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Carers Week 2018: What You Need to Know

11th – 17th June is Carers Week, an annual event aimed at raising awareness for caring and providing more support for carers and the challenges they face. Find out all you need to know about what’s happening and how to get involved.

Do I Qualify for a Blue Badge?

If you have a disability, limited mobility, or another medical condition, you may be entitled to a blue badge in the UK. However, the qualifying criteria for this benefit are not always clear. Below, we’ve discussed how you can qualify for a blue badge, what this benefit entails, and how to apply for one.

Who Can Drive a Mobility Scooter? | Mobility Scooter FAQs

Mobility scooters can absolutely transform the lives of people with mobility problems, giving you far more independence and freedom of movement. It’s for this reason that many people who find they cannot move around very much on their own are keen to find out more about their options when it comes to scooters – including […]

Great Tips on How to Buy and Hire Mobility Scooters

There are several things you need to consider before you buy a mobility scooter, but one of the first is whether you’re going to buy your scooter online or in-store. Buying online has the benefit of being convenient, but you don’t benefit from in-store service and advice.

Should We Move House, or Just Renovate Our Home?

The start of the new year is a common time for people to re-evaluate their homes and consider whether to sell it for a newer, better model or to renovate their existing build. When faced with such a decision, there are a number of factors you need to consider in order to be sure you […]

Could the Law on Mobility Scooters Be About to Change?

Statistics released from the Department of Transport last year revealed that the number of deaths resulting from mobility scooters in 2016 was at an all-time high of 14, with the total number of incidents reported at 260 – almost triple that of 2012, where the number of accidents reached just 84. With these figures rising […]

Support for Carers this Christmas

For many, Christmas is a time to let loose and enjoy the festivities around you. However, for carer’s the reality can often be somewhat difficult, with the festive season actually being one of the most stressful times to care for another person. As a carer, you will probably have had to sacrifice plans and make […]

How To Sell Your Home for More: 7 Tips to Staging Your Home

Preparing your home for potential buyers – otherwise known as ‘staging’ – is an important process to ensure your property has maximum appeal for buyers. Staging your home correctly can not only sell your property faster, but can also help to add thousands in value to your home – so check out our top tips […]

Tardy Tenants are a Financial Nightmare for Landlords

If you’ve ever been a landlord, this scenario will almost certainly sound familiar to you. Your property needs a small repair. It’s a loose door hinge, a dripping pipe, or something else minor that could easily be repaired by the tenants in an hour or two. It could also be just as easily fixed if […]

Why Landlords and Tenants Hate Mould and Damp

Mould, landlords and tenants: They’re a combustible combination. Tenants feel landlords ought to take responsibility for the problem and fix it ASAP without any cost to them. Landlords, on the other hand, often feel that mould and dampness caused by condensation are tenants’ fault because they dry clothes inside or keep the windows closed when […]

Brokers Beat Comparison Sites for EU Insurance Consumers

The last few years have seen a steady increase in the number of price comparison websites. These provide a simple way to compare prices of various products or services from different suppliers. This is meant to save you time because they do the legwork for you. They provide you with all the information in one […]

Private Landlords Fight Unfair Buy-to-Let Tax Changes

Changes to tax laws that govern buy-to-let properties have landlords up in arms. The planned buy-to-let tax is deemed unfair because it targets private landlords who have buy-to-let properties in their own names and doesn’t target companies that invest in rental properties. Furthermore, tax will be on turnover rather than profit, which will eat into […]

New Campaign Forces Premier League to Accommodate Disabled Fans

We’ve written about popular sports for people in wheelchairs, but what about wheelchair-bound and other disabled sports fans? Do sports stadiums give them easy access so they can watch their favourite sports live? Apparently not, if the sport concerned is football. There are only seven clubs in the UK which have or will soon have […]

How Can We Make Playgrounds Safe & Fun for Disabled Children?

Children’s playgrounds are places of fun, laughter and the occasional injury. But not all children can join in the fun because playgrounds simply don’t cater to their special needs. Sadly, children with disabilities are often unintentionally discriminated against in public parks and playgrounds. Parents of disabled children in Cork have had enough. They successfully lobbied […]

Are Employees Taking Advantage of Disability Discrimination Claims

In 2010 Government introduced the Equality Act to protect disabled employees from unfair treatment and discrimination. Recent statistics reveal that the number of claims for discrimination against disabled workers has increased steadily over the past few years. Many employers now question the legitimacy of all the claims. They believe that some employees are looking for […]

Built-to-Rent Market Threatens Buy-to-Let Private Landlords

Property is a smart investment. With more people unable to afford to buy their own property and needing to rent long-term, investing in the rental market is a good idea. While renting is a good idea for landlords, it’s not ideal for tenants. Negligent landlords are a problem (although they’re a minority). And tenants are […]

Easy Peasy Tips for Home Improvements that Save Your Energy Bill

Living can be expensive. When we think about the costs of everyday living, we need to consider the cost of food, travel, rent and then bills on top of that, and that’s just to get by! Sometimes it feels like there’s nothing left after necessities – nothing for a spot of fun. So how would […]

Most Popular Sports for People in Wheelchairs

Sports are a great way to keep fit, relieve stress and hang out with friends. You can participate in an individual sport, or you can play in a team. Being in a wheelchair by no means suggests people aren’t interested in or capable of participating in sports. Although wheelchair users are restricted from some able-bodied […]

Safety Checks for a New Home: Don’t move into a danger area!

Courageous Landlords Capitalise on Short-Term Rentals!

Buy-to-let property owners want the best possible returns. One of the most promising areas is the short-term rental market. In the short-term renal market landlords let their properties at daily, weekly or monthly rates.

Deposit Protection is Failing Tenants: What You Need to Know

Rent (or tenancy) deposit protection schemes are designed to protect the deposit amount that tenants pay landlords when they move into a property. The deposit is supposed to be reserved for repairs to damage or replacement of lost (or stolen) items. It is also supposed to be returned to tenants when the tenancy ends. This […]

Government Tells Landlords: Green Up & Improve Energy Efficiency

2016 has been a heck of a year for landlords, and there are still 4.5 months to go. The latest is the revision of the government’s energy efficiency policy for landlords. It’s illegal for landlords to rent any property that doesn’t meet Band E energy requirements come 2018. Furthermore, they won’t get any help paying […]

7 Critical Factors That Affect Your Home Insurance Rates

How much are you paying for home insurance, and what can you do to reduce insurance rates? Insurance providers, much like the homeowners themselves, want less risk. In a sense, their confidence in the homeowner is reflected in the cost of the insurance premiums. As such, anything you do to make your property more secure will […]

What New Landlords Need to Know About Energy Performance Certificates

Energy efficiency is one of the most important issues of our time, and it’s an issue that the UK government takes very seriously. In 2008, legislation regarding energy performance certificates (EPC) gave landlords incentives to improve the energy efficiency of their properties. If you’re looking to get into the landlord business, you need to be […]

Exactly How Does Universal Credit Affect Tenants & Landlords?

Universal Credit is rolling out across the UK, but not everyone is happy, especially landlords. The intentions behind Universal Credit (UC) are good. It replaces six different benefits and simplifies payments. It should also encourage recipients to learn financial responsibility. Unfortunately, the process is proving problematic. One of the biggest problems is late payments. Many […]