Are we about to see flight delay claims soar?

Flight Delays Claims

With a recent court case ruling in the favour of a passenger who was delayed for 27 hours has been awarded £526 in compensation. The passenger in question is Ronald Huzar who was travelling from Malaga to Manchester back in 2011 when his flight was delayed by a staggering 27 hours due to a technical fault on the plane.

Back in 2011, the flight company responsible for the delay claimed that the technical fault came under "extraordinary circumstances" which enabled jet2.com to avoid paying out any compensation to those affected. The term 'extraordinary circumstances' however, is usually only applied to flights which have been delayed due to poor weather conditions, political unrest and threats to security.

With Mr Huzar having faced major disruptions to his flight back in 2011, he recently proceeded to take jet2.com to court with the Manchester county court ruling in his favour. With this recent ruling bucking the usual trend in terms of flight delay compensation, many have argued that we will begin to see flight delay claims soar. Also with Mr Huzar's case acting as prominent example, more and more people will start to speak out and claim.
 
Flight delay claims are subject to the UK's statute of limitation which now allows customers to make a claim which dates back 6 years. As a result lawyers have suggested that approximately 20 million passengers who have experienced delays could be en
titled to compensation. 


So what is the law about flight delay compensation?

Under EU Law, you must be delayed for more than 3 hours to be eligible to claim, unless the delay is due to 'extraordinary circumstances'. These circumstances are issues which could not be avoided by the airline when all reasonable measures have been taken such as the maintenance of the plane.

You can also now make a claim if the airline delayed or cancelled your flight due to a technical fault. This claim can put forward even if your flight was up to 6 years ago. Previously, this claim could not be made as technical faults came under 'exceptional circumstances' which prevented passengers from making a claim.


Thinking of making a claim?

If you're on a flight which leaves from an EU airport, EU law, allows you to make a claim once your flight has been delayed for over 3 hours. The amount of compensation that you are entitled to is dependent on the length of your flight. Being delayed for more than 4 hours on a long distance flight can increase the amount of compensation you allowed to claim.

To find out more call us on: 0845 603 6544

If you're thinking of claiming compensation on your delayed flight or are just seeking some legal advice and support in regards to your delayed flight then contact us today. Contact us at the LawStore for your simple path to compensation.

Houses go beyond their asking price...

Recent news shows that a fifth of house sales are beating market expectations which means that one in five home buyers are paying above the asking price. Due to the current heated property market and the shortage in properties for sale, properties are going above and beyond expectations. As a result 19% of the properties sold last month in May went for more than their listed price.

Mark Hayward of NAEA highlights that "the number of house-hunters is substantially higher than the number of properties on the market, so competition is always going to be rife". However, with the current rate of new houses being built it is unlikely that this housing issue is going to go away any time soon.

In addition to this argument, many have suggested that not only do we have to rely on new houses being built we have to also take into account current home owners. With current homeowners being put off by stamp duty is it any wonder why there is a shortage of homes available. Many homeowners are beginning to invest money into their homes by making changes such as extensions as it often proves to be more cost effective than actually moving. However, as a result first time buyers are facing a limited market whereby prices are increasing and competition is inevitable.

With all these factors taken into account, many have argued that the most effected by this are first time buyers as their budgets are extremely limited.

As a result, Mark Hayward goes onto argue that "with limited numbers of houses for sale, unfortunately it means that those who simply cant afford to increase their original offer will often be priced out the market". The shortage of houses for sale becomes more evident when looking at the average number of properties available in estate agency branches. These are as low as 44 compared to 60 this time last year.

If you are a first time buyer or are currently a homeowner looking to sell your property, contact us at Lawstore conveyancing today and see how much we can save you!

For a fast and cost effective conveyancing solution get your free online conveyancing quote today!

Are young homeowners becoming more worried by large debts to buy a home?

It would seem so...

Recent news suggests that approximately half of all young homeowners who have relied on extra help and funding to get on the property ladder are becoming increasingly worried about the level of debt they have acquired. In addition, young property owners are more likely to have depended on other funding measures such as getting mortgages based on 25 years and above in order to reduce monthly repayments. Loans from family and friends  as well as the recent help to buy scheme have also contributed to the ability for home buyers to purchase their first home. 

It has also been highlighted that 7 out of 10 home owners aged between 25 and 34 have said that they have relied on a deal. Such deals include taking out an interest only mortgage or a loan with a low interest rate in order to make their first home more affordable. As a result some have argued that young home buyers are resorting to 'desperate measures' so that they are able to jump on the property ladder. A ladder which only sees house prices increasing. However, although some have managed to jump on the property ladder due low mortgage rates and interest deals it seems that these schemes which make homes more affordable to first time buyers is only a short term fix. Some argue that this does little to resolve the fact that more affordable homes need to be built in order to reduce the rising property prices due to an imbalance with supply and demand. 

Just below half of those between 25 and 34 years who had received help in order to purchase their first home have suggested that they are worried over their housing debt. Furthermore, statistics also show that a quarter of young people who also relied on some form of help are worried about being able to pay off their mortgage, whilst one fifth faced the worry of slipping into negative equity.

To put things into some form of perspective, the average house price in Britain is now £186,512, well above last years national average.

If your looking to buy or sell your property and need a fast and cost effective conveyancing solution then visit us at the Lawstore conveyancing and get you're free online conveyancing quote today. You can also get 10% off your conveyancing fees when you sign up to Legal Advance*.