Editorial

How these answers are checked

There are over a hundred answers here about rules that carry fines. This is how they are written, where they come from and what happens when the law moves.

Every answer names its source

Almost all of it comes from gov.uk or legislation.gov.uk, linked in the answer itself rather than gestured at.

Where a figure is a rule of thumb rather than a rule, the answer says so in those words. Where something has been consulted on but not commenced, the answer says that too, instead of writing about it as though it already applies.

The rules we write to

What we do and do not do

Short answer first

The first paragraph answers the question. Everything after it is detail you can stop reading. A question with a one line answer gets a one line answer.

Checked before publishing, not after

The volatile ones, meaning tax rates, notice periods and anything the Renters’ Rights Act touched, are verified against the source at the time of writing rather than recalled.

Rewritten when the law moves, not left

When the Renters’ Rights Act commenced, answers written in the future tense about it became wrong overnight. Those were rewritten rather than quietly left up.

Archived rather than deleted

An answer that stops being current is marked as out of date and kept, so a link to it does not break and you can see it was superseded rather than wonder whether you imagined it.

Education, not advice

Tofta explains what the rules are. It does not tell you what to do about your property, your tax or your mortgage, and it never recommends anyone to contact. Those are questions for an accountant, a solicitor or a broker who knows your circumstances.

No fear

Every app in this market sells worry. The fines are real and the answers say what they are, but nothing here is written to frighten you into downloading something.

Tell us when we are wrong

Email support@tofta.co.uk with the answer and what is wrong with it.

Corrections are made to the answer itself rather than added as a note at the bottom, and the reviewed date changes so you can tell it has been looked at since.

Tofta is not a law firm, an accountancy practice or a regulated adviser, and nothing here is advice about your own situation.

Knowing the rule is the easy half.

The hard half is remembering which of your properties is due what, and when. That is the part Tofta does.