Sharp rise in enquiries to DAS Business legal helpline in midst pandemic and cost of living crisis

DAS UK Group, comprising a legal expenses insurance company and a law firm, reveals that it saw a huge surge in calls from businesses to its legal helpline.

Employment and Landlord & Tenant issues topped the list of calls addressed to the legal advice team. The findings show that in December 2021, enquiries relating to Employment issues increased from 800 per month to over 1200 – an increase of 50%.

For the same period, enquiries relating to Landlord and Tenant problems increased from 676 to 900. This surge contrasts strongly to the number of enquiries relating to Contracts, which underwent only a small increase in February 2022 and has largely remained consistent in the intervening period.

The overall figures clearly demonstrate that the repercussions of the pandemic and the rising cost of living is putting pressure on businesses. This, in turn, has meant that they are having to deal with an increase in the number of legal issues they are faced with and are seeking legal advice to help navigate these challenging times.

The development has emerged during a heightened period of uncertainty for many in the UK who are experiencing a cost of living crisis in the aftermath of the pandemic. Between October 1 and December 31, 2021, there was a 168% rise in the number of households threatened with homelessness from the same quarter the previous year.

A representative from DAS UK Group said: “These figures remind us of the stark and pressing needs that many businesses are facing during a cost of living crisis. With Employment and Landlord & Tenant claims experiencing sharp increases since the latter part of last year, it’s clear that concerns over jobs and property are causing legal uncertainty and concern.”