Do the new Health & Safety Rules apply to my house extension?
I have been told that the new Health and Safety Rules apply as I have recently obtained Planning Permission for an extension to my house and I now intend to start this work. Can you please explain how these rules apply to me. The new Health, Safety and Welfare at Work (Construction Amendment) Regulations 2012 […]
Revised Code of Conduct on Mortgage Arrears
In September 2012, I wrote an article explaining the Code of Conduct on Mortgage Arrears and the changes to it since its inception in 2009. The Code of Conduct on Mortgage Arrears (CCMA) is a key part of the Central Bank’s mortgage arrears framework and sets out the requirements for mortgage lenders dealing with borrowers […]
New Housing Requirements for Landlords
All landlords of rented houses are now obliged to comply with The Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2008 which set down the minimum standards for rented property. If a property was rented between 1 September 2004 and 31 January 2009, the house was not required to meet the standards set out in the 2008 […]
The Legal Effect of a Divorce
There are many legal and other consequences arising from a Divorce. It is a striking feature of the Irish Divorce legislation that the financial obligations of one spouse to another continue beyond the marriage, except in certain circumstances. There is really no such thing as a “clean break”. A clean break Divorce would be where […]
Reasonable doubt about “Reasonable Living Expenses”?
At this point, most people will have heard of the Personal Insolvency Act, 2012. This Act introduced three new insolvency procedures to help individuals resolve issues of personal indebtedness. These procedures are Debt Relief Notices (“DRN”), Debt Settlement Arrangements (“DSA”) and Personal Insolvency Arrangements (“PIA”). An individual known as an approved intermediary (“AI”) with respect […]
How to Avoid Delays and Stress When Selling Your Property
If you are contemplating selling your property in the future, now is a good time to plan ahead and have any legal problems affecting your property checked and resolved. Many properties are affected by hidden problems that can and do cause huge delays when trying to sell. These types of problems can mean that a […]
Local Property Tax – Who is liable?
As everybody now knows if you are the owner of a residential property on the 1st of May, 2013 you are liable for Local Property Tax. In most cases it is obvious who is liable for the tax but there are some situations where this may not be clear and the question will arise – […]
How to make a Will
For those of you who have never previously made a Will here is some advice on the information that is generally required when you are making a Will. The first piece of advice is that you should always make your will with a solicitor. While some people endeavour to make homemade wills the reality is […]
The Irish Courts System
Clients often ask why cases are taken in certain Courts rather than others and why some are heard locally and others in Limerick or Dublin. A brief review of the Irish Courts and their functions, therefore, might be useful. The Irish Courts system originated with the 1922 Constitution which established Courts to take over from […]
Road Traffic Law Book Launch
Robert Pierse launched the latest version Road Traffic Law: The 1961-2011 Road Traffic Acts: Annotated Legislation on Thursday 26th January 2012 at the offices of the National Roads Authority. The launch was attended by The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Mr Leo Varadkar,TD, The Minister for Arts, Heritage & Gaeltacht Affairs, Mr Jimmy Deenihan,TD and President of the High […]