Light Up Orpington was a huge success! Firstly we would like to thank everyone that came over to our stall and tried our amazing virtual reality games, as well as having a go in our giant snowglobe!Our team of experts set up two HTC Vive Virtual Reality systems. One system with the rhythm based lightsaber game BeatSaber, and the other with the massively popular Merry Snowballs, just to get you in the holiday spirit. We had a lot of people wanting to try out the games, and it was great to see the smiles on peoples faces as they were transported to this other ‘virtual’ world!Our Giant Snowglobe was also a huge hit, with so many people wanting to have a play in the snow on a rather warm evening. It’s amazing to see everyones photos in the snowglobe on social media, we are very glad that you all enjoyed taking photos with our Manak Snowman!We also provided sweets and drinks for everyone to keep you going on a busy night.We would like to give a big shout out to Sunshine Events for providing the VR and Snowglobe for us. And also a big thank you to Orpington 1st for somehow making the event bigger and better each and every year!And of course, thank you once again to every single person that came to see us at the event. It was amazing to see the Christmas spirit of the Orpington locals, and watch you enjoy the activities we put on for you. Thank you!

PRESS RELEASELocal solicitor, Nosheen Bukhari from Manak Solicitors issues warning about the Government’s online tool for Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs)LPA tool leaving people at risk of financial abuse and fraudCoalition of organisations including Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE), Action on Elder Abuse, Anchor, Contact the Elderly and SOLLA are backing new reportLocal solicitor Nosheen Bukhari from Manak Solicitorsbased in Orpington has joined a number of organisations representing older and vulnerable people to raise serious concerns around the Government’s online tool for creating Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs).An LPA is a powerful legal document that allows a person to appoint trusted individuals to make important decisions about care and finances on their behalf, in the event of a loss of mental capacity through an accident or illness such as dementia.In May 2014, the Government’s Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) launched its online LPA tool, which it claims allows people to create the documents without the need for professional advice from a solicitor.But a new report, published by a coalition of organisations led by SFE, warns that anyone creating an LPA without taking specialist legal advice faces a significantly higher risk of being left with an ineffective legal document, incurring additional application fees, and even becoming a victim of fraud or coercion.The report also raises concerns around the potential of a completely digital system proposed by the OPG, whereby ‘wet signatures’ – the physical signing of the document – would no longer be required.Nosheen Bukhari is a Full Accredited member of SFE, and said: “The prospect of being able to submit an LPA application entirely digitally is extremely concerning, and raises some serious questions around the potential for fraud and financial abuse.”During a study conducted for the report, participants were invited to create LPAs using the OPG’s online tool and other ‘DIY’ methods. The study revealed that:Some of the forms did not accurately express the way in which participants would want their affairs and welfare to be handled in the futureDocuments made using DIY methods were more likely to contain elementary mistakes, rendering them ineffective and requiring additional application feesFollowing consultation with a solicitor, most participants made significant changes to the permissions of their documents regarding how and by whom their affairs were managedJune McSparron, a 75-year-old who participated in the study, said: “You’re exposing yourself to a lot of risk by filling this form in on your own. There are so many bits that you can get wrong, and you can easily be pressured into making choices that you’re not entirely comfortable with.”The number of LPAs being registered has increased steadily since the launch of the online tool, with over half a million registered in 2015/16 alone. The OPG is actively trying to convince more people to apply for LPAs online, having set a target for the service to comprise 30% of all applications from April 2016 to March 2017. In its latest Annual Report, the OPG even admits it is willing to take ‘risks’ in striking a balance between ‘empowering and safeguarding’.With the OPG already receiving over 1,000 calls to its contact centre every day, the organisations behind the campaign say the Government body is potentially exposing people to unacceptable levels of risk and in doing so may be compromising its ability to safeguard those who are most vulnerable.Nosheen Bukhari said: “An LPA is by far the most powerful and important legal document an individual can have, because it allows you to pass potentially life-changing decisions about your affairs on to a third party.“It’s absolutely right that people should be planning ahead for the future with LPAs, but granting someone this sort of authority over your affairs is an extremely big responsibility for all parties involved. This is a specialist area of the law, and we recommend that anyone considering an LPA goes to a legal expert to ensure they get the right advice, consider all the options, and safeguard themselves for the future.”To download the report ‘The Real Cost of DIY LPAs’ go to: https://sfe.legal/downloads/-Ends-

With over two million landlords in the UK renting properties to tenants, it is more important than ever for landlords and tenants to understand their rights when it comes to terminating a tenancy.One way in which a landlord can seek possession of his property is by virtue of section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 (“section 21”). A notice pursuant to section 21 can be served on a tenant at any stage of the tenancy but not within the first four months of a tenancy. In addition, a section 21 notice cannot be served by a landlord in retaliation to any complaints raised by the tenant about the property.A section 21 notice runs for a period of two clear months and upon expiry of the notice, the tenant must leave the property. A failure to vacate may lead to the landlord initiating a possession claim in the courts to obtain an order for possession, and the tenant may find themselves liable for the landlord’s costs for bringing said claim.The notice itself must be in a specific, prescribed format and it is important for landlords to note that a section 21 notice can only be used where the following documents have been served on the landlord at the commencement of the tenancy:“How to rent” checklistEPC certificateGas safety certificatePrescribed information about the protection of any depositIn addition, if the landlord has taken a deposit from the tenant, this must have been protected in a tenancy deposit scheme within 30 days of receiving the deposit. If the deposit has not been protected, a section 21 notice cannot be served. Further, the tenant may also claim against the landlord for a value of up to 3 times the value of the deposit, due to the landlord’s failure to correctly protect it.If you are a landlord who requires assistance with obtaining possession of a property, or if you are a tenant who has been served with a section 21 notice, it is important that you understand your legal rights and the options available to you. Telephone our offices on 01689 870 769 to book in for an initial consultation with one of our experienced property solicitors today.By Amarjit Atwal

Sevenoaks Swimming Club swimmer, Jaedon Lynch 12 yrs, has been selected to the Jamaican National Squad for the Central American and Caribbean Championships to be held in Aruba over June 28th to July 4th 2018as part of the CCCAN Games 2018.With 37 countries competing in these games it is a huge honour and immensely exciting for Jaedon to be selected to compete at such an prestigious event.Jaedon has been a member of Sevenoaks Swimming Club since 2017 and this is the second National call up for our talented youngster.Sevenoaks Swimming Club wishes Jaedon the very best of luck during the competition and look forward to hearing of his success on his return. The whole Club is incredibly proud of his achievement.

Thursday 2nd August was our first ever Manak Solicitors Golf Day, held at Westerham Golf Club. On a beautiful sunny day with great course conditions, we had 30 clients and friends take part to win the “Claret Jug”!To start off the day, we had an excellent full English breakfast, served by the kitchen staff at Westerham Golf Club. At breakfast, all participants were provided with customised Manak Titleist golf balls, and a handful of tees to use in their round. The groups went out on the incredible 18 hole course between 09:44 and 10:15, and manoeuvred their way around the tricky greens and fairways. On a very warm day, the greens certainly played fast and firm, which made for some interesting putting! After the final groups finished on the 18th, everyone went into the clubhouse to cool down and get ready for the afternoon entertainment! Attending our first Manak Golf Day was golf trick shot artist Kevin Carpenter. Kevin put on a phenomenal show, hitting 300 yard drives off a unicycle, crushing golf balls from a chest high tee, and many more amazing acts. His skills had to be seen to be believed, and he even allowed the spectators to have a go with a few of the tricks. A big thank you to Kevin for attending and putting on the show, as well as sticking around for the award ceremony at the end of the day. After the excitement of Kevin’s display on the driving range, it was time for a late lunch. A special thanks to the staff at Westerham Golf Course who provided a wonderful three-course meal for all of our attendees. Next, it was time to announce the winner of the coveted “Claret Jug”. Congratulations to Dal who went home with the trophy, and we look forward to seeing him defend his title at our next golf day! Another special guest of ours was Steph Harrison from Breast Cancer Care. Steph gave an incredibly moving speech about the impact our donations can have on those living with breast cancer. We are proud to say that we were able to collect £500 for the cause. After the success of this event, we will definitely be planning bigger and better things for our next golf day. Thank you to everyone who attended and made this day very special. If you would like to read more about Kevin Carpenter and Breast Cancer Care, please use the links below.   Kevin Carpenter – http://kcgolfshow.com/ Breast Cancer Care – www.breastcanceruk.org.uk 

It is quite clear that we are in for a period of economic turbulence and 4th August 2016 saw the Bank of England cut its key lending rate to a record low of 0.25%. The Bank warned that there will be “little growth in GDP in the second half of the year”. In response, the Chancellor said “Alongside the actions that the Bank is taking, I am prepared to take any necessary steps to support the economy and promote confidence.”On the employment law front our Head of Employment Tony Bertin addressed major businesses in Kent in May 2016 at the Manak Breakfast Forums and said he expected few changes whatever the result.The majority of our employment law is actually home grown and the right not to be unfairly dismissed dates back to 1971 before the UK even joined the then Common Market. It is in fact our law on discrimination that has been widely adopted by the EU.In fact, since the referendum result Secretary of State for leaving the EU, David Davis has insisted there will be no major changes in employment rights. In a blog on the “Conservative Home” website he is quoted as saying “To be clear, I am not talking here about employment regulation. All the empirical studies show that it is not employment regulation that stultifies economic growth, but all the other market-related regulations, many of them wholly unnecessary.“Britain has a relatively flexible workforce, and so long as the employment law environment stays reasonably stable it should not be a problem for business.”In due course we at Manaks anticipate changes in the Immigration framework, but until negotiations begin with our European partners it is difficult to say what these might be.  However, we do not expect any serious issues for EU citizens already living and working here.Our Head of Immigration Kemesha Lynch will be writing on this topic when we know more.

Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes sets out the commitments that the government has made to support the ‘Windrush’ generation.Click here for the full detailsContact Manak Solicitors for any Immigration queries you may have.

A short video of our brilliant Virtual Reality experience at the Orpington 1st Christmas lights event in November 2017!

Manak Solicitors had an ‘out of this world’ presence at the Orpington Christmas Lights event this year- literally! We decided to do something special for the town and provided residents with the opportunity to experience the best virtual reality (VR) available today. A team of experts set up two HTC Vive headsets for people to use free of charge throughout the night. The demand was constant, if not overwhelming, and seeing the faces of those taking off their headset after having a snowball fight in a utopian winter street was brilliant.There were two experiences available during the evening. We had our featured game, Merry Snowballs, which was chosen for it’s Christmas theme and fun gameplay. Then we had Audioshield, chosen to really show off what VR is capable of. They both went down very well with the public.Our attraction caught the attention of people of all ages which was great to see. Younger ones were particularly keen, but parents were often just as eager to have a go. We have some great images and footage of the event and will be posting a video montage in the coming days on our brand new YouTube channel, so look out for that.We also ran a competition to win an M&S Christmas hamper. We had almost 100 entries which was fantastic. The winner of this will be announced very shortly- good luck to all!Overall, the night was a big success and we would like to extend our thanks to Orpington 1st for improving this showcase event year after year. We are already looking forward to 2018 and thinking up ways of enhancing our offering!