June 2017 – Newsletter

Check out your prospective Clients’ payment practices before engaging in business with them

According to ‘UK Debt Collection News’ – UK Tradespeople are owed over £30 Billion in unpaid debt.

The National Federation of Builders has identified that over 30% of late payments are within the construction sector, resulting in £30 Billion being owed to small and medium sized Construction firms including self employed builders, roofers and joiners.

The Government have introduced a new legislative which came into force in April of this year which requires large companies within the UK to disclose the time frame in which they will pay their suppliers.

These large companies will need to publish information on:-

• Standard payment terms
• Percentage of invoices paid in 30 days, percentage paid between 31 and 60 days and those paid over 60 days
• Percentage of invoices not paid within the agreed terms
• Process of resolving payment disputes
• Sums deducted from invoices to remain on a supplier list
• Availability of e-invoicing and supply chain finance
• Membership of a payment code

Reporting will be required every 6 months and the report will be published on a central government website allowing businesses to look at their potential clients’ record before engaging in business dealings with them.

Click on the link for more information Duty to report – GOV.UK

How long do I have to enforce my County Court Judgment?

Once Judgment is obtained then assuming that the debt is not paid within the terms stipulated, steps to enforce the Judgment should be taken promptly and there are various methods that can be employed to enforce Judgments depending on whether the Debtor is an Individual, a Firm (Partnership or LLP), or a Limited Company.

We are often asked how long do I have to enforce the County Court Judgment.

The answer is that steps should be taken as quickly as possible because there may well be other Creditors pursuing the same Debtor.

Generally, however, enforcement action can be taken up to 6 years from the date that a County Court Judgment became enforceable. It is possible to continue trying to enforce for longer than the 6 years from the date of Judgment but the first steps to enforce the Judgment cannot be taken passed that date.

It would be necessary to obtain the Court’s permission to enforce a Judgment debt that is more than 6 years old.

Please do not forget that as a Judgment Creditor you can use any number of methods of enforcement at the same time.

For further information regarding this please do not hesitate to contact a member of our team.

Landlords – Keep Your Tenants Safe !

The tragedy at Grenfell Tower in London on 14th June 2017 has prompted many of us to reflect on how safe our tenants are. Regardless of tenure we all have a responsibility to try and ensure as far as we can that our tenants are kept safe.

It is believed that is was a faulty fridge that started the fire at Grenfell Tower. Although this is yet to be confirmed we would still recommend that you take a moment to read the following tips from Charlie Pugsley, Head of Fire Investigation for London Fire Brigade to ensure your tenant is kept safe:-

• Make sure all appliances are registered with the manufacturers
• Check your appliances against the recall list
• Visually check your appliances – you don’t need to be an electrician to see if wires are damaged or a control panel is broken
• Tell tenants to flag up any unusual noises or smells and get them checked out
• Don’t leave fridges or freezers in communal areas such as hallways

It is inevitable that Fire Safety regulations regardless of whether applicable to private rented or social housing will be brought under scrutiny.

In relation to blocks of flats, whilst private sector landlords are responsible for fire safety up to the front door of their individual flat, there is a concern that insufficient attention is being provided to who should be responsible for the communal areas.  If this affects you, it is advisable that you check this for clarity.

Please contact a member of our Property Litigation team if you have any queries on 01922 700730 or email post@laneandcosolicitors.com.

Helen just gets better year on year!

Last year Helen entered the – Race for Life – Pretty Muddy 5K – Cancer Research UK, this year she upgraded to the 10K !

She sported a few bumps and bruises for her efforts but at lane and Co we are very proud of her.

We thought we would share a ‘before’ and ‘after’ picture with you . . .

Hope she has a good washing detergent !

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