My brother is starting out in business and the bank wants a guarantee from me for an overdraft he needs for setting up and obtaining stock.

How can I check if this is the right thing to do?

The bank needs to advise you that you are entitled (encouraged) to take advice from a solicitor about what the guarantee means in detail. Bank securities like this make it very onerous on you if your brother defaults on any obligation - indeed they can sue you without having to sue him first. Get a solicitor to go through the document clause by clause, and negotiate with the bank to see if it will remove any parts you deem too prejudicial. You do NOT require to sign unless you are happy and fully informed about the consequences.

A WAITER spilled gravy on my new dress at a dinner dance. I had it dry cleaned and although the stains appear to have been

removed I feel some of the life has been taken

out of the garment. Can I seek compensation or the cost of a new item?

Yes, but only if you can prove by expert evidence the dress is no longer of a satisfactory quality. I suggest you contact your local trading standards office, and/or take it to a professional tailor or fashion/textile consultant to do an expert report on it, and if it confirms what you say, confront the hotel.

MY ex-landlord has refused to refund my deposit on the grounds that there was a smell of dog urine in the back garden my lease covered. I left new blinds and carpets as I thought we would be there a long time. We stayed over six years and had permission to keep dogs. I have been trying to get my deposit back for nearly two years.

There are strict rules on deposits and what can be deducted or retained from them, but in your case, the lease will dictate the landlord's rights. At worst it sounds as if there may be a small bill for cleaning the concrete or other ground adjacent to the back door. If he has retained unlawfully you can sue him in the small claims court.

I lent my son money to pay off mortgage arrears. I didn't get anything signed as it did not occur to me he wouldn't repay. He now says he can't remember getting the money, or thinks he paid it back. I am going to struggle to get repayment at all.

If the money was paid through a bank that is evidence of payment. If paid in cash, are there any witnesses to it being handed over or to his acknowledging the loan? I am loth to tell you to forget it, though the lack of something in writing is a big obstacle. At least go to a lawyer with the evidence you have and get him/her to write to your ungrateful son threatening court action if he refuses to repay.