Hi guys, to start things off Ive been employed at this job since may 6th this year, so 6+ months. Towards the beginning of my employment maybe for around 1 and a bit months i was shadowing another colleague, so taking a break was no problem as my manager had said that if you are loneworking you cannot take a break. Going forward i was practically doing nothing but loneworking, bar a couple shifts here and there, so i couldnt take my break. I asked if i could close the shop for 30 minutes to take my break, to which i was told no. Going forward to the beginning of this month i was made fully aware of my rights, and even discussed this with my collagues and they said this has been happening before i started and they know its illegal and hate it, why they havent reported it is out of my control. So for the past 4 days ive been texting my manager at the start of my shift; "who is coming to cover my shift today", to which they ignored me, until today which is the conversation in the image. Moving to nights is problematic because not only would i not really be able to work nights, but whoever they swapped me with would not be able to get a break.

Anyone have any advice? What should i say to her most recent text as i still havent responded yet? England

Good morning.

I've had an induction hob fitted by ao. Fitter came, swapped my old ceramic hob out with the new one, did some electrical testing, took some pictures and then left.

Later on I did some cooking and I had smoke coming from the cooker fuse/switch thing on the wall. Turned everything off.

I asked a mate who is very handy to come and have a look. He is not a qualified electrician.

He said that induction hobs require separate 6-10mm wires. The hob had been wired into 2.5mm wires which appears to have started to glow and melt in the wall when I used the hob for the first time.

He said that the fitter should have noticed this blatant wiring problem and refused to install it as the way it is wired now is almost guaranteed to cause an electrical fire. Which is basically what happened.

I have not spoken to ao about this yet.

My question is - do I have any recourse? Have they done anything wrong legally? How do I approach them?

I’m in shock and don’t know what to do.

We have had a huge change in our internal systems this year which is still ongoing as well as a new IT team.

My laptop was replaced 2 months ago so it’s new. With the new system there’s been plenty of hiccups but nothing major. Due to this, when it was acting up again on Friday I honestly didn’t think much of it and didn’t report it.

I came into work yesterday morning to an urgent email from IT asking if I’d been using my laptop during the night. I was confused so called them (ironically, given the email was sent at 00:00 I was worried it was phishing) - turns out it was true. My laptop had remained in the office so it certainly wasn’t me. They immediately changed all of my passwords.

Last night, I got a call on my personal mobile from them which has never happened before. They asked me if my laptop was off or in sleep mode. I told them I wasn’t sure. They asked me to check and I told them it’s not home, it’s in the office so I said I’ll drive in. He asked me to call when I got there. The device indeed was in sleep mode, not off. I asked what was happening and if it was serious.

He apologised for calling out of hours and then confirmed there’s been a very near miss of a major security breach: they’ve traced the programme back to Russia. It had managed to hack into a different departments super user admin, and was trying to access its server via my device (which fortunately doesn’t have that server on it). He said my device has been compromised and needs to be wiped entirely, changing the passwords isn’t enough.

The company has contracts with the MOD, which ironically is the reason for the new system - physical servers are no longer permitted by them and everything now needs to be on a cloud.

I’m stressed to death. I’ve admitted the laptop wasn’t off, and I don’t know if it is stated in my contract anywhere about it needing to be at night. Can I be implicated/ liable for not turning the device off at night?

Hi everyone,

I'm in a rather unusual situation with an eBay UK purchase and would appreciate some advice regarding my legal obligations.

For context, I live in Belfast in Northern Ireland and the seller lives in Isleworth, near London.

On August 6, I purchased Pokémon products on eBay UK for £1,680, including all fees and shipping. The parcel was sent via Royal Mail's "Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm" service but only with the service covering up to £750.

Unfortunately, the parcel got stuck at the local Royal Mail delivery office and never arrived within the expected delivery timeframe.

After waiting and trying to resolve the delivery issue, I opened an "Item Not Received" case with eBay. eBay eventually ruled in my favour, issued a full refund, and closed the case in late august. As the seller didn't use eBay shipping label, the money was taken directly from him.

To my surprise, the parcel was finally delivered on October 20, more than two months after the original purchase.

Here's where things get complicated.

After the delivery, the seller contacted me with a rather accusatory message, demanding that I send him the £1,680 via bank transfer. He also provided screenshots of his conversations with eBay.

However, after carefully reading those screenshots, I noticed that eBay had actually advised him to try to reach a mutual agreement with me and, if that failed, consider contacting the relevant authorities.

I explained to the seller that, since the parcel had been missing for over two months, I had already purchased the same products elsewhere. I therefore no longer needed the items and offered to return everything to him at my own expense.

The seller refused my return offer and insisted that I pay him via bank transfer instead.

I then contacted eBay customer support myself to clarify the situation.

According to the eBay representative:

- The seller should pursue compensation through Royal Mail for the delayed delivery.

- I am not required to send him money directly.

- If the seller refuses to accept the return, I can keep both the items and the refund.

However, I'm not entirely convinced by that last statement. From what I understand, under "UK law", receiving a refund for an undelivered order doesn't necessarily mean I become the legal owner of the goods if they eventually arrive.

I want to make it clear that I'm not trying to take advantage of the seller or keep something I'm not legally entitled to. I'm perfectly willing to return the items. I simply don't want to pay £1,680 for products I no longer need, especially when the delivery was delayed by more than two months through no fault of my own.

My question are:
If the seller categorically refuses to accept the return and continues to demand a bank transfer, what am I legally supposed to do?
And if he agrees to accept the return, who would be responsible for the return shipping costs? Would I have to pay for the shipping label, or would he be expected to cover it?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

This is in England and the house is let out by one of or maybe even the largest Social Housing provider in the country.

Neighbours have had their suspicions on the property with multiple cars filling the street in recent weeks at all hours of day / night since the property was let out and the fact that windows always have the curtains closed.

When the property was first let out it looked as though it was going to a family with a child though the lady and child have not been seen since, just lots of men using this house.

Recently the door was left open on the property so a neighbor (not me) decided to go have a look and make sure whoever was there is okay, they walked in and confirm that there is multiple mattresses on the floor in each of the rooms, what can be done?

Can someone advise me of what action can actually be taken?

This took place as part of the storm boelo.

Can this letter be used as proof?

We purchased an ikea kitchen on 4 years interest free loan for a total of 4.8k so we would have to pay £100 a month for 4 years an amount we could afford and budget for.

The loan comes through their bank, Ikano Bank

Ikano Bank actually gave us a loan for 15k and said the amount we don't spend will drop off after 90 days and we would only owe whet we spent.

The 90 days are up so we cannot spend that loan if we wanted too and has dropped off.

The issue is Ikano Bank have spread the whole 15k over 4 years so we are now paying £312.50 a month on the 4.8k loan and will pay it off after 15 odd months.

We cannot afford that so we complained and they said tough we gave you 15k not our problem you didn't spend it.

I am aware of the ombudsman but that can take a while is there any other legal avenues open to us?

EDIT : Not sure if it matters but we agreed the 4 years with Ikea and Ikea Financial Services, it changed to Ikano on 30th September 2026

My bio dad died under two weeks ago.
We were estranged, he was a drunk and abusive and awful to my mum.
His sister contacted me to say he appointed his brother as his next of kin when in a hospice. But they don’t know if he has a will. And that his brother is selling off his things to pay for his funeral but it’s not been organised yet.
I understand if there’s no will and he died intestate then it legally all falls to me as his only living child. He had no partner or other children.
I don’t think he even owned his home. But he has some old classic cars and an upholstery business. I don’t want his siblings just selling off his stuff like he never existed and I’m pretty sure legally they can’t until they figure out if a will was in place or anything else.
I’ve asked the brother in charge to contact me asap and haven’t heard back yet.
I’ve looked on the gov website for a will but nothings there and they said it could take six weeks to show.
Do I hire a probate lawyer to send his brother a letter to stop any selling of his assets or wait?
They’re greedy and I don’t want to lose his things to strangers as despite everything he was around until I was 12 and it just feels wrong.
Can someone write down a step by step guide I’m autistic and completely overwhelmed and confused and angry.

​Hi everyone, I’m feeling extremely anxious and panicked about a situation today. I’d appreciate any realistic advice from UK police officers or legal experts on what this procedure actually means.

​The Situation:

​9:10 AM: Three uniformed officers turned up at my flat in London while I was at work.

​The Visit: They asked for me by name to my housemate and asked when I’d be home, sharing no details.

​Housemate Interaction: They said, "We'll keep coming until we speak to him" and "He isn't in trouble" (though I know officers might say that to prevent someone running or panicking).

​Reference Number: They left a reference number and told me to call 101.

​The 101 Call:

​I called 101 with the reference number. They took my details, asked where I was, and when I'd be home (I told them I travel for work and am away for a few days).

​I asked for details or the officer's name. The call handler refused to give the name and said the officer would call me back.

​Shortly after, the 101 handler called me back and said I should just go into a police station with ID, as the officer will not discuss the matter over the phone.

​Why I'm terrified this is an arrest setup:

​It feels like "attend to be arrested": Without a booked appointment, an officer name, or a voluntary interview slot, being told to simply "walk into a station with ID" strongly suggests they just want me in a police building so they can arrest and caution me on arrival.

​Multiple stations & shift patterns: In London, there are dozens of stations. Walking into a random front desk without a booked slot or specific officer expecting me makes no sense unless front desk staff are just flagged to detain me when I scan in / present ID.

​No direct communication: They have my phone number and home address, yet refuse to discuss anything on the phone or schedule a proper voluntary interview (VA).

​Work & travel risk: I travel for work and cannot afford to walk blindly into a station, get locked in a cell overnight, and lose my job/commitments.

​Questions:

​Does telling someone to "come to a station with ID" without booking an interview slot usually mean a planned arrest on arrival?

​If they intended to arrest me, why leave a reference number and tell me to call 101 instead of just waiting at my flat or putting a warrant out?

​Should I instruct a criminal defense solicitor right now to call the officer/station on my behalf before I go anywhere near a station?

Update its 3pm and no call yet. They have my number but nothing

Hi all

I'm in England and looking for advice on some next steps concerning an HMO in the property next door to mine.

I live in a semi-detached house. The property next door has been unoccupied since 2020 when the elderly owners were moved into residential care. After they passed away, the house was sold and planning permission sought, which was granted in July 2026 and we had no objections to it.

The day that planning permission was granted, builders moved into the property. It is a 2 bed, 1 bathroom house, and there are currently at least 13 men living in there every night. They are not yet undertaking any building work on the property, but are presently using it as a base and building yard while they work on other properties. There are cars and vans that come and go all night, dropping people off and picking people up. They are dumping rubbish from other sites onto the property (environmental health has already been called several times because of the mess they have made) and doing all the dumping and moving heavy equipment at antisocial hours e.g. at 6am in the morning.

We have spoken to the council about this, and they have been investigating the situation. However, after several weeks of trying to track down the landlord (who lives abroad), we have now been told that there is nothing the council can do because the landlord has permitted them to live there.

Are there any next steps we can take? We are effectively living next to a hostel, and cannot speak to the builders about their practices because they do not speak English. The house does not appear on the HMO list and for a house of that many people I believe planning permission is also required. It is incredibly noisy to live attached to a property housing the equivalent of a football team.

Thanks for any advice!

I’m in England.

I’m a landlord and my tenants would like to get a dog. I agreed but I needed to get consent from the property management company as it’s a leasehold flat.

They have also agreed, but said they are going to charge me £192. This is from their first email:

“As part of our pet policy, a pet consent fee of £192.00 is required.”   I emailed back and asked what this fee is for and how they justified it, because the only part of the lease that mentions pets says:

‘18.4 Not to keep on the Demised Premises any dog cat or other animal without the Management Company’s consent which consent can be withdrawn where the permitted animal causes nuisance or annoyance to any of the other occupants of the Apartments;’

They came back with this:

“The lease contains clause 17.4, which allows reasonable registration fees, subject to a minimum of £50, plus VAT where properly chargeable, for notifying the landlord, developer and Management Company of dealings with the property   The £192.00 is our charge for the consent which does include VAT.   I have attached our summary of Rights and Obligations with regards to admin fees.”

This is clause 17.4:

‘To give to the landlord the developer and the management company notice of every dealing with or underwriting or transmission of the legal estate in the demised premises including all mortgages or legal charges of the demised premises within 21 days after the same shall occur and to pay to each of the landlord the developer and the management company such reasonable registration fees (but not being less than 50 pounds) and any VAT properly chargeable their own as the landlord of the developer and the management company, respectively shall from time to time determined.’

I am pretty sure this clause doesn’t have anything to do with pets, it’s about ‘dealings’ with the property which I take to mean as selling or letting.

I didn’t notice this at first and already emailed them back again to ask them to explain how £192 is reasonable and what they are going to do for that money, I haven’t heard back yet.

I just don’t understand how they can say yeah sure, get a dog, and apply a random (seemingly meaningless) fee?!

Is this legal and can they justify this- do I just need to accept it?

My bicycle was stolen from a residential bike storage area a few weeks ago.
Recently, I found a bicycle advertised on Facebook Marketplace that I’m confident is mine. I have the original purchase invoice, photos showing unique damage and modifications, and other evidence of ownership.
I’ve already reported everything to the police, including the seller’s details, location, screenshots of the listing and my evidence.
However, the bicycle is still being advertised, and the seller has started reducing the price. I’m worried it will be sold before anything happens.
The officer handling my case is currently off duty, and I’m struggling to get any progress.
I understand the seller might not be the person who originally stole it, but surely the bicycle itself can still be investigated as suspected stolen property?
Has anyone in England experienced something similar?
Would visiting a police station in person help? Can I request that another officer or a supervisor reviews the case while the investigating officer is unavailable?
I’m not looking to confront the seller or do anything illegal. I just want to recover my property before it disappears.
Any advice or personal experiences would be appreciated.

I’m a fully blind tech worker and have been working with the same support worker, both in person and remotely, for over four years.

He supported me throughout my degree apprenticeship at a major global technology company and continued working with me afterwards, including during my time at a leading international consultancy.

I recently accepted a new role at a large, well-established technology company, which came with a significant pay rise. Around a month before I was due to start, I explained that I’m fully blind and have a support worker who helps me with my job. I explained how the arrangement works and that his salary is funded through Access to Work.

The company confirmed that this was fine and that he could start alongside me.

However, on my first day, I was told that he couldn’t start because the company couldn’t make the arrangement work financially at that time. They also tried to delay my start date, but I had already signed my contract and left my previous job.

It’s now been four months since I started, and five months since I first raised this with them, and I’m starting to feel like the process is being dragged out.

My support worker is employed by an agency, which can arrange a contract with my employer so that he can continue supporting me through the agency. This is the arrangement I’ve had in place for over four years, and it has worked well.
The delay has also put my support worker in a difficult position financially.

He’s had to find other work in the meantime, and he’s now been offered a permanent role elsewhere. As he has dependants to support, he may have no choice but to accept it.

I’m really frustrated with how this has been handled. I was upfront about my disability and the support I needed before accepting the job, and I was told that it wouldn’t be a problem. I made a big career move, left my previous employer and joined the company on that understanding.

I don’t want to start again with a new support worker. We’ve worked together for over four years, and he already understands how I work, what I need help with and how best to support me. Finding someone new and getting them up to speed would be a major disruption.

I appreciate that there may be processes to work through, but five months is a long time to leave something like this unresolved, especially when it was discussed and agreed before I joined. I feel like I’ve been messed around, and I’m disappointed that the situation has been allowed to reach the point where I could lose the support worker I’ve relied on for years.

All I want is for the company to follow through on what was agreed before I joined and sort this out before it’s too late.

England + Wales

My husband and I dropped my parents off at Heathrow airport. Husband got confused and entered the wrong car park, leaving immediately. The car didn’t stop and didn’t park, the PCN displays the entry time and exit time.

Can I challenge this and expect to win? Or shall I ignore it?

EDIT: Straight afterwards my husband re entered the car park, we stayed for two hours to help drop off my parents and I paid the £50 charge before midnight the next day.

I recently moved into a new flat and ordered a sofa from Sofa Club. There was a storm here and the weather wasn’t great. The delivery driver’s van had too much stuff in it and my sofa was right at the back so he said he would have to unload the thing onto the wet pavement and then take my sofa out while everything is left in the rain, he also had difficulty parking because my street is busy and I cannot reserve a space. I don’t drive and if I were to try put a cone in a space for the delivery the tenants would not be happy I don’t think.

The delivery had to be rescheduled and I was understanding about this. What I didn’t realise is that I would have to pay a further £129 redelivery fee on top of the £129 I already paid. I can’t really afford to be paying this for something I haven’t even received, for something that wasn’t my fault. Sofa Club is making it seem like it is my responsibility to have a parking space available and have since went dark on me through their customer service which seems to only be carried out through WhatsApp.

Something to note is that their website does say there is a £129 delivery fee, but the website also says if your sofa arrived and you don’t like it for any reason, a full refund is present including delivery.

Please offer advice, thank you

Can I claim back money I paid directly to two company directors personally, now that their company has been struck off?

In 2021 I had a JCT building contract with a limited company. In December 2021 and January 2022, at the directors' request, I paid two of them personally by bank transfer, about £70k between them. There were no invoices or receipts, and no final account was ever given. The company was struck off in 2022.
I plan to get a solicitor's review but would welcome views on whether a personal claim is realistic.

[England] Hey, looking for some advice about a situation with an independent garage. My car was leaking coolant, so I initially took it in for them to have a look. They said the coolant return line had come disconnected and told me to bring it back on Thursday to fix it. When I dropped it off, I specifically told them that I suspected the water pump might actually be leaking, and if that was the case, to let me know before doing anything beyond the repair we’d agreed on, because i had a different place to do the water pump job for cheaper.

Later that afternoon, around 4–4:30pm, they called to say they’d found the water pump leaking, removed it and ordered a replacement, but the supplier had delivered the wrong part. They then told me they couldn’t get the correct part in time and the garage would be closed for an extended period, meaning I’d be without my car for around 11 days. I hadn’t authorised them to remove the water pump before speaking to me, but by the time they called, it was already dismantled and there was no realistic way for me to simply take the car away. They now intend to charge me for 3 hours’ labour and the water pump, compared with the original job I’d agreed to: the coolant return line and 1.5 hours’ labour.

The garage has no courtesy cars and isn’t part of The Motor Ombudsman. I’m now having to pay for Ubers to get to work and hospital appointments, with a newborn baby at home as my partner gave birth just two weeks ago. I understand that parts delays happen, but I’m frustrated that they went ahead with work I’d specifically asked them to check with me about first. Given that most of the conversations were in person and I have no written proof of what was said, do I have any grounds to dispute the extra labour or claim any of my transport costs back? Or is this basically a case of my word against theirs?

Im not 100 percent sure this is the correct sub but this has been on my mind for years so I’m hoping to understand the situation better. I live in wales but the assault happened in England when I lived at a different address. I was 14 at the time and struggle to remember much of what happened afterwards.

A police officer came to my house and made it clear that there was no point in pressing charges, as he would get nothing more than a stern talking to if found guilty. instead of going to court, she advised I just gave them my information and name so they could have it on record and contact me if he ever did it again to anyone else, then they could call me if there was another case. I don’t fully remember.

I believe they took my number, maybe my mum’s because I was underage. If they got into contact, would they send a letter to the old address? And what would the process look like? I suppose my biggest question is what does this mean? it feels like a bomb waiting to go off and I don’t feel that she gave me very much clarity in the situation. what does it mean that my statement is on record?

thank you so much

Unsure if this is the right place to post but if nothing comes of here I'll try in UK Housing. I'm currently remortgaging and our ground rent company have been approached by our conveyancing solicitor. Ground rent company have replied and said that we owe them a small amount (under £100) - I've paid all ground rent of £16 a year since I've owned the house so I'm not sure what this is about. Presumably, this includes some sort of late payment admin fee, but I wouldnt know because they've never issued a letter or demand for payment to say that.

To stop my remortgage stalling I'm going to have to pay it, but I need to make it clear that I don't believe I owe this money at all. Is there some kind of ombudsman who is able to help with this? The company in question is Ladybrook Securities, who are by all accounts a bunch of scam artists. Pretty sure this absolute shower are acting outside of the law but I've no idea really. The solicitor is just one provided with my mortgage offer and aren't great, though they have gone back to the freeholder for evidence.

I'm writing on behalf of a third party.

They moved both themselves and their nearly-adult children across the country to escape DV/DA environment, which had continued post-separation.

Multiple agencies from both the original county and the county they settled in were involved.

They used all of their resources to move without alarming the aggressive party, leaving friends, educational settings, and belongings behind.

Upon the children being enrolled in new educational settings, the council of their new location has sent an EHCP document to the aggressive party, which disclosed the educational setting's details, along with their new home address.

Multiple flags have been raised within the local authority and, after escaping to safety, the people in question are now in a similar vulnerable position. They're unable to move again, and don't have the resources to employ a solicitor to advise and represent them.

The council in question have admitted fault over the phone and recognise that they've made a massive breach of data and put the children and parent in danger.

What would be the recommended first and follow up steps?

Is it likely to be settled out of court? (The ordeal has already caused massive emotional distress)

Please offer any guidance so that I may pass it on

Many thanks

Place of Work

Your place of work is your home address as indicated on our records or at such other location or locations within the

United Kingdom as the Employer may from time to time direct. Your nearest designated ofce is xxxxxxxxxx

(Homeworking). 

Remote working from home is in accordance with the Flexible Working from Home (FWFH) Policy. By signing this

contract, you accept the terms of the policy.

You may be required to travel to any location within the United Kingdom for the performance of your duties.

I have been told this morning as from next month it is mandatory for office attendance 2 days a week as per the above in my contract.

This is going to be financially unaffordable for me, and wondered, legally is there any route to challenge to continue working from home or absolute minimal office attendance.

Employed less than 2 years.

I am an employee at an institution in England and worked there for 10 years. I’m representing myself in an Employment Tribunal whistleblowing detriment claim in England. The respondent has applied for a preliminary hearing on whether two communications qualify under section 43B ERA 1996.

The first described an apparent inconsistency in an organisational process and asked for clarification. The second added facts and raised wider concerns about governance and financial controls.

The central dispute is whether I reasonably believed the information showed a failure to comply with a legal obligation, rather than simply unfairness or poor administration.

Keeping details anonymous, my main questions are:

1. How precisely must someone understand the legal obligation when disclosing? What distinguishes a binding policy or contractual requirement from an expectation of good administration?
   
2. Can an email framed as a clarification request qualify if it also communicates concrete facts? How should earlier correspondence be identified as relevant context?
   
3. What evidence best demonstrates a contemporary public-interest belief where the worker was also personally affected?
   
4. When does later identifying specific legal or policy provisions clarify an existing claim, rather than require an amendment?
   
5. How can limited document disclosure before the hearing be justified without expanding it into the full merits?

I’m looking for authorities and practical preparation advice, not predictions about the outcome. I’ve omitted identifying details because proceedings are ongoing.

UK employment advice – notice pay after failing probation
I started a job on 21 September 2026, earning £20.63 an hour for 40 hours a week, with a three-month probation period.
I was dismissed in October after leaving around 15–20 minutes early one day and then messaging my manager to say I was unwell and wouldn’t be in the following day. I said I hoped to return the next week. The response was that I’d failed probation because they didn’t think I was a suitable match for the company. I hadn’t formally resigned, and the message didn’t explicitly say gross misconduct.
My contract states that the employer must give one week’s notice after one month’s service and before successfully completing probation. It also says they can pay in lieu of notice instead of requiring someone to work it.
One week’s pay would be around £825.20 gross.
I’ve contacted the person handling my final pay. She said the accounts manager was discussing it with the directors and that she’d get back to me by the following morning.
I’m also expecting my outstanding wages and accrued holiday pay, and there may be a £60 PPE deduction. I’ve had issues receiving my payslips too.
My questions:
Am I entitled to the week’s notice pay under my contract?
Can they withhold it because I failed probation or because I left early and reported sick the next day?
Can they legally deduct money for PPE?
If they refuse to pay the notice amount, what should I do next?
Appreciate any advice from people familiar with UK employment law.