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.
A planned maintenance program for managing your premises can help minimise damage and the costs of repairs for your business premises. If you lease commercial premises, it's vital that you understand what your responsibilities are and what you can and can't do.
Any commercial lease should set out how responsibilities for maintenance and repairs are shared between the tenant and the landlord. A typical lease may require you to keep the premises in good condition - even if they are not when you take them over. You'll want a chartered surveyor to provide a property survey, particularly if you could be required to pay for structural repairs. A schedule of condition can provide useful evidence for negotiations.
If you are leasing an entire building, it's likely that you will have a fully repairing and insuring lease, giving you responsibility for maintaining the building and reimbursing the landlord for the costs of building insurance. If you lease part of a building, such as a shop unit, you might be responsible for internal repairs in your unit while the landlord looks after the structure. You may be required to contribute to the cost of the landlord's maintenance through a service charge.
A typical lease requires you to keep the premises in good condition, as well as making sure they are in good condition at the end of the lease term. If you fail to keep up with maintenance, your landlord can serve you with a schedule of dilapidations requiring you to put things right. Failing that, you can be required to meet the landlord's costs in doing so.
A landlord will almost always look to serve a schedule of dilapidations at the end of a lease. Once the lease has expired, you will no longer be able to carry out any maintenance so will simply face a monetary claim. Taking advice and starting negotiations with the landlord several months before the end of the lease is a better approach. Depending on the landlord's plans for the premises, you may be able to limit or altogether avoid liability for dilapidations.
As a practical matter, you should ensure that your premises are properly secured to help protect employees, equipment and the premises themselves. As well as physical security measures such as alarm systems and locks, you need effective training of employees and security policies. For example, you might think about policies and procedures for working alone, handling cash and locking up at the end of the day. Your insurance policy may include various security requirements.
As well as getting building and contents insurance, employers' liability insurance is a legal requirement (if you have employees). You may also want public liability insurance (for harm to the public) and legal expenses insurance. A thorough review of your business risks can help you decide what other insurances you want.