law works across the UK's three legal systems: England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, with guides to arrest, cautions, and more.
UK Data Breach Reporting: The 72-Hour ICO Rule
How UK organisations report a personal data breach to the ICO within 72 hours under UK GDPR Article 33, notify individuals, and log every breach.