The article argues that subcontractors are absorbing significant hidden costs through compliance administration, evidence gathering and reporting, rather than through direct delivery work. It highlights low technology adoption in construction and uses Trail Group as an example of how automating compliance processes can reduce overheads, speed up reporting and support cashflow and growth.
An estate agency owner has been jailed for eight years and four months after using his business to help facilitate a large cannabis-growing operation involving 19 factories. The case also involved related fraudulent activity and resulted in his disqualification from acting as a company director.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has fined sole practitioner Bryn Roberts £20,148 after finding repeated breaches of regulatory obligations over several years, including failures in client care, complaints handling and client account management. The investigation identified a client account shortage, missing reconciliations and other issues that the SRA said created a risk of significant harm to clients.
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has struck two solicitors off the roll and ordered them to pay combined costs of £89,000 after finding serious misconduct in conveyancing-related matters. The cases involved breaches of client account rules, misuse of client money, and conduct that caused significant financial harm to clients and to the profession’s compensation arrangements.
Street.co.uk has added the government’s official Form 4A into its rent review workflow, allowing letting agents to generate, sign and serve rent increase notices within the platform. The update is designed to reduce manual administration and support a more consistent compliance process for periodic tenancy rent increases under the Renters’ Rights Act.
An employment tribunal has upheld claims of pregnancy and sex discrimination against Purplebricks Group plc, awarding a former agent more than £47,000 in damages. The case centred on the handling of the employee’s pregnancy disclosure, return to work on reduced hours, and the failure to adjust performance targets to reflect her circumstances.
