Since 1929, the legal age for marriage within heterosexual relationships in England and Wales has been as young as 16 years old, as long as both parties receive parental or judicial permission. As of April 2022, this has legally been raised to 18. The minimum age is also currently 16 in Scotland, although there is no need for parental consent.

The bill aims to protect against arranged marriages and coercion into abusive relationships, which is a prevalent issue. In fact, over 25% of forced marriage unit cases in 2020 in the UK involved parties under the age of 18 (not including any religious or cultural marriages). UK law classes 18 as the legal age of adulthood physically, emotionally and mentally, meaning that marriage any younger than this legally involves a child.

The effects of early marriage have been in discussion for a long time and include the likes of lack of education, emotional adversity, and a lack of social and medical support for women. In raising the minimum UK age of marriage, there is hope of also directly combating some of these factors in young people. More...

With the cost of living and the price of housing rising all the time, many young people are now opting for the choice of buying a home with friends.

While this seems like a great idea, and in many cases it is, it’s important to weigh up the pros and cons of such a situation before diving in. Here, we’ll look into some of the most important things to know before buying a house with friends. More...

Richard Thornton is a Caerphilly based residential conveyancing specialist held in high esteem both within Howells and in the local conveyancing industry. He helps people in all areas of residential conveyancing, from transfers of equity to re-mortgages and everything in between.

Get to know Richard a little bit better by reading our interview, below.

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