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It’s important to make sure you keep your driving license and other driving-related documents up to date, or you could be faced with fines.

Expired Driving Licenses

We must renew our photocard license every 10 years, and will receive a reminder to do so before our current license expires. You can renew your driving license online or by post.

Once you reach 70, you have to renew your license and will then have to continue to do so every three years. You will receive a license renewal application 90 days before your 70th birthday.

A study conducted last year by ComparetheMarket found that over 1 in 10 British motorists were unaware that their driving licenses expire.

“Continuing to drive with an expired license – knowingly or unknowingly – could land you with a £1,000 fine. To avoid serious consequences and avoid having a fraudulent driving license, it’s vital to renew your license as soon as it expires.” – Julie Daniels from ComparetheMarket

As stated by Daniels, failing to renew your license when it expires could land you with a £1,000 fine. You can also be fined up to this amount if any details like your name and address are wrong if you get stopped by traffic police, hire a car, or commit a driving offence abroad.

Fees for Changing Driving License

You must also tell the DVLA if you need to change your name, address or gender on your driving license in order to get a new one. It does not cost anything to do this, and you can still drive while waiting for your new license to arrive.

-Table by Red Star Education

 If you’re getting your license back after having it taken away, you may also have to pay a fee; the amount will depend on why it was taken away.

-Table by Red Star Education

If applying for a new license due to any of the five reasons listed above, you will have to do so by post.

Who to Tell if You Change Addresses

As well as applying for a new driving license, you should change the address on your V5C log book. This is usually free to be done and can be completed online. Failing to update your log book could result in a fine up to £1,000.

Additionally, you should update your address details with your car insurer. Location is a factor which affects your car insurance premium, so moving to a new area may make the cost of your insurance go up or down. If you fail to tell your insurer about a change in address, your insurance may become invalid.

If you have breakdown cover, you should let your provider know about the move, particularly if your provider charges different rates based on area.

This guide is intended as a guide for drivers but there are also other people you need to tell if you change address, like HMRC and your bank, so make sure you update any relevant people about a move!

When it comes to getting work done on your home, you should always check whether you need to be given any permission or approval before making any changes.

Buildings Regulation Approval

You may need to be granted buildings regulation approval for changes to your home, even just for things like installing heating or extra radiators, or replacing any windows or doors.

You don’t need to get approval for all projects, as some things are exempt, such as the majority of repair work.

If you’re unsure whether you need approval for any projects you have planned, you can check with a building control body who can give you more information.

Alternatively, you can hire a contractor who is registered with a competent person scheme to carry out the work needed. In this instance, you won’t have to apply for buildings regulation approval as the tradesperson will self-certify that their work complies with building standards and will let your local authority know about any work they are doing on your behalf where needed. You can find a Competent Person by clicking here.

Planning Permission

If you are carrying out a bigger project where you are building something new or adding an extension to your property, you will usually need planning permission. To apply for planning permission you should contact your Local Planning Authority (LPA) via your local council.

Although this may feel like an inconvenience, if you decide to ignore these rules and go ahead with any changes without the required planning permission, you may be served an enforcement notice. This orders you to undo any unauthorised changes you have already made, which can end up both time-consuming and costly.

Not all changes will require planning permission, such as most conservatories and loft conversions. If you’re unsure whether your changes will need planning permission, you can check with your LPA.

You may wish to contact your LPA in any case before getting started on the planning permission application process; they can give you an indication as to whether your application is likely to be accepted and advise any changes you can make before sending your application which make it more likely to be approved.

Your local authority may ask for different types of surveys in order to grant you with planning permission (such as tree surveys, ecological surveys and arboricultural surveys). Therefore, you may also wish to hire a surveyor to help you apply for planning permission.

To find out more about planning permission in your area and what developments you may be able to carry out to your home, you can use the Planning Portal’s free guide.

According to CheckaTrade, 6.7 million UK adults have been impacted by a rogue trader over the past year.

Rogue Trading

Rogue trading covers a range of activity where a trader is acting outside of the law or to the detriment of the customer. This includes things like:

  • Substandard work which is either poorly done, incomplete, or both
  • Providing unnecessary work
  • Using products that don’t meet the required weights and measures
  • Escalating the price of work from the pre-agreed amount
  • Being aggressive or intimidating to the consumer, such as pressuring you into signing a contract you don’t want to sign

Rogue traders can offer a whole range of legitimate services but fail to carry them out in a legitimate way. This may include work on:

  • Driveways
  • Garden maintenance
  • Electrics
  • Roofing
  • Financial products, such as pensions or investments
  • Building work
  • Security alarms

Your Right to a Cooling-off Period

If a trader comes to your house and you agree to have a service carried out by them or to buy goods worth more than £42, they must give you 14 days to cancel.

They should not start work without your permission within these 14 days. If you do cancel in this time, you may still have to pay for any work that has already been done and any materials that have already been supplied.

Finding a Good Tradesperson

One of the best ways to find a good tradesperson is through word of mouth, by going off the personal recommendation of someone you know and trust.

Before using a tradesperson’s services, you should ensure they have relevant qualifications and accreditations for the work required. You should also check if they are a part of any national trade schemes.

  • You can click here to find registered gas engineers
  • You can click here to find registered electricians
  • You can click here to find tradespeople who are part of the Competent Persons Scheme

You can also visit CheckaTrade to find recommended tradespeople along with customer reviews.

It’s also worth requesting quotes from multiple tradespeople to get an idea of different prices and what a fair price for the work will be.

Avoiding Rogue Traders

When it comes to rogue traders, you should:

  • NOT agree to make full payment before work has been undertaken
  • Get a written quote which states what work will be covered and any terms and conditions involved
  • NOT accept work from tradespeople who show up on your doorstep. Don’t let them bully you or pressure you into buying goods or services off them
  • Be wary of cheap quotes- quotes that are significantly cheaper will often be that way because the work is rushed or corners have been cut
  • Be wary of high availability- rogue traders can use busy periods to their advantage by being the only person available to do the work
  • Read customer reviews and contact these past customers to check the references yourself
  • NOT rush into anything- take your time to do your research and compare prices
  • Make sure traders are qualified to undertake the work you require

Solar panels are becoming more popular in the UK, so let’s talk about them!

A Quick Overview of Solar Panels

Solar panels capture the sun’s energy and convert it into electricity so that you can power your home.

The two main types of solar panels in the UK are monocrystalline panels (20% more expensive but more efficient) and polycrystalline panels (cheaper but 1/3 less efficient).

Increasing Popularity

The Eco Expert’s National Home Energy Survey 2023, which surveyed 2,134 adults in Britain found that 69% of respondents would be ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’ to buy a property if it had solar panels. This acts as a 4% rise from last year, meaning domestic solar panels are becoming more popular among Brits.

However, to say that you would be likely to buy a property with pre-existing solar panels is not the same as going out of your way to instal them yourself, and fronting the cost, on your existing property.

Registering your Solar Panels

You may have to register your energy device with the government, which you can do by clicking here.

You should find out whether you are required to register your energy device before or after installation with the Distribution Network Operator (DNO). Follow this link to enter your postcode on the Electricity Network’s Association’s Website to determine your relevant DNO).

The Cost of Solar Panels

The average domestic solar PV system is 3.5kWp and costs £7,000, which would take you 15-20 years to recoup the costs of installing panels through your energy savings.

– Money Saving Expert

The above table, taken from Money Saving Expert, shows the different break even estimates  for a 3.5kWp system if typical bills rise or fall.

You can also get 3kW solar panel systems which cost around £9,000-£10,000, which GreenMatch say you could break even with within 12 years.

Advantages

Solar panels are a source of renewable energy, making them more environmentally friendly than the burning of fossil fuels (which release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere) to generate power.

Solar panels also help to reduce your energy bill, leading to long term savings.

If your home is entirely reliant on solar power, you can function off-grid. If you have a solar battery system, this can turn your solar system into an emergency backup power source during power outages.

If you have solar panels, you can take advantage of a process called net metering, which allows you to sell excess electricity in your panels back to the utility company, helping to further reduce your energy bill.

Disadvantages

Solar panels are sunlight dependent, meaning if you get little sun, you won’t generate as much energy.

One of the biggest drawbacks of solar panels is the initial cost of installation, as you won’t start to ‘make your money back’ for a long time.

This is particularly important to consider if you may move homes within the next 10 years or so, as removing and reinstalling solar panels from your current property to a new one would prove even more costly.

Although solar panels are a form of renewable energy, they do still have an environmental impact in terms of their manufacturing.

However, as stated by The Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, “just as we say that it takes money to make money, it also takes energy to save energy. The term “energy payback” captures this idea […] With energy paybacks of 1 to 4 years and assumed life expectancies of 30 years, 87% to 97% of the energy that PV systems generate won’t be plagued by pollution, green-house gases, and depletion of resources.” 

Are Solar Panels Right for Me?

Aside from weighing up the advantages and disadvantages discussed above, you should also consider the actual logistics of installing solar panels.

A key thing to bear in mind with solar panels is space, as the average size solar panel system will take up around 20m² of roof space.

You also need to consider whether your roof mainly sits in the shade or whether it gets a lot of sunlight – does it get shaded by nearby trees and buildings?

South facing roofs are ideal for solar panels as these tend to get the most sunlight. East and West facing systems can also have solar panels installed on them, but they yield around 15-20% less energy than ones directly facing South. North facing roofs are not recommended.

Phone and broadband providers are set to increase their prices by up to 8.8% in April.

How Price Rises are Calculated

Many broadband and mobile phone providers use the CPI or RPI rates of inflation to calculate their price rises.

The December CPI figure was 4% and the January RPI figure was 4.9%.

Many providers will also increase their prices each year, regardless of inflation, by a set percentage point, usually 3.9%.

 Therefore, your phone bill could go up by 8.8% if your provider raises their price by 3.9% every year, and also adds on a 4.9% increase based on the rate of RPI. Indeed, Virgin Media and O2 are expected to raise prices for mobile-phone customers in the middle of their contracts by up to 8.8% in April.

Ofcom Proposes Ban to Inflation-linked Price Rises

Ofcom stated that 4/10 broadband customers and over ½ of mobile phone customers were on contracts linked to inflation-linked price rises as of April 2023.

They are proposing a ban to inflation-liked price rises and price rises set out in percentage terms in contracts but have not yet published their financial decision.

They are proposing that companies instead set out price rises in customer contracts upfront in pounds and pence, so that customers can clearly see how much their contract will increase by during the contract period.

“With most major phone, broadband and pay TV companies now including mid-contract price rises linked to uncertain future inflation, we are concerned that customers’ contracts do not provide sufficient certainty about the prices they will pay.

So we are proposing to introduce tougher protections for customers by banning this practice” – Ofcom

Consumer Harm

From January to October 2023, Ofcom received over 800 complaints regarding price rises, highlighting just how many customers feel misled about the prices set out in their contracts.

Ofcom notes that consumers lacked understanding about terms like CPI and RPI.

“More than half (55%) of broadband customers and pay monthly mobile customers (58%) do not know what inflation rates such as CPI and RPI measure. And of those who are with providers that use inflation-linked price rises, very few broadband (16%) and mobile customers (12%) were both aware of the price rise and able to identify that it was inflation-linked with an additional percentage.”

They also noted that even those who did consider future inflation-linked price rises when choosing a contract found it difficult to estimate how this could impact their future payments.

It is clear that these inflation-linked price rises are steeped in uncertainty, with customers being misled when entering contracts. Many customers lack the complete financial understanding to realise the terms of their contract, and even those who have an excellent financial understanding are not able to prophesise how much inflation will rise by.

These price rises can make it difficult for customers to manage costs and can lead to consumer harm, as it often means that customers are stuck in contracts paying much more than they thought they would, with no real way of exiting due to high contract fees. More clarity and transparency is needed from phone and broadband providers to help deal with this confusion.

Saving Money on Your Phone

  • If you are happy with your existing device, you may wish to consider switching to a SIM only deal when your contract runs out to reduce your monthly bill
  • Shop around when your contract is close to running out – look into various providers rather than just sticking with the same one. Money Saving Expert notes that many customers who are out of contract have been rolled onto more expensive tariffs (which you are free to leave without exit fees) so make sure you check when your contract runs out, as it might have already happened!
  • When your current contract runs out, you may want to consider buying a new device outright and finding a cheap SIM only deal to pair with it yourself
  • Consider using a reseller for your next contract – resellers buy new handsets in bulk at wholesale prices or buy refurbished models and get them back up to scratch. Therefore, they tend to be able to offer mobile phone deals along with network contracts at more competitive prices