How do I find an old policy or account I have forgotten?
The free official tracing services, what to gather before you start, and the order to work through them.
beginner1 hr 30 min4 min read
Household Admin
Paperwork, renewals and the annual jobs.
258 guides in Money & Practical
How do I help someone decide without taking the decision over?
Asked for help, most people supply an answer. What is usually wanted is help thinking — questions, structure and a check on the facts, with the decision left where it belongs.
beginner20 min3 min readHow do I insure something unusual or high value?
The single-article limit that catches people out, specifying items, and getting a valuation that will be accepted.
beginner40 min3 min readHow does Land Transaction Tax work when I buy a home in Wales?
Wales replaced stamp duty with its own tax in 2018. The differences that matter: a thirty-day filing deadline, higher rates for additional properties, and no first-time buyer relief at all.
beginner9 min4 min readIs my home a house in multiple occupation, and does it need a licence?
Sharing with people you are not related to can make a property a house in multiple occupation, with licensing, safety and management duties attached. The tests differ in each nation and so does what happens when a landlord ignores them.
intermediate12 min5 min readMy baby was in neonatal care — what extra time off can I get?
A week for every week a newborn spends in hospital care, up to twelve, on top of everything else — but taken after your other leave ends, months later, and not available at all in Northern Ireland.
intermediate12 min4 min readShould I keep paper or scan everything?
The documents that must stay on paper, what scanning is genuinely good for, and the hybrid most households actually need.
beginner30 min4 min readWhat are right to rent checks and what do I have to show?
Landlords in England must check that adult occupiers have the right to rent. What you can be asked for, the share code route, and why the scheme does not apply in the rest of the UK.
beginner10 min5 min readWhat do I do about a county court judgment?
What a CCJ is, the deadline to respond before one is entered, and the routes afterwards — paying within the set period, varying the instalments, or applying to set it aside.
intermediate1 hr4 min readWhat is a restrictive covenant on a property, and does it matter?
A promise attached to the land that limits what can be done with it, often made decades ago and still binding. How to find them, which ones actually bite, and the realistic ways of dealing with one.
intermediate11 min5 min readWhat is indemnity insurance in a house sale, and should I accept it?
The cheap policy that unblocks a large share of stalled sales. What it does and does not cover, why enquiring about the problem can void it, and when to insist on a proper fix instead.
intermediate10 min4 min readWhere should I keep original documents at home?
The four places originals can live, judged against the four ways they are actually lost — fire, flood, theft and nobody being able to find them.
beginner30 min4 min readDo I need life insurance, and what kind?
What life cover is actually for, the difference between term, decreasing and whole-of-life policies, and the trust arrangement that keeps a payout out of the estate.
beginner1 hr4 min readHow do I apply for a National Insurance number?
Who is sent one automatically, how the online application works now, and the point most people need most — that you can start work before it arrives.
beginner8 min4 min readHow do I keep track of warranties and receipts?
A system for finding proof of purchase years later, when it is the only thing standing between you and paying twice.
beginner40 min2 min readHow do I write down instructions for a house sitter?
What people actually need to know, the emergency information that is usually missing, and keeping it short enough to be read.
beginner1 hr4 min readHow does the Rent a Room scheme work?
A tax exemption on income from letting furnished accommodation in your own home, available to tenants as well as owners. Who qualifies, how the two methods of working out the tax differ, and the traps.
beginner9 min4 min readHow much notice must a landlord give in Northern Ireland?
Northern Ireland has no assured tenancies, no section 21 and no section 8. A landlord serves a notice to quit with no ground required, and the length depends only on how long you have lived there.
intermediate12 min4 min readWhat happens if a house is left empty?
The unoccupancy clause, what cover falls away first, and the practical steps that keep a property insurable.
beginner25 min3 min readWhat is a right of way over my property, and can I stop it?
The difference between a private right benefiting a neighbour and a public right benefiting everyone, how to find out which you have, and what you can and cannot do about either.
intermediate11 min5 min readWhat is legal expenses cover for?
What it actually pays for, the prospects-of-success test, and the mistake that voids most claims.
beginner25 min3 min readWhat leave can I take if my child dies?
Jack's Law gives a bereaved parent a fortnight, claimable with almost no formality and usable at any point in the following year — including around an inquest or an anniversary. Northern Ireland has gone further and now covers earlier pregnancy loss.
beginner10 min4 min readWhat must an estate agent tell me in a property listing?
Property listings now have to carry defined material information — tenure, council tax, services, and issues such as flood risk. What the three parts cover, what to do when a listing is silent, and who enforces it.
beginner9 min3 min readWhat paperwork do I need when selling something second-hand?
What a private seller has to disclose, the receipt that protects you, and the items with specific legal requirements.
beginner25 min5 min read
Going deeper: ToolFoundry
Interactive calculators — quantities, conversions, costs and sizing — rather than prose.