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Setting up a business involves complying with a range of legal requirements. Find out which ones apply to you and your new enterprise.

Every business needs to be aware of its obligations under minimum wage and equal pay laws, as well as recent pensions auto-enrolment changes.

What particular regulations do specific types of business (such as a hotel, or a printer, or a taxi firm) need to follow? We explain some of the key legal issues to consider for 200 types of business.

While poor governance can bring serious legal consequences, the law can also protect business owners and managers and help to prevent conflict.

You must comply with legal restrictions on employees' working hours and time off, or risk claims, enforcement action and even prosecution.

The right employment policies are an essential part of effective staff management. Make sure any policy is clear and well communicated to employees.

Whether you want to raise finance, join forces with someone else, buy or sell a business, it pays to be aware of the legal implications.

While sick employees need to be treated fairly, you need to ensure that 'sickness' is not being used as cover for unauthorised absence.

Marketing matters. Marketing drives sales for businesses of all sizes by ensuring that customers think of their brand when they want to buy.

Most pregnant employees are entitled to maternity leave and maternity pay, while new fathers are entitled to paternity leave and paternity pay.

Commercial disputes can prove time-consuming, stressful and expensive, but having robust legal agreements can help to prevent them from occurring.

As well as undermining morale, illegal discrimination can lead to workplace grievances. Employee discrimination is covered by the Equality Act 2010.

Whether your business owns or rents premises, your legal liabilities can be substantial. Commercial property law is complex, but you can avoid common pitfalls.

Home, remote and lone workers are becoming increasingly commonplace. Key issues include communication and how to manage and motivate people remotely.

With information and sound advice, living up to your legal responsibilities to safeguard your employees, customers and visitors need not be difficult or costly.

The right approach to consulting with and providing information to your employees can improve employee motivation and performance.

As information technology continues to evolve, legislation must also change. It affects everything from data protection and online selling to internet policies for employees.

Disciplinary and grievance issues can be a major burden to employers. Putting in place and following the right procedures is essential.

Following the right dismissal and redundancy procedures helps protect your business and minimise the risk of a legal dispute at tribunal.

Intellectual property (IP) isn't solely relevant to larger businesses or those involved in developing innovative new products: all products have IP.

Employment tribunal claims are a worrying prospect for any employer. A tribunal case is a no-win situation – even if the claim is unjustified.

Knowing how and when you plan to sell or relinquish control of your business can help you to make better decisions and achieve the best possible outcome.

From bereavement, wills, inheritance, separation and divorce to selling a house, personal injury and traffic offences, learn more about your personal legal rights.

Small firms paying out thousands in refunds in 2020

8 December 2020

As online shopping has increased during the pandemic, so too has the number of shoppers returning items to get a refund.

Changing consumer behaviour - including a fall in cash payments and a rise in online shopping - is driving an uplift in the number of shoppers seeking to return their purchases. New data from Paymentsense has revealed which parts of the UK are hotspots when it comes to shoppers asking for refunds.

According to Paymentsense, pre-pandemic shoppers were returning a huge £7 billion purchases every year. Its data shows that this year (between May and October), many businesses in towns and cities across the UK were having to pay out hundreds of pounds in refunds.

The biggest hotspot in the UK is Bolton - businesses there paid out £1,300 in refunds per month between May-October this year, almost twice as much as any other UK town or city. Milton Keynes refunded just £265 per month.

The top ten hotspots for high levels of refunds are:

  • Bolton (refunding £1,330 per month);
  • Southall (£686);
  • Reading (£562);
  • Oxford (£549);
  • Bromley (£491);
  • Preston (£484);
  • Walsall (£475);
  • Perth (£465);
  • Romford (£412);
  • Ipswich (£392).

One of the biggest problems facing small businesses is the number of unscrupulous shoppers who ask for their money back on an item that they have actually received, claiming that the parcel has not been delivered.

One so-called "serial refunder" said: "I always say my parcels haven't been delivered. I look through the hole in my door and if the courier doesn't take a picture of the item to prove it's been delivered, I would just say I didn't receive the item. I don't make it obvious though, maybe one in every four parcels I get I will try and get a refund for. Works every time."

Out of the UK's largest cities, Bradford, Derby, Newcastle, Southampton and Portsmouth are costing small businesses the most in refunds. The data also shows that shoppers are seeking the most refunds from home and furnishings businesses, at an average of £787 per month.

"With the pandemic still restricting access to high street stores, consumers have turned to online shopping. With this increase, naturally, we've seen more refunds," said Jon Knott, head of customer insights at Paymentsense.

"Many ecommerce retailers have made their returns process easier - through couriers, drop off points and signing up to Buy Now, Pay Later schemes. So shoppers could be buying more, knowing that they can send items back at the click of a button."

However, Knott has warned shoppers that refunds are not without pitfalls. "Shoppers need to be aware that refunds aren't processed and deposited straight away," he said. "It's always worth giving a company's refund policy a read before purchasing, to avoid overspending before payday, or being left with unwanted vouchers."

Written by Rachel Miller.

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