Gary Rycroft

Lancaster

Columnist at The Telegraph

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Articles

'My brother is abusing his power of attorney to steal our mum's money'

1 day ago | telegraph.co.uk | Gary Rycroft

From what you say, your brother-in-law may not respond. But don't let him get away with that. Give him seven days to respond, and say if he does not, your "nuclear option" is to inform the local authority of what is happening and to ask them to class the house as a second home for your brother-in-law and his wife. That will make him stop and think, never mind put financial pressure on him to sell the house.
'My neighbour's security cameras can see into my bedroom. Can I force him to move them?'

1 week ago | telegraph.co.uk | Gary Rycroft

Dear Barry,Your neighbour has had a traumatic experience and it is understandable that he has taken steps to enhance the security at his property. However, his enhanced security should not be at the expense of your legal rights. The security light and camera which face your property are causing you a nuisance in addition to infringing your right to privacy.
‘Hotel spa won’t compensate me for losing my £3,500 necklace’

2 weeks ago | aol.co.uk | Gary Rycroft

Do you have a legal question to put to Gary? Email [email protected] or use the form at the bottom of the page. Dear Gary,I recently visited the spa at a local hotel booked by my daughter. Part of the day included an hour-long massage. The therapist asked me to remove my gold necklace, but I was not offered anywhere to put it so I stored it in the gown I was wearing. After returning home, I woke up at startled at 3am and realised that I did not have my necklace.
'Hotel spa won't compensate me for losing my £3,500 necklace'

2 weeks ago | telegraph.co.uk | Gary Rycroft

So, the usual position is whilst a spa has a general duty of care, liability for loss or damage to personal property can be limited if it is clearly communicated and if, for example, storage facilities are provided. And whilst the spa does have a general duty of care to you, in return you have a duty to be responsible for your own property and not act in a reckless way. I think when they looked at your original complaint, the spa concluded that they are not to blame.
'My energy provider says I must get a smart meter by law. Is this true?'

3 weeks ago | telegraph.co.uk | Gary Rycroft

To answer your first question, there is no statute or other law to say electricity or gas meters must be replaced after 10 years irrespective of their quality or functionality. However, Ofgem - which is the government regulator for gas and electricity - says meters are certified as being accurate enough to be relied upon for the purpose of billing for a period of between 10 and 30 years. When that certificate runs out, existing meters must be replaced.
‘We found a mouse infestation in our new home, can we force the seller to pay?’

4 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Gary Rycroft

Gary RycroftWed, April 16, 2025 at 6:00 AM UTC4 min readDo you have a legal question to put to Gary? Email [email protected] or use the form at the bottom of the page. Dear GaryMy partner and I recently bought our first flat. Unfortunately, since moving in we have discovered mice entering the apartment building – including into our flat. Under the kitchen sink we found an old trap, obviously put there by the previous owner.
'We found a mouse infestation in our new home, can we force the seller to pay?'

4 weeks ago | telegraph.co.uk | Gary Rycroft

When acting in a property transaction, the lawyers - who are constantly under pressure from their clients to keep costs down and at the same item progress the matter as soon as possible - use standard enquiry forms to facilitate disclosure of the material facts. Sometimes these forms are augmented by specific questions.
'My neighbour is sabotaging my doggy day care by writing lies online. Can I sue?'

1 month ago | telegraph.co.uk | Gary Rycroft

If people abided by the adage "if you have nothing good to say, remain silent", it would shut down all the libel lawyers in the land. But the internet, and especially social media, has given the population at large the ability to quickly and easily publish content. So we live in an age which is an absolute boon for lawyers who specialise in defamation. Oscar Wilde learnt the lesson the hard way - don't sue for defamation when what has been said is actually true.
'My office is using spyware to make sure I attend two days a week

1 month ago | telegraph.co.uk | Gary Rycroft

Dear Mark,I am very glad you enjoy going into your office. I have said before that I am a big fan of office working, rather than home working. But my personal preference does not make something lawful!To have a legally enforceable working environment which requires hybrid working between remote home working and physical office attendance, employers must comply with some basic protocols. First and foremost, the location of your place of work should be specified in your employment contract.
‘My employer is using spyware to track my office attendance - is that allowed?’

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Gary Rycroft

Do you have a legal question to put to Gary? Email [email protected] or use the form at the bottom of the page. Dear Gary,I must prefix this query by first saying I enjoy going to my office. The office manager has made the environment great, and all my colleagues are fantastic to work with. However, my employer has started using the building security badge swipes in and out of the building to monitor who is complying with the pretty relaxed two-days-a-week return to office mandate.