How do I raise a problem at work formally?
A grievance is a written complaint that starts a defined process. Getting the framing right at the start decides whether it gets resolved or gets bogged down.
intermediate30 min3 min read
Household Admin
Paperwork, renewals and the annual jobs.
258 guides in Money & Practical
How do I set up utilities in a new home?
The order to do it in, the readings to take on day one, and the accounts that cost you money if you forget them.
beginner1 hr 30 min2 min readHow is my holiday pay worked out if my hours vary?
Holiday pay is meant to reflect what you normally earn, not your basic rate. For anyone on variable hours, commission or regular overtime, that difference is real money.
intermediate15 min3 min readShould I still claim Child Benefit if we earn too much?
The charge claws back Child Benefit above an income threshold — but not claiming at all forfeits National Insurance credits that matter decades later.
intermediate15 min3 min readWhat ID do I need to vote?
Photographic identification is required at polling stations in most UK elections, an expired document is usually still acceptable, and there is a free certificate for anyone without one.
beginner10 min2 min readWhat happens to a joint bank account when one person dies?
The money usually passes to the survivor automatically, but that is a rule about ownership, not about tax — and a joint account with a non-spouse can behave quite differently.
beginner12 min3 min readWhat happens to my pay if my employer goes bust?
When an employer is formally insolvent, the state pays certain debts out of the National Insurance Fund. What is covered, the two separate applications, the number you cannot claim without, and what happens if there is no formal insolvency at all.
intermediate14 min5 min readWhat is a Section 20 notice for major works?
A statutory consultation that must happen before large works are charged to leaseholders. If it is skipped, recovery is capped at a low statutory figure per flat.
intermediate20 min3 min readWhat is illegal eviction, and what do I do if it happens to me?
Changing the locks, removing your belongings, cutting off services or making your life unbearable to force you out are crimes, not landlord remedies. Who enforces it in each nation and what you can recover.
intermediate12 min5 min readWhat should I do if my card is lost or stolen?
Freezing rather than cancelling first, reporting fraud, and the protections that apply to unauthorised transactions.
beginner30 min2 min readWho is responsible for repairs in a leasehold flat?
The lease divides the building between what you own and what the freeholder maintains, and every repair argument turns on that line. How to find it, who pays, and what to do when nothing happens.
intermediate12 min5 min readWhy do house sales fall through, and what can I do about it?
The handful of causes that account for most collapsed transactions, which of them you can influence, and what to salvage — legal work, searches, survey — when one falls apart.
beginner12 min4 min readHow do I get my rental deposit back?
Evidence, cleaning and the dispute process — and why the photographs you take on day one decide the outcome.
beginner2 hr2 min readWhat happens if I fall behind on council tax?
The reminder, final notice and liability order sequence councils follow, why missing an instalment can make the whole year due, and how to get the instalments restored.
beginner45 min4 min readAm I an employee, a worker or self-employed?
Three statuses with three different sets of rights. What you are called matters far less than how the arrangement actually operates in practice.
intermediate15 min2 min readDo I pay the higher rate of stamp duty if I already own a home?
The additional-property surcharge catches far more people than buy-to-let landlords. The end-of-day test, the replacement main residence exception, and the refund window when you buy before you sell.
intermediate11 min4 min readHow do I change my name, and who do I have to tell?
A deed poll is a document you can make yourself. The work is not making it — it is the sequence in which you update everything afterwards.
intermediate2 hr3 min readHow do I check a bill is correct?
Spotting errors on energy, water, phone and council tax or rates bills, and how to challenge one effectively.
beginner30 min2 min readHow do I close utility accounts when I move out?
The readings, notifications and final bills that stop you paying for a house you no longer live in, done in the order that avoids a dispute.
beginner1 hr4 min readHow do I dispute a bill I think is wrong?
Gathering evidence, raising it correctly, and the escalation that resolves most disputes without any drama.
beginner1 hr2 min readHow do I get a copy of my title deeds?
For registered land the register and plan are downloadable in minutes for a small fee, and the same route tells you who owns the land next door.
beginner20 min3 min readHow do I give notice of marriage or a civil partnership?
Notice is the legal step that has to happen before any wedding. Where to give it, the waiting period, how long it lasts, and why Scotland and Northern Ireland work differently.
beginner13 min5 min readHow do I prove my right to work in the UK?
Every employer in the UK must check your right to work before you start. The three routes, why most people now need an online share code, and what happened to biometric residence permits.
beginner10 min4 min readHow do I use Section 75 when a purchase goes wrong?
The legal right that makes a credit card provider equally liable with the seller, the conditions a purchase must meet, and how to make the claim so it is not brushed off.
beginner45 min4 min read
Going deeper: ToolFoundry
Interactive calculators — quantities, conversions, costs and sizing — rather than prose.