It’s that time of year again. The annual new year rush to join the gym. Health and fitness clubs will sign up more members in January than at any other time of year, and in your enthusiasm to join, you will probably sign there and then without reading through the all important Ts and Cs of the contract.

Many people decide to ‘buy new’ from a housebuilder in the belief that it will be a much less troublesome experience than buying somebody else’s home. In reality however, these people go on to find the experience more stressful than they could possibly have anticipated.

f it hasn’t happened to us, it’s happened to someone we know. Dodgy tradesmen and cowboy builders took ages to do the work, did it wrong or simply didn’t do it at all. Everyone has a story, which is why it’s crucial to know your rights and remedies so you can be prepared at the outset.