In short the answer is NO.
In England and Wales, regulations which are due to come into force on 1 April 2018 will potentially affect the ability to let out properties and the market value (and marketability) of those properties. The regulations will prevent private Landlords from letting either residential or commercial properties with an Energy Performance Asset Rating (EPAR) lower than E (unless they can point to a specific exemption).
The equivalent regulations for buildings in Scotland do not impose a minimum EPC rating requirement but other measures apply that are already in force for commercial properties.
Landlords, investors, developers and lenders should take note of the differences and not assume energy efficiency policies are the same throughout the UK.
*Non Domestic EPC Register for England and Wales
*EPC Register for Scotland
Registers can be searched using the property’s postcode so the easiest way to determine whether or not a valid EPC exists for your property is to check online: Non Domestic EPC Register for England and Wales or EPC Register for Scotland.
If you have any queries regarding energy efficiency requirements for properties, please get in touch with your usual contact in the Property team at Blackadders.
With the warmth of Christmas behind us and January now upon us, many of us will be setting aside the turkey sandwiches & mulled wine and thinking of resolutions for the year ahead.
As a private client lawyer, it is too easy for me to say “make a Will!” and leave it at that -though if you do not have a Will, then what better time to get it done? Instead, in the spirit of Yuletide reflection, I want to encourage those who already have a Will to go back and review their plans. An old Will is not necessarily a bad Will, but life never stands still. In certain situations, a neglected Will can sometimes be worse than no Will at all! It is therefore essential that you take time to ensure that your Will keeps pace as you go through life.
There are a lot of things that can change over the years that would require you to take a fresh look at your Will. For now, we will look at changes in (1) your family, and (2) your estate.
1. Families: hatches, matches & dispatches
If there have been changes in your family since you last did your Will, then you need to make sure your plans are up to date. Here are just a few questions to ask yourself:
Have you had children since you made your Will?
A lot of people make their first Will when they buy their first house. Great idea, but if you later have children, then they may not be included in the Will. Some Wills are ‘future-proofed’ with wording that covers children who are not yet born, but some Wills are not. Scottish law has some surprising pit-falls in this area, so it is much better to review things afresh if you now have children of your own. If your children are still under 16, you also need to consider the issue of who would be their guardian in the event if your death – which can be addressed within the Will.
Have your children gotten married or had children of their own?
A larger family means more people to consider. Do you now want to leave some of your estate directly to your grandchildren? Younger beneficiaries also bring other questions: does their inheritance need to be placed into trust until they reach a certain age? Do they have lifelong disabilities that will require special planning and consideration? Do they need extra support to help them on their career path or to get onto the housing ladder?
Has anyone (including you) separated or gotten divorced?
If there has been a divorce or separation within your family, then you need to urgently review your plans in order to make sure that the person who has ‘exited’ your family is not accidentally left in the Will. Recent changes in the law have made this point a little easier in some situations – namely where you are the one who has gotten divorced – but those changes do nothing if you have merely separated from your partner or if you were never married to begin with, and they do nothing where it is someone else in your family who has gotten divorced. If you are not careful, your former partner or your former in-laws may still stand to inherit from you when you die.
Has anyone died?
If one of your beneficiaries has died, you need to consider what should happen to that person’s inheritance: should it go to that person’s own children, or to other beneficiaries already named in the Will, or to someone else entirely? The Will needs to provide the answer. On a more technical level, it is also essential that you review who your executors are to be – as this is easily overlooked and can cause real problems where e.g. the only named executors have died or become mentally incapable.
2. Estates: through thick & thin
Fundamentally, your Will is all about managing and distributing your estate after your death. So if your estate has changed, then your Will may also need to change. A few more questions to ask:
Have you moved house?
If your Will leaves your house to someone, but you later move house, then that legacy may fail unless the Will is carefully worded so that the legacy covers the ‘new house’ as well. Similarly, if you have sold your house without buying a replacement – perhaps if you have moved in with someone or if you have gone into sheltered housing – then the legacy may fail if there is simply ‘no house’ left to leave. In those cases, you may wish to consider amending your Will to include a cash alternative, so that your beneficiary does not lose out entirely.
The same principle applies to all legacies involving specific assets or items. If you do not own that asset any more, then you cannot give it away under your Will!
Are you more wealthy or less wealthy than before?
If your finances have significantly changed since you did your Will, you should take a fresh look at things. You have been perfectly happy with a certain split between your beneficiaries when you did not have much money, but you may be less happy with it if you now have a house and savings. You may want to adjust what share each person receives, or add new people or charities to the list.
If your estate has shrunk then you may decide to focus more on your ‘preferred’ beneficiaries, rather than slicing the pie too thinly among a large number of people. If your Will contains legacies of large sums of money or assets, then it may even be that your estate can no longer afford to pay those legacies.
Have you started, joined or left a business?
Business-owners do not necessarily have to have more complicated Wills, but there is certainly more to consider: there may the question as to what happens to the business after you die. If it is a family business, then it is important for the Will to address the question of which member of the family is to inherit e.g. your shares in the company, and on what terms. Slack planning can have disastrous consequences in this area!
On the other hand, if you have retired or sold your business, then you can probably afford to have a more straightforward Will, and to remove clauses about shareholdings etc. Though of course you may then have a larger lump sum of cash to plan with, so the fun never stops!
The solicitors in the Private Client department of Blackadders are vastly experienced in dealing with Wills of all shapes and sizes. Don’t let January beat you this time, get in touch to make an appointment with a solicitor at your nearest office.
December – the chaos of Seasonal festivities, workload deadlines, travel disruption and notorious office parties has begun.
As the song goes “So this is Christmas”! While the fortnight before the Yuletide break can offer a welcome opportunity for colleagues to relax and celebrate, the festive period also presents its own unique employment law challenges.
For many business and HR managers, Christmas resembles levels of fear and trepidation similar to those experienced by Dickens’ miserly employer, Ebeneezer Scrooge. Fortunately, Loch Employment Law has a gift of 12 tips for the festive countdown to help employers navigate through the nightmare before Christmas:
1. Christmas Party Liabilities
Despite work events such as the office party now taking place off site and outside of work hours, they are still an extension of the office environment.
Alcohol consumption can lead to unwanted conduct, such as discrimination and violence, with Tribunal decisions clearly finding employers liable for such inappropriate acts carried out by their employees. It’s important therefore to remind staff of the standards of conduct.
Employers must be clear that any misconduct that occurs during the party and after, if some of the colleagues decide to continue elsewhere, will be subject to disciplinary action.
2. Discrimination, Bullying & Harassment
Christmas gatherings often present an opportunity for some employees to flirt with their office ‘crush’ in a more social environment. However, the line between ‘banter’ and sexual harassment is subjective and can be a fine one.
Employers can be vicariously liable for sexual harassment so it’s sensible to remind employees that discriminatory remarks or behaviour will not be tolerated. One step employers can take is to update their dignity at work and bullying and harassment policies to include references to work-related social events.
3. ‘Secret Santa’
Secret Santa presents are a great way for colleagues to have some fun and treat each other. However, it can also mean that inappropriate gifts are sometimes given anonymously. Items of an offensive or sexual nature can be embarrassing for some staff and discriminatory to others.
New employees or interns may not know what kind of presents are appropriate for their team. Circulating ground rules for the gift exchange will help prevent the giving of unsuitable items.
4. Christmas Promises
Managers should avoid talking about promotion prospects, performance and remuneration with their employees at Christmas parties. In Judge v Crown Leisure Limited the EAT held that a promise of a significant wage increase made by a manager at the Christmas party was not contractually enforceable because there was no intent for it to be so. Mr. Judge had resigned, claiming constructive unfair dismissal when his salary increase did not come to fruition. The EAT considered the context of the conversation at the party and concluded that it was not intended to be contractually binding.
Although the result was in favour of the employer that time it’s better to remind managers to avoid conducting informal appraisals whilst propping up the bar, to eliminate the potential for future litigation, or unhappy employees.
5. Social Media ‘Surprises’
Remind employees that workplace and social media policies still apply during the Christmas period and outside working hours.
It should made be clear to staff that posting content on social media which could damage the reputation of the employer may be a disciplinary issue. This includes drunken rants about their boss, or comments that could be seen to be bullying or harassment of colleagues.
Employees may post pictures from the Christmas ‘do’ that present the company in an unprofessional light to clients and suppliers. If this is a concern, it’s best for employers to remind staff to be wary and exercise discretion when posting images.
6. Grievance or Grinch?
If an employee does raise concerns about something that has occurred at an office party, HR should treat it the same as any other complaint. It is important to avoid dismissing complaints or deeming inappropriate jokes or remarks to be simply ‘party banter’. Allegations of misconduct at a Christmas party are as serious as those brought up in the office.
If an intoxicated colleague confides in you about concerns they have it is best to ask them to discuss it with you on a confidential basis once you are back at the office. If they do not raise it again, you could mention the subject to find out if they wish to discuss it the next day. Employees who voice their apprehensions under the influence of alcohol may be less willing to revisit concerns back at the office. However if it is a genuine concern, encouraging them to open up is the best approach.
Any investigations should be conducted professionally and thoroughly. Equally, management should act to deal with inappropriate behaviour as and when it is reported.
7. Holiday Discrimination
Whether or not employees are religious, many enjoy getting into the spirit of the holiday season. However, not everyone celebrates Christmas. This does not mean treating those who do more favourably, or granting holiday requests to those with children just because Schools are closed. Holiday requests should be treated equally, though personal circumstances may be considered in order to be fair and reasonable.
For some industries such as retail and hospitality, this will be the busiest time of year which means some staff will be required to work on Public Holidays. Holiday entitlement during this period should be based on the business needs of the employer and they should be in a position to objectively justify denying requests if staff request time off for religious reasons.
Favouring one group of employees over another around religious holidays and festivals exposes employers to successful discrimination claims.
8. Happy (Untaken) Holidays?
On the topic of holidays, employees often ask if they can carry over their untaken holidays into the New Year.
The Working Time Regulations prevent statutory annual leave entitlement being exchanged for payment in lieu. However, there are some situations such as long term sickness preventing an employee from taking accrued statutory holidays. Unused holiday can then be carried over. If you wanted to, you could allow employees to carry forward any accrued holidays in excess of the minimum statutory entitlement of 20 days.
9. Bonus Entitlement
Some organisations pay Christmas bonuses as a gesture of goodwill in December. If this becomes a regular, unqualified habit, employees can argue that this forms a ‘custom & practice’ and has become a contractual entitlement. To retain flexibility around festive bonuses employers must ensure that employment contracts specify the bonus is only paid at the discretion of the employer, and that a bonus is not a contractual entitlement. Varying what you do each Christmas will always help here.
10. The Xmas ‘Flu’
The festive period can often lead to high levels of absenteeism – sometimes conveniently the day after the office party!
Employees should be reminded that they are expected to attend work the next day in a fit state unless they have booked the day off as annual leave. Employers often expect staff to be rather weary the morning after the night before. However, consistency is important when dealing with unacceptable absenteeism. Employees should be made aware that lack of attendance without a valid reason can be treated as a disciplinary issue, as with any other unauthorised absence.
If there are employees who need to drive or operate machinery the day after the office party, employers must be mindful that they may still be under the influence of alcohol. Employees must be reminded that it will be their responsibility to ensure they drink sensibly at the event and are safe and legal to perform their duties the next day.
If there are concerns about an employee’s fitness to safely perform their duties it is worth considering suspending the employee to investigate further in accordance with their disciplinary policy.
11. Stay Safe
Health and Safety obligations should be considered with an element of common sense and measure. Additionally, reasonable risk assessments must be conducted when choosing locations for Christmas events or decorating the office. Employers must be mindful that they could be liable for health and safety incidents that may occur during a work party.
Ending the official event near a train station or bus stop will make it easier for employees to plan their safe return home. If a member of staff has had too much to drink, then an employer should consider taking some responsibility for ensuring they get home safely or are at least being looked after by a friend or colleague.
12. #BlackIceMonday
Finally, UK employers faced considerable disruption earlier this month as the freezing temperatures and blizzards resulted in travel being disrupted and many employees not being able to get to work.
Employees who choose not to attend work due to weather disruption are not statutorily entitled to be paid and should take the day as annual leave or unpaid leave if they stay at home. It may be possible for some workers to make up the time at a later date.
If an employee is away from home and cannot travel home, then they should be paid for this time (if they are paid on an hourly basis) as they are still performing duties and could be requested to work remotely. Alternatively, employers could allow the employee to take time off in lieu.
Some employers allow staff to work remotely from home if it is practical and productive. This avoids the pressure on employees to commute in dangerous conditions. Employers should have adverse weather policies in place to manage these situations and be clear on whether or not if staff will be paid for days when they have not been able to attend work.
The festive season should be an enjoyable time for everyone and following our 12 tips will mean you can avoid a January hangover. If you need help with any of the issues we’ve raised then get in touch with our team of experts.
Christmas is almost upon us with only 2 weeks to go until, for most, the festivities and over indulgence begins.
Those thinking of selling their home will now put this firmly to the back of their minds and will be replaced with thoughts of presents, sleeping in front of the TV and Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special.
However, this may be the perfect time to consider selling and preparing the house to hit the market after the party season has finished. Traditionally the months of January and February see less properties arrive for sale but is an excellent time to sell as the majority of house sellers will normally wait until Spring to sell. What does this mean for you if you decide to sell sooner?
1. Less houses for sale increases your chance of a quicker successful sale and hopefully more than the Home Report value. Giving you peace of mind.
2. You will be in a strong position to purchase a property a little later with more choice available.
3. More buyers will be inclined to take your offer as you have been pro-active and are less of a risk than a buyer who has yet to sell.
4. As you will have more choice, due to the increase in properties for sale, you will be less inclined to make a panic purchase then going through the process again in six months’ time.
If you have decided that you are not going to extend, renew the kitchen or replace the bathroom, but instead sell your home in the New Year, I would urge you to book a free valuation now to prepare for the beginning of 2018 staying ahead of your competitors and make appropriate plans to ensure your house stands out against what little competition you will have.
At Blackadders we offer professional photography, quality brochures with floor-plans, buyers’ bank, social media (Twitter & Facebook), extended opening hours and website portals that suit your individual needs, all as standard.
Enjoy the festive period but don’t let the hangover last until Spring. Be two steps ahead.
Housing has risen up the political agenda once again and, as happens with most politically sensitive subjects, the debate about it has immediately become rancorous and ultimately unproductive.
The irony is that there is a general, across-the board-agreement that, faced with a rapidly rising population, Scotland needs to do something about the chronic lack of decent and affordable housing stock.
Nicola Barclay, the chief executive of Homes for Scotland – widely seen as a builders’ and developers’ lobby group – put the cat among the pigeons recently when she said that Holyrood government’s target of 50,000 new affordable homes is damaging private sector growth.
She said that her organisation’s view was that a focus on affordable and social housing is exacerbating Scotland’s housing shortages, ignoring commercial realities and was not the only recipe for solving the looming housing crisis.
Immediately, she was condemned for being anti-social – that is, against the concept of social housing per se. She was accused of lobbying for the property developer model which is stigmatised as having fuelled the housing crisis in the first place.
Ben Wray, head of policy at Common Weal, claimed that Ms Barclay’s view on social housing was “aggressive lobbying” to extract more subsidies for private developers on top of the new subsidy for private sector build-to-rent.
In terms of a spat, it was all fairly predictable and ran along the lines we have come to expect when political considerations begin to intrude on what should be straightforward commercial transactions.
Ms Barclay was subsequently at pains to point out that focusing on one element of the market to the exclusion of others will not, of itself, solve the problem. The 50,000 target, she insisted, can only be met with the help of a healthy and profitable private sector.
Speaking from my long experience with DM Hall, my role as Chair of the Judging Panel for the Herald Property Awards for Scotland and a non-executive director for a registered social landlord, I am convinced of one thing: the issue will not be resolved by fighting over it.
We can all agree on the root of the problem: Scotland needs more housing. The number of properties started in Scotland was down again on the previous year and completions were 36% down on 2007 and below 2010.
First-time buyers need an average deposit of more than £21,000 to get on the first rung of the Scottish housing ladder, typically around 16% of the purchase price. It is little wonder they are called Generation Rent.
But Ms Barclay is right in one major aspect – no one part of the house building sector can provide for all the different requirements demanded by an increasingly diverse and financially disparate society.
Collaboration is greatly to be desired among interested parties. We should not lose sight of the fact that there is considerable cross-sector work going on at the moment, but there is little doubt that there could be more of it, and better.
Another thing we should all be able to agree on is that there is more to be gained by collaboration than by conflict. We have to step back from knee-jerk reactions and try to see the points of view of other participants in the debate for what they are.
There is a generation of young people coming through at the moment who are sceptical about the possibility of ever being able to afford their own homes.
An open and mature debate is required from people with the relevant experience and expertise in the field to find solutions which will satisfy everyone.
Trading insults is not going to help.
Andrew McFarlane is a consultant in the Glasgow North office of DM Hall Chartered Surveyors and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
For further information about DM Hall’s Scotland-wide network, please contact Neil McKenzie, Marketing Manager, DM Hall, Unit 3, Cadzow Park, 82 Muir Street, Hamilton, ML3 6BJ. T: 01698 284939. M: 07786 362517. E: neil.mckenzie@dmhall.co.uk. W: www.dmhall.co.uk.
It was announced yesterday that Prince Harry has become engaged to US actress and star of TV show Suits (Rachel Zane), Meghan Markle.
With the wedding predicted to take place in May 2018, there is much speculation about whether Prince Harry and Meghan Markle would or should enter into a pre-nuptial agreement prior to their marriage.
Currently around 50% of marriages end in divorce.
What is a pre-nuptial agreement?
A pre-nuptial agreement is a contract. It can be used to regulate the division of assets upon divorce or death.
Are pre-nuptial agreements enforceable in Scotland?
Although pre-nuptial agreements are untested in the Scottish courts, Scotland has long recognised that people should be able to enter into contracts as they wish. Pre-nuptial agreements are therefore valid in Scotland and the courts may take one into account provided that it was fair and reasonable at the time it was entered in to.
Why have a pre-nuptial agreement?
The most common desire is to protect assets owned prior to a marriage; or assets that are inherited or gifted to one party so that they remain the property of that person and do not go into the matrimonial pot for division. The division of such assets are often the subject of contentious and bitter arguments in a divorce, with much time and money being spent arguing about how these assets should be divided fairly. A pre-nuptial agreement can exclude such assets from the equation. They provide a degree of certainty. Without a pre-nuptial agreement, the statutory provisions apply leaving scope for parties and lawyers to argue about it.
Should they or shouldn’t they?
Pre-nuptial agreements often criticised as being unromantic or as being indicative that one does not love or trust their partner enough. In my opinion, pre-nuptial agreements encourage a couple to be honest and upfront with one another about their financial situation and their expectations for the marriage in a responsible and realistic way.
“You mean more to me than anything in the world and I need you to believe me…” Rachel Zane, Suits.
Not just where marriage is in contemplation…
With cohabiting couples now having limited rights to make a financial claim when the cohabitation comes to an end, a pre-cohabitation agreement can be entered into in the same way as a pre-nuptial agreement. For more information on pre-nuptial agreements please contact Blackadders Family Law team.
The introduction of Part 10 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016 has brought, as many are aware, an improvement in the options available to a 1991 Act tenant when considering a transfer of an interest in the tenancy.
Whereas under the existing Agricultural Holdings legislation it was already an option to the tenant to transfer his interest in a 1991 Act Tenancy either on death or during his lifetime, the category of people who could benefit from such a transfer without the risk of an incontestable notice to quit from the landlord, i.e. the “near relative successor” group, was quite narrowly defined. The near relative successors, who benefit from the availability of restrictive grounds of objection available to the landlord, originally only included the surviving spouse, surviving civil partner or a natural or adopted child of the tenant. The near relative successor group was expanded in 2012 with the addition of a grandchild. Although this was a welcome step forward, it did not provide a solution to tenants who wished to retain the interest in the 1991 Act Tenancy within the wider family. Particularly where in a farming business involving a brother or sister or other close relatives where there were no children of the tenant.
As most tenants and landlords are aware, the near relative group has now been expanded to a much larger family group which includes for e.g. a parent, a son or daughter-in-law, a sibling, a sister or brother-in-law or their further offspring. This widening of the “protected” group of successors does give the tenant who is planning for succession after death or upon retirement during lifetime a much wider choice as to who may benefit after his death or retirement from his interest in the tenancy. This of course has to be looked at hand in hand with a number of other provisions in the 2016 Act such as the Amnesty provisions for Tenant’s improvements and not in the least, the provisions relating to the Relinquishing and Assignation of Holdings. The latter in general terms, allows a 1991 Act tenant to serve notice on his landlord that he will quit the holding provided the landlord pays him the compensation provided for in the Act. If the compensation is not paid or the landlord does not wish to accept the tenant’s proposal, the tenant is then free to assign his interest in the tenancy to a new entrant to farming or to an individual who is progressing in farming.
So how may this work in practice? Imagine a scenario where a 1991 Act tenant does have children, however they are not interested in continuing on the farm, nor in taking on the tenancy interest. The current tenant does however wish to secure the value of his tenancy for his own family and children. Before the 2016 Act the tenant did not have many options available to him. Unless an agreement could be reached with the Landlord, he could, as many did, continue on as a tenant on the farm until his death. If there was nobody to transfer the interest to at that point, the tenancy would most likely terminate with any available way going claims becoming available to the tenant’s estate. The real value of the interest in the tenancy, however, would be lost.
Under the 2016 Act the tenant now has a number of options. Firstly, the tenant may either upon his death or during his lifetime assign his interest in the tenancy to a family member within the wider near relative group, for example, a nephew. In Which case, the value of the tenant’s interest would be secured within the wider family. However, this does not provide for a value to be transferred to the tenant’s own children. We need to consider whether in such a scenario, the payment of a premium by the proposed new tenant is an option. I don’t see why it could not be. As such we would effectively see a “sale” of the 1991 Act tenancy interest, thus providing for a value to be made available to the original 1991 Act tenant and his own family, children etc. Secondly, the tenant may decide to retire and make use of the relinquishment and assignation provisions. Again this would secure for the tenant either a compensation payment by the landlord or payment of a premium by the new entrant or individual progressing in farming who is to receive the benefit of an assignation of the lease.
It does not take much imagination to envisage the creation of a market in 1991 Act tenancies available for assignation. Whether this would result in increased availability of tenancies to new entrants remains to be seen.
We are seeing increased activity from Landlords with a rise in the number of discussions taking place between Landlords and Tenants on a possible relinquishment of the tenancy. This of course before the relevant provisions are in force in law and no doubt in anticipation thereof.
It is important, now perhaps more than ever, for tenant farmers to carefully consider their succession planning, this hand in hand with the opportunities offered for increased value as a result of the Amnesty provisions in relation to tenant’s improvements. When considering options careful consideration needs to be given to the effect any actions proposed may have on the tenant’s Inheritance Tax position and other applicable taxes and more particularly the effect of retirement or transfer on the available Business Property and Agricultural Property Reliefs available.
For more information on land transactions and tenancies please contact the Rural Land and Business team at Blackadders.
Picture this.
You have just finished writing the perfect blog you have dedicated your time and effort on. How about spending hours developing a brand new website, only to discover that you lack that awe-inspiring image.
Maybe you have proceeded surfing the Web looking for that said image, only to discover that through all the time spent registering an account that there was a hidden fee within the small print. Now imagine this scenario repeating again and again.
What if you finally found that website that offered free images, only to be deprived of the satisfaction due to low resolution, watermarks, blur or just a plan uninspiring image.
The truth of the matter is, high-quality stock photos often come hand-in-hand with a rather unpleasant fee. It is due to this that many people simply refuse to spend the time searching for high-quality images. Instead, they will continue to push out cheap and tacky stock photos to serve as a representation of their brand.
Although, investing the time in searching for these websites will eventually lead to you striking gold.
We know that your time is precious, and not everyone will have the time to dedicate their efforts to finding these websites.
Instead, we have done the effort for you. We have taken the liberty of searching the internet and creating a small list of what we believe are 5 of the best high-quality, royalty-free stock photo websites.
1. Pexels
Pexels offer a wide variety of hand-picked, high-resolution images collected from a diverse range of sources. So you can be sure to know that you are only receiving the best of the best.
The clean, slick and simplistic interface allows you to easily forage through thousands of images in varying categories from beautiful, breath-taking scenery to striking skylines.
You also have the ability to customise the sizing of each and every image you find before you decide to download. No more conforming to the standard small, medium and large options you may be familiar with.
By offering a flexibility option to their users, Pexels asserts themselves as the one-stop shop for all your pictorial desires.
All images offered by Pexels are licensed under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) License, meaning all pictures are completely free to be used for any legal purpose, whether this is for personal or commercial use, with no attribution required.
Find out more about Pexels’ licensing.
Searchable: Yes
Sign-Up Required: Optional (But not required to download images)
Attribution Required: No
2. Unsplash
Unsplash offer exclusive new royalty-free images every 10 days, and we have grown very fond of the unique images they serve up.
The sophisticated nature of each image ensures that you are not being provided with any of the tacky “fake smiling employees in a meeting” style shots.
Although downloading images on Unsplash does not require any attribution, they do encourage you to credit the original photographer where possible. It’s not much to ask in return for a free high-quality image, right?
If you find an image that takes your breath away, Unsplash gives you the ability to learn more and explore more pictures from the photographer.
As we have previously mentioned, each image on Unsplash is royalty-free. Every image is licensed by the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license. Users have the freedom to download, copy and modify any images they download from Unsplash without any attribution required.
Find out more about Unsplash’s licensing.
Searchable: Yes
Sign-Up Required: Optional (But not required to download images)
Attribution Required: No
3. Kaboom Pics
Now we move onto our third option; Kaboom Pics.
Kaboom Pics is an exceptional resource for offering high-quality images. Whether its food and fashion or nature and travel, Kaboom Pics covers a variety of categories from which users can explore and download for whatever they like, commercial or otherwise.
We feel Kaboom Pics goes above and beyond the rest through providing a complementary colours palette with each image.
The colour palette generate from each image comes with its own corresponding HEX colours, allowing you to adapt each image towards whichever project you are undertaking. No more worrying if an image will look out of place or change you colour scheme.
Check out more of Kaboom Pics’ licensing.
Searchable: Yes
Sign-Up Required: No
Attribution Required: No
4. Pixabay
With help of their slick and instinctive design, Pixabay serves as a repository for just under 800,000 free, high-quality images and illustrations. All of these images held in Pixabay’s repository are licensed under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license.
Many stock image websites may require you to manually cipher through thousands of images to find what you are looking for, but not Pixabay.
Pixabay simplifies your hunt for the perfect image through their main search bar allowing you to filter your images down by different factors including type, colour, orientation and even dimension size.
Once you have located your perfect image and chosen a suitable resolution, you are required to complete a Captcha to finalise the download process. However, you can cut out this extra process by signing up to a free account on Pixabay, although it is not required to download the image.
Discover more about Pixabay’s licensing.
Searchable: Yes
Sign-Up Required: Optional (But not required to download images)
Attribution Required: No
5. Stokpic
If you still find you are strapped for time to manually search for images, then fear not.
Stokpic will allow your mind to focus on the more important things by offering you the ability to receive 10 premium, hand-picked images sent directly to your inbox every fortnight.
However if time is on your side, you can easily search through a range of categories including technology, people and landscapes until you find your perfect image.
Similar to every resource we have mentioned previously, all image on Stokpic conform to the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license. So again, you are free to copy and modify the images to your hearts desire.
Discover more about Stokpic’s licensing.
Searchable: Yes
Sign-Up Required: No
Attribution Required: No
Honourable Mentions
We specifically picked out what we believe are the fives best free stock image websites currently available. That is not to say that there are not alternatives out there.
Instead, we felt it would be good to give some honourable mentions to other websites we feel should have some recognition for you to check out yourself.
Whether it’s art or technology you are looking for, Negative Space serves up brand new stock photos weekly. From stunning portraits and landscapes to sleek work stations, we are confident that you will not be disappointed with the collection Negative Space offers.
Negative Space invites anyone with a camera to contribute to the image warehouse, giving amateur photographers a platform to distribute and share their work with fellow creatives, and the world.
Sifting through the masses of images on Negative Space could not be easier with the help of their filter option, allowing you to sort images by category, copy space position and colour effortlessly.
Also, to continue the on-going trend, all images on Negative Space are shared without any copyright restrictions, allowing you to use them however you please.
Check out more about Negative Space’s licensing.
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If you are a modern creator looking for stunning lifestyle imagery, then you have come to the right place.
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However, in this case you could apply the popular saying; ‘quality over quantity’.
Similar to all other websites throughout this list, all images distributed by Free for Commercial Use are licensed under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) allowing you to modify, copy and distribute the images without permission.
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Conclusion
It is worth noting that choosing a stock image website is entirely subjective. You may find alternative websites that more closely suit your needs and requirements than the ones we provided in our list.
We hope that through the help of our list, we have given you a head-start on finding the perfect image for you.
Which website from our list do you prefer? Do you have any other websites not mentioned in our list that you prefer? We would love to hear!
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The annual fright-fest is getting bigger every year and now many companies mark Halloween by allowing staff to wear costumes in the office or hosting after-hours’ parties. It’s a fun way to create a break in routine but can be a scary time for employers.
Solicitor at employment law specialists, Law At Work, Paman Singh looks at how to avoid the perils associated with celebrating Halloween.
Fiendish Fancy Dress
A day of dressing up can lift the mood in the workplace, but co-workers could be spooked by costumes that are too revealing or in poor taste. There has been a growing trend for ’bad taste costumes’ but employees would be wise to consider if their outfits are offensive – such as the Oscar Pistorius ‘Blade Gunner’ outfit, now banned from Amazon, which came complete with boot-covers to represent his running blades and a gun. If you decide to allow a relaxed dress code, it’d be wise to send a reminder that appropriate attire is still expected.
As a practical tip, employees should be sure not to wear something which prevents them from carrying out required tasks. For instance, the popular comedy blow-up Tyrannosaurus-Rex costume may be an unwise choice for an employee who is required to be able to move around easily in their workspace.
Spirit Possession
Being taken over by a demon is one thing, being possessed by Jack Daniels is something else. Bosses are advised to make it clear to staff that the normal rules for alcohol in the workplace still apply and if alcohol is on tap then have plenty of water and soft drinks available. Employers are vicariously liable for the wellbeing and behaviour of staff even if a Halloween party is held outwith normal working hours and at a different location.
Shocktober
Employers should also be aware that office pranks may not be received in the way they were intended. With a reported 74% of workers[i] having taken part in an office prank it would be worth reminding employees that they should tread with caution. One prankster was fired from his job in a solicitor’s office for putting a beeping device in a colleague’s drawer. This led to a third-party security company being called in to search the entire building for ‘listening devices’ thought to have been placed by competitors. *The author can confirm that he was not involved in this incident.
Haunting Harassment
Employees dressing up may face jokes and remarks, however employers should reiterate that any fun should not spill over into harassment and ensure that all employees know that although it’s different from any other work day, that they are in work and normal rules still apply.
Deadly Decorations
It’s not enough to make sure that Halloween decorations aren’t in such bad taste that they offend some of your workforce or visitors to your premises, but consider too any health and safety issues. You could find yourself liable if an employee gets injured while stringing pumpkin bunting from the ceiling or turns up in a flammable costume that catches fire, potentially causing themselves serious harm or giving their colleagues an eyeful and an early scare.
Rites Rights
To Wiccans, Samhain (the beginning of winter) is a Pagan festival so demands for a day off should be treated in line with any other religion. Day of the Dead-style festivities are not considered appropriate on what is the most somber day of the year so there should be no pressure on employees from these creeds to take part, otherwise claims of workplace bullying could arise.
Paman says: “Halloween is one of those celebrations which some people embrace and others reject. If you choose to mark it in the workplace then you need to be sensitive to everyone’s views.
“Pranks and behaviour should still be appropriate to the workplace, even if your entire staff is dressed as Morticia and Uncle Fester. Mostly it comes down to common sense, but you would be well advised to set out a few guidelines to ensure that everyone has fun at work. There’s no need to over police any ghoulish gags, but an informal meeting reminding staff of the boundaries or issuing a memo would be wise.”
Edinburgh has always been a law unto itself in the property market, but current conditions are curious. In terms of activity, it has been quiet with a dearth of good stock. A consequence is that, when a good home comes up, frenzy ensues.
Stock has been in short supply all year, leading to regular closing dates and some pretty inflated prices. Recent reports suggest uplifts of 20% in the past three months compared to the same time in 2016.
Increasingly anxious buyers who have missed out on previous closing dates are exhibiting a tendency to throw significant amounts of money at the next one in the hope of beating off the competition.
This an understandable strategy in such an intense contest, but such cavalier buyers might reflect that their spending could come back to bite them when it comes to their turn to sell.
The consistent theme from agents this summer is simply that they have not had enough to sell, though what they have handled has shifted handsomely.
At root, the shortage is still caused by uncertainty, a lingering hangover from the shock of Brexit – and the snap General Election in the middle of the year didn’t do anyone any favours.
It came just as confidence was returning to the market, meaning that everything was put on hold again. It knocked the stuffing out of the Spring market and we segued straight into the slower paced Summer market.
It becomes self-perpetuating. People don’t want to sell their own property if they can’t be sure of finding something to buy. What we are seeing as a result of that is that new build sales are doing very well, with most sites sold out until Spring next year.
Untypically, builders are not having to offer incentives, as they normally would at this time of the year. People who want a bigger house are seeing the benefits of new build – no chain, a defined move-in date and relative certainty.
Another, quite visible, consequence of the current market is a spate of extensions, improvements and loft conversions as an alternative to moving. The lack of stock is making people ask: do I quite like living where I am?
Homeowners can acquire extra space without the costs of moving, such as Home Reports, removals and mortgages – although they pale into insignificance beside Land and Buildings Transaction Tax.
Central Edinburgh remains prime for Scotland but other hotspots are Stockbridge, with its village feel and good schools, Belleview and, pushing out from the New Town, Broughton.
To the south, Bruntsfield always does well and Marchmont is a great example of multiple types of occupiers, ranging from buy-to-let landlords, parents buying for student children and owner occupiers.
A two-bedroom flat in Marchmont with garden will need £450,000 to come out on top in a bidding war and three-bedroom tenement properties are going for up to half a million pounds.
Stockbridge properties, on the cusp of the New Town and with its own little high street, have seen sales in the £400,000 to £425,000 region, depending on the street.
Bungalows in districts such as Corstorphine and Willowbrae have not been transacting much but they are good family areas. An original two-bedroom, two reception room home should sell for £310,000 to £350,000 but buyers would have to add at least £100,000 to that for an extended four-bedroom.
The upper end is still slow, though good homes will sell well. An extended Belleview town house on the market recently at offers over £1.4 million had no trouble in going to a closing date.
There is still a lot of new build going on, particularly on greenfield sites with proximity to the bypass. A lot of speculative applications have been stopped by the publishing of the development plan but developers with permissions are confident of selling out a long way in advance.
In this market, expect land banks to be plundered.
Nicholas Hancock is a Residential Associate at the Edinburgh offices of DM Hall, one of Scotland’s leading firms of Chartered Surveyors.
For further information, please contact DM Hall Chartered Surveyors, 17 Corstorphine Road, Edinburgh EH12 6DD. T: 0141 624 6600. E: nicholas.hancock@dmhall.co.uk
OR contact Neil McKenzie, Marketing Manager, DM Hall, Unit 3, Cadzow Park, 82 Muir Street, Hamilton, ML3 6BJ. T: 01698 284939. M: 07786 362517. E: neil.mckenzie@dmhall.co.uk. W: www.dmhall.co.uk.
