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A personal guarantee is your own promise to repay the company's debt if the company cannot. It sits outside the protection of limited liability, may remain after you resign, and can cover more than the loan you thought you were guaranteeing. Before signing, check whether liability is capped, whether the document covers "all monies", whether other guarantors share responsibility, and how you can be released. Take independent legal advice first, especially if your home is invol

A wayleave agreement gives a utility or telecoms company permission to install cables, poles or other equipment on, over or under your land, and access it for inspection and repairs. You may receive annual payments or a lump sum, depending on the arrangement. Whether it binds a future buyer depends on the type of right. A voluntary electricity wayleave is generally personal and may not transfer automatically, while a necessary wayleave granted under Schedule 4 of the Electric

The law of divorce differs across the UK. In England and Wales, the only legal ground is that the marriage has broken down irretrievably. You no longer need to prove fault, and a statement confirming the breakdown is sufficient. Couples must normally have been married for at least one year, and the divorce process has a minimum statutory timetable of 26 weeks and one day. Scotland and Northern Ireland operate different systems, retaining separation and fault-based grounds. Th

If you are buying property with overseas funds, your solicitor must check who you are, where the money came from and how it will reach the UK before contracts can be exchanged and completion can take place. Those checks are a legal requirement, they are usually more detailed for overseas money, and the most common cause of delay is paperwork that arrives piecemeal. Gather your evidence the day your offer is accepted and you can avoid most of the hold-ups. Nothing generally st

If your neighbour is blocking your right of way, start by confirming exactly what right you have from your title documents. Then record the obstruction, ask them calmly to stop, and follow up in writing. If that fails, mediation is usually the next step, and a court can order the obstruction removed where it substantially interferes with your use. Avoid removing the obstruction yourself unless you have taken advice, because that can leave you facing a claim. A right of way is

You can revoke a power of attorney at any time, for any reason, as long as you still have the mental capacity to make that decision. For a lasting power of attorney, you sign a written deed of revocation, send it with the original LPA to the Office of the Public Guardian, and tell your attorneys and any organisations that have relied on it. You cannot amend a registered LPA by crossing things out. If you want different attorneys or different instructions, you usually cancel i

You cannot simply hand in your notice and start a new job while on a Skilled Worker visa. Your permission is tied to your specific sponsor, role and Certificate of Sponsorship, so changing employer means your new employer must assign you a new Certificate of Sponsorship and you must apply to update your visa before your first day in the new role. Starting early, even by a day, can put your immigration status at risk. This catches people out more often than you would expect, u

Most visa refusals cannot be appealed at all. A right of appeal to the tribunal only exists where the Home Office has refused a protection claim, refused a human rights claim, or revoked protection status, which in practice covers asylum cases and most family or partner visa refusals. For those that do qualify, the First-tier Tribunal took a mean of 61 weeks to clear a case between January and March 2026, and human rights appeals specifically averaged 71 weeks. If your refusa

As a general rule, use the passport that matches the country you are entering. Enter the UK on a valid British passport or Certificate of Entitlement. Enter your other country of citizenship on that country's passport. For anywhere else, use whichever passport gets you the longest visa-free stay or avoids a visa altogether. It sounds simple, but the details trip people up more often than you would expect, and the rules around proving your status at UK borders have tightened c

You are not legally required to sign a wayleave agreement, and refusing one is entirely within your rights. But refusal has consequences that depend on which type of company is asking. Electricity and telecoms companies both have statutory routes to gain access to your land without your signature, so refusing rarely stops the work. What it usually changes is how much control you have over the terms. A wayleave is a common request if you own land or a business premises anywher