The Origins of the Twelve Days of Christmas
The Twelve Days of Christmas form one of the key elements of the festive season, yet the precise dates and significance of this period are often misunderstood, because the Twelve Days begin on Christmas Day and not before. The last day is the 5th January, known as Twelfth Night. and following day is the Epiphany, an important Christian feast marking the end of Christmastide.
Renters' Rights and the Proper Approach to Pets
With the Renters’ Rights Act now in force and us heading towards implementation I am increasingly being asked by landlords and agents about consent for pets. I was recently speaking with a journalist on this topic and found myself using the meme “it's not about you”.
While this might seem facetious, what I mean by this is that frequently landlords and their agents will give reasons for wanting to say no to pets that are entirely to do with them and their personal viewpoints on pets. So, for example, people will say to me that they don't want pets in their property or, more usefully, that they have a potential allergy to pet hair and might want to live in the property again themselves. There also seems to be quite a narrow assumption for most landlords and agents that pets that we mean cats and dogs, while the definition of pets is not limited in the RRA. Of course most people have cats and dogs as pets but there are a lot of other possibilities. There is also the point that cats and dogs are not all the same. There are wide variations in size, exercise needs, allergens and space requirements. The current thinking for a lot of landlords and agents is quite one dimensional in relation to pets.
The History behind Black Friday
Black Friday has become a defining moment globally, marking the start of the festive shopping season and generating billions in consumer spending. However, its origins are more complex than one single day of sales and shopping. The term “Black Friday” has evolved significantly over time, shaped by economics, culture and social change, since it’s development from nineteenth-century financial turmoil to its modern role as an international phenomenon.
Government Guides for the Renters’ Rights Act 2025
Since the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent, the government have been very hard at work publishing and updating guidance for the different elements of the Act.
It is important to note that the guidance has been updated since it was first published, so make sure that the latest version is referenced.