Harper Macleod

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

Harper Macleod’s Jennifer Jack discusses the COSLA conference taking place in St Andrews this week and the powers local authorities have to get empty homes back into use. COSLA's 2019 Annual Conference takes place today and tomorrow (10 & 11 October), looking at local government issues 20

Leading figures in the Scottish social housing sector gathered in Dunblane last week for the 18th National Housing Conference, organised by law firm Harper Macleod. In response to the event's theme of 'Breaking New Ground', around 100 delegates representing organisations from Shetland to the Borders

Harper Macleod has unveiled it is approaching a landmark £500 million in Scottish housing association funding deals after the law firm announced a series of new investments. Led by partner Derek Hogg and senior associate Collette Miller in February the firm’s housing team advised on and

Kelly Sleight By Kelly Sleight, a solicitor in the Housing team at law firm Harper Macleod

Professor Paddy Gray speaks at the National Housing Conference Professor Paddy Gray, one of the most prominent figures in the UK social housing sector, has praised the performance of Scotland's housing providers but warned about the growing impact of wealth inequality as housing continues to be "fin

Derek Hogg The Housing team at Scottish law firm Harper Macleod has now acted in the only three private placements by Scottish housing associations to take place to date, with a combined value of over £120 million.