We regularly write about different legal topics and welcome your comments on our posts. If you would like more information on our services, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
Can you contest a will? Michelle Hayter talks about grounds for contesting a will, how long you have to contest a will, and who pays for contesting a will? Also whether you can contest a will after probate, and recommended solicitors for contesting a will in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch.
Commercial Solicitor Paulina Jastrzebska explains the importance of having a properly drafted partnership agreement, as well as what it should include. What is a partnership agreement? Partnerships are a set of personal and commercial relationships...
What is the Management Buyout process and how does it work? Wayne Spolander, Corporate Solicitor in our Christchurch Office provides an overview of MBOs.
How does care home funding work? Who pays for residential care? How much does a care home cost? Lee Young, partner and solicitor from our Ringwood office, provides an introduction care funding.
Frettens Solicitors have been awarded ‘outstanding employer’ status in an annual independent survey into employee engagement.
The survey was conducted by Best Companies, the research company behind the prestigious Sunday Times Awards.
Frettens Solicitors have offices in both Christchurch and Ringwood.
Frettens' Christchurch-based Commercial Solicitor, Charlotte Bunch answers all of the most common questions about Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) in Commercial Properties.
What are Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards? Who do they impact? When do MEES come into force? What are the exemptions?
When deciding to sell a property or a piece of land, there are circumstances where you may want to consider selling property subject to Overage provisions . What is Overage? Overage gives you, as a seller, a second bite of the cherry. As well as...
A short video article featuring Sarah Nineham, Dispute Resolution Associate, explaining what types of disputes a solicitor can help to resolve. ...
Frettens were proud to take part in the Business Come Dancing annual fundraiser for Pavilion Dance South West, who teamed up with Bournemouth Hospital Charity to raise money for a mini MRI scanner. The black tie event was held at The Cumberland Hotel on...
The value of a leasehold is affected by how many years are left on the lease. The shorter the remaining time, the less valuable it is to extend your lease. If you own, or are you considering buying a leasehold property, then you need to understand the...
Paul Burton , the Head of our Employment Team has been shortlisted for ‘Lawyer of the Year’ at the prestigious Dorset Legal Awards , Sponsored by QuoStar . Paul was actually nominated for the award by two of his clients without his knowledge....
Tenants of commercial premises who want to dispose of their premises will usually have to obtain the consent of their landlord if they want to transfer (or ‘assign’) the lease to someone else. This also applies to underletting. Are...
Frettens are proud tohave been shortlisted for the 'Firm of the Year' award at hte annual Dorset Legal Awards.
Frettens were extremely proud to sponsor the AFC Bournemouth match ball for their midweek Premier League game against Huddersfield on Wednesday 4 December. Pictured below at pitchside are Sarah Nineham , Sarah March-Paschal and Ben Cobb ,...
Owners (landlords) of commercial premises sometimes want to let to a tenant on a short term basis, but may be worried about creating a long-term arrangement, which would mean that the tenant cannot be removed if the landlord wants it. Basically, there are...
It is not unusual for disputes to arise in markets as competitively and financially demanding as construction and engineering. On even the best managed projects, commercial relationships can break down. Our Dispute Resolution Team are experienced in...
For business owners that want to sell their shares in a private limited company (for example, because they want to retire, have had a dispute with other shareholders or wish to exit the business) selling those shares back to the company may be a good...
2018 marks the firm's 40th anniversary and Frettens have done a number of things to celebrate everything from 1978. As a grand finale to this, 10 of our team of solicitors are taking part in Business Come Dancing, performing a...
We are often asked about LPA’s (Lasting Power of Attorneys) when a relative has lost the mental capacity to manage their affairs. Unfortunately in this situation, if there is no LPA in place already, an LPA can no longer be granted. There are ways to...
Frettens Solicitors have announced dramatic growth in 2018 and have further plans to expand, despite the uncertainty surrounding the impact of current Brexit negotiations. Having opened a brand new office in the heart of Ringwood on 2nd July 2018, the firm...
A 'share of the freehold' is a phrase which appears countless times in sales particulars up and down the country. What does this mean? The usual leasehold relationship Most flats and apartments are leasehold, which means that you will have a...
With the demand for land on the increase, many landowners are starting to think about how to make their land work for them, and an option agreement is one way of doing this. Option agreement An option agreement is a contract that gives a party the right to...
When a child is born, the mother and the father automatically have parental responsibility (if they are married or named on the birth certificate). However, parental responsibility does not give an automatic right to contact. Contact between a child and the...
It’s important! If you are thinking of buying a business or shares in a company, you will want to examine all aspects of it before committing yourself. A comprehensive financial and commercial appraisal Due diligence takes different forms depending...
Frettens Solicitors have announced dramatic growth in 2018 and further plans to expand. Having opened a brand new office in the heart of Ringwood in July 2018, the firm has recently employed a further 12 members of staff, showing that the business has no...
Buy-to-let landlords and owners of holiday homes could face another stamp duty rate hike in the Autumn Budget to further curb the acquisition of second homes. It is rumoured that the Treasury is looking for fresh ways to raise money ahead of the Budget this...
For many years, legislation and rules have been in place to protect tenant’s deposits. Despite this, many tenants are still unaware of the obligations imposed upon their landlords to protect their deposit. Student tenancies This is especially...
If you've owned your home for a number of years, it's likely that you have built up significant equity in it. To release a portion of this wealth downsizing is one option, but equity release enables you to release a tax-free lump sum, without having...
Flying freehold is an English legal term to describe a freehold which overhangs or underlies another freehold. This is fairly commonplace, for example a room situated above a shared passageway in a semi-detached house, or a balcony which extends over a...
Tenants could be given minimum three-year letting agreements to increase security for those who rent a home. Three year tenancy terms The Government is proposing to allow people who rent in the private sector to opt for three-year tenancy terms as this...
We are a nation of dog and cat lovers (it is estimated that 12 million UK households (46% of homes) have pets). In most homes, pets are often viewed as another member of the family, forming a vital part of the family unit. So when a couple divorces or...
When someone dies, they leave behind an ‘estate’. Their estate is formed from all their money, assets, property, possessions, debts, and liabilities. As you might imagine, bringing together and valuing all these different items can be a...
The Partners of Frettens Solicitors are excited to announce that they are celebrating their 40th year in business with a no holds barred 1978-inspired disco! 1978 inspired disco Taking place on Friday 5th October at Hoburne Park, Christchurch, and...
A divorce case in the Supreme Court, Owens V Owens (explained below) has attracted media attention during July and raised the question of whether fault is a necessity in a divorce? Must divorce show that one party is at fault Currently in the UK, a...
A short video article featuring Matthew Collis , Conveyancing Solicitor , explaining the difference between leasehold and freehold property. ...
There are occasionally stories in the press about properties which are illegally mortgaged or sold without the owner’s knowledge. This can be particularly relevant for investment properties or holiday homes which is occasionally used by the family, or...
Neighbour problems, such as boundary disputes, can be notoriously difficult and expensive to resolve. Lengthy and expensive disputes This was highlighted recently in a case where a London family lost their £600,000 home, which they had lived in for...
There have been a number of changes in the last few years which have an implication on buying or selling a second property in the UK. This applies to property which is not your main residence but an investment or holiday property. Consultation on Capital...
The Partners at Frettens Solicitors were delighted last week to announce the opening of a second office in Ringwood in July 2018. Who will be based at Ringwood? The Ringwood team has...
The Partners of Frettens Solicitors are excited to announce that they will be opening a brand new office in the heart of Ringwood in July 2018, making Ringwood a second home for the ever-growing Frettens family. A full service law firm for Ringwood ...
What happens when a couple who are not married but own a property together decide that they need to separate ? Most people are surprised to find out that the legislation that governs this situation is completely unrelated to the Family Law legislation,...
This year we have shared a form, asking you to re-register for our newsletter because the changes being implemented on 25th May regarding GDPR, meaning that if you have not signed up for our newsletter, you will no longer get the newsletter. We have not...
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force on 25 May 2018. It forms the new standard for control of data, seeking to introduce higher and more stringent regulations upon those whose hold and process personal data. What data does GDPR...
The law relating to matrimonial finances is based around the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 (subject to some much needed amendments) but does it now reflect today’s society and the financial needs of the divorcing parties? Changing times The assumptions...
Why should I extend my lease? If you are selling a property with an unexpired lease term of less than 80 years, a potential buyer is likely to insist that you extend the lease on, or before, completion. When a lease drops below 80 years the cost of...
Frettens Solicitors is delighted to welcome the latest Solicitor to join their ranks, as Simon Immins becomes a member of the firm's Family Team . Simon joined Frettens in April, having been a Partner at Turners Solicitors in...
When you are a parent to young children, life can be a daily demanding obstacle course! Getting everyone up, ready for nursery/school and getting into work… then after a busy day at work, coming home, cooking for the family, helping with homework,...
Your main residence is exempt from capital gains tax because of private residence relief, which negates any capital gains. When someone owns more than one property however, the tax position becomes more complicated. The main residence Unless you confirm...
Frettens are delighted to share their new corporate video. The film focusses on our firm's people-first approach and how we have harnessed this to drive success. The film has been created in conjunction with Dorset Business , the Dorset Chamber of...
The Ministry of Justice has launched a scheme to refund those who may have overpaid when applying to register powers of attorney. The scheme applies to any lasting power of attorney (LPA), or enduring power of attorney (EPA) that was registered with the...
