Harper Macleod

Independent law firm Harper Macleod has retained its Top Tier position for social housing in the UK’s Legal 500 rankings. The Legal 500 is the world’s leading legal directory with rankings based on a combination of firm and team performance, and feedback from clients.

Housing lawyer Derek Hogg discusses Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) matters and their impact on social housing. Scottish housing associations can hardly have failed to notice the increasing level of debate within the sector in recent times around the themes of sustainability and ESG

The specialist construction contract advisory team at Harper Macleod has helped Fife Council beat the clock to close a housing deal with Robertson Construction Group Limited for seven sites across the Kingdom. The project will see more than 260 houses built as part of the council’s Affordable

Kelly Fraser, senior associate at Harper MacLeod, highlight some of the key amendments to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman's model complaints handling procedures that registered social landlords (RSLs) should be aware of. Background

Harper Macleod’s senior associate Kelly Fraser highlights some of the key proposed provisions in the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill ahead of its next reading in June. The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill was introduced on 20 May 2020 and is currently making its way through Pa

Kelly Fraser offers advice for Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) who may be wondering how to deal with governance issues, including the requirements to convene meetings, during the current coronavirus pandemic. The main question is whether it is necessary to hold a general meeting. There is no expr

Kelly Fraser outlines changes to the way public bodies respond to freedom of information requests as part of the emergency COVID-19 law. The new Coronavirus (Scotland) Act which passed the Scottish Parliament on 1 April 2020, contains provisions to extend the deadlines under the Freedom of Informati

Harper Macleod partner Collette Miller offers some practical guidance for social landlords looking to sign up new tenants during the current pandemic. Many social landlords in Scotland are having to adapt, along with the rest of us, to new ways of working in light of the coronavirus pandemic and the

Harper Macleod solicitor Kevin Sturgeon provides an update for RSLs on the latest requirements from the Scottish Housing Regulator. The Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) has written to all Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) in the wake of COVID-19 to assist RSLs on assessing their business continuity

Kelly Fraser provides advice for Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) wondering how to deal with governance issues, including the requirements to convene meetings, during the current coronavirus pandemic. There are various potential options in the prevailing circumstances - including virtual meetings,

All organisations across the world are facing challenges as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and Kelly Fraser says many Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) will be concerned about what this means for their day-to-day operations. While data protection is often a term that we want to avo

Following on from the launch of the new First Home Fund, Harper Macleod held a special briefing for solicitors who regularly act for shared-equity scheme purchasers. The First Home Fund is a £150 million national pilot scheme to provide first-time buyers with up to £25,000 towards the pu

The Scottish Government has appointed Harper Macleod to help administer all of its shared equity home-buying schemes – including the newly announced First Home Fund. The firm has provided property law services to Scottish Government on a range of shared equity schemes since 2007, during which

Alastair Johnston, a senior solicitor at Harper Macleod, reviews an Upper Tribunal appeal case and highlights the lessons it provides regarding tenant evictions. The Upper Tribunal has recently published its decision in an appeal case which involved a novel approach by a landlord who was perhaps a l

Rachel Bell, a solicitor from Harper Macleod, provides social landlords with tips on how to handle the rising threat of cyber-attacks. Cyber-attacks are a persistent and very real threat to all business sectors across the UK. Social landlords are particularly at risk because of the large amount of p