r/LegalAdviceEurope

Hi everyone,

My name is Steve, and I'm a Ukrainian refugee who came to the Netherlands to escape the war. It's a building provided by the local municipality, and around 400 people live here, all of them refugees from Ukraine.

If you don't have a job, you don't have to pay for your accommodation. However, if your monthly income exceeds €500, you are required to pay €250 for housing and another €250 for meals.

To be honest, the food provided here is of very poor quality. Most of the time it's just potatoes or rice with a small piece of meat or fish, along with a small salad that is often already spoiled. Because of this, many of us prefer to cook our own meals instead.

The problem is that we are not allowed to opt out of the meal plan. Even if you never eat the food provided, you are still required to pay the full €250 every month.

My question is mainly for lawyers or people familiar with Dutch or European law.

Is it really legal to require people to pay for meals they don't eat, without giving them the option to opt out? Has anyone dealt with a similar situation or knows whether this is allowed under Dutch or EU law?

I also can't help wondering whether these charges are actually justified. Could this simply be the standard policy, or is there a possibility that someone is making an unreasonable profit from this arrangement? I don't want to make accusations without evidence—I just want to understand whether this situation is legally and financially fair.

My 7yo attending club activity in a local youth center on our vacation to a small town in Finland. On the last day parents were inviting for a coffee and cake. There was a (later I knew) over 100 years old wooden clock on the wall next to where we queue. It happended quickly and I didn't pay attention much, cannot tell if my kid accidentally touch it, or tried to open a small door on the body of the clock. But definitely not banging or using any forces. And the cover/ window fell off, not like completely dettaching from the body, still attached with the under hinge but it cannot be closed when lifting upward back. And we didn't try to forecefully lift it up and close it so we left as-it.

Weeks later the head of youth center sent us email ask if the child has insurance (vaapa-ajan vakuutus) to cover the fixing of it, and asked what happend. I told her as above.

Just a side note me, my kid and my friend (who lives there) are foreigners and obviously have distinct appearance from other locals, it's a everbody-knows-everybody town and I'm afraid it will harm my friend's reputation there. I have asked chat gpt and make some notes also, like if the clock is that old abd the premise had frequent visitors and kids why there was no warning sign, nor barrier nor fence to keep it seperate.

I am concerned what if they insist us to pay, do they have ground to do so? What should I take into account in further communication with them?

Hi everyone,

I live in Sweden and booked a service with a UK company Bus Rental company. The company is still actively registered in the London UK.

The total cost was approximately €1,500, which I paid by bank transfer from my Swedish bank account.

The company later cancelled the service but has not refunded my payment. It has now been over a month since the cancellation on June 3.

Initially, they assured me that I would receive a refund. Around two weeks ago, they again promised that the refund would be processed soon. However, they have since stopped responding to my emails and messages.

I contacted Citizens Advice, but they told me they were unable to assist because I am not a UK resident.

Has anyone experienced a similar situation or have any suggestions on what I can do next? Since I paid by bank transfer from Sweden, I understand that a chargeback is not available.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

I am planning to drive to France from Denmark soon, however I seem to have lost my physical license.. it is still valid, I just can’t find it. In Denmark we have our license digitally, but that is only valid in Denmark.
I was told by city hall that i can’t get a new copy of my license before I’m leaving. I can get a temporary one, but it is not valid outside of Scandinavia.

Is there any solution for this? And what is the fine for driving without my physical license in Germany, Belgium and France?

Hello everyone.

I'm involved in a paternity recognition case in Italy. This is only about legal recognition, not child support.

A DNA test has already confirmed paternity, and there is a court hearing scheduled for September.

I'm not Italian, so understanding how these procedures work has been very difficult. I chose to bring the case in Italy because I believed it would be faster than pursuing recognition internationally, although after almost a year I'm no longer sure that was the right assumption.

For months, the case was delayed because the father could not be served. That issue has now been resolved through service by public notice, so the proceedings are finally moving forward.

Recently, the possibility of voluntary recognition before the hearing was raised. My lawyer asked me to prepare a public deed of consent, but it is an expensive document and still requires several formalities before it can be used.

What makes me hesitate is that the father's side has never confirmed they will actually go through with the voluntary recognition, and my lawyer's last message asking for confirmation has never been answered.

At this point, I'm honestly wondering whether continuing to prepare this document still makes sense, or whether I should simply let the judicial process continue until the hearing.

Would you see good faith in this situation, or would you also start questioning whether the proposal of voluntary recognition was genuine?

Location: Sweden (This does also involve the USA and England due to legal kerfuffle.)

I wasn't 100 % sure what the best location would be for this. But due to the Corporations and people involved, this crosses over all of them, basically. But seeing how I am posting from Sweden, I suppose this is the closest.

Right, so the shorter version of this drama is that around six years ago, I approached someone (They live in England) about creating an adult game. 100 % my original idea. They were given access to my design documents, notes, I personally wrote all the dialogue and whatnot. Point being: They could NOT have created this without me. It explicitly used my designs and ideas.

We have a written agreement. As in: Over text. (Their main argument over this, is that it's not "legally binding" as it's not in a notarized legal document signed by a judge.)
This agreement states that I retain ownership over my character that was used in the game. That they agrees to include my character in said game, in exchange for being allowed to use my IP. As well as creating "regular content" with said character. And: My character CANNOT be used to perform X. (They have since violated ALL of these agreements. Multiple times.)

And at first: This worked fine. We fully co-created the game for the first ~3 years. They were slow to uphold their end. But since "regular content" isn't a legally defined timeline per se, I let it slide. Though, the fact they "forgot" to include me in the credits like, 70 % of the time, should probably have been a red flag. As well as the fact they consistently did THE most stupid shit possible. For example: Instead of following my carefully laid out marketing plan. They looked at that one add scene from "Ready Player One" and went "Bet!", and eventually getting our game banned from several websites due to illegal practices.

I know. This IS partially my fault for not keeping a closer eye on the operation. But I was handling the technical side of things. Not social. Then: They began to break our "contract", repeatedly. I called them out on this. Their response was to break the rest of our "contract", and remove my character from the game. But, PROMISING it was temporary, until they could fix their spaghetti code mess up. Begging and promising me each month that they were going to fix it next update. And well... months turned into years. And unless I poked them about it. They would "forget" to add me to the credits, again. Which, in hindsight. Yeah. that's deliberate. It's practically the same each month. (Donors were added and updated to the credits, hence why it kept changing. And gradually, they moved me beneath the donors as well.)

And after around two years of this song and dance. I put my foot down. Gave them a strict deadline to fix all their shit. No more delaying and pushing the promised update to bring my character back in. They avoided answering directly and kept asking for more time, but also saying they didn't appreciate that I posted on my socials that I am the co-creator, as I should trust them to include that part. And at the deadline... I did what I said I would. Reported them to every website that hosted the game. Posted updates about it. (Though, I forgot the social media sites.) In response: They lost their shit and banned me from every social media, started deleting messages and evidence, deleted every single version of the game that included my character. And claimed those versions of the game never exited. They banned everyone on social media that mentioned my character. As well as all posts about them. Just, fully nuclear.

As for the American platforms that host this game I essentially got three responses:
1: The first said that I have 10 days to do legal jargon. I performed said legal jargon within 1 day. As well as asked for clarification about a thing. They refused to clarify. And then, 16 days later: Told me that THEY were too late to review my application. And thus: Were unable to process it in time, and had to drop the issue. (?!?) They did however contact my former partner. And confirmed with me that during internal investigation, he was found liable with 4 counts of perjury. But, as I am not a registered US corporation, they have no legal requirements to further assist me. (They did however give me my former partners full legal name, address and all that.)
2: The second told me their entire legal department was intoxicated due to recent celebrations. But they would get back to me as soon as they could. It took them around three weeks. And after a two month investigation, they confirmed that I DO own part of the game. And they ARE in breach of contract. BUT: Their policy is that I must PROVE that I own 51 % of the game. Otherwise: Their hands are tied. And when I asked what evidence that would entail, they stopped responding.
3: They took the content down in compliance with their policy. THEN put it back up under the same policy of, to maintain the anonymity of the organisations involved: "They had permission from the Emperor of Wakanda.". As, apparently most businesses operate under a "Trust me bro" policy?

They were banned from a few platforms, due to the overwhelming evidence. And, not all platforms appreciate crimes it turns out. But it hasn't affected any of the main US ones. And I can confirm that currently, the game is bringing in five figures each month. USD wise. So, it's not a small game. There are BIG numbers involved.

This all took place around a five month period after the deadline. During which time I also contacted lawyers. Specifically within "immaterialrätt" the overall "copyright/IP" law. I talked to around 97 Swedish lawyers. A vast majority declined due to not wanting to touch adult content with an 11 foot pole. A few said it was a straightforward case, but had to decline due to workload or the topic. And I did meet with two past the initial consultation. One took the case after an hour briefing where we covered all bases. Pointing out we had a VERY strong case. But, then called me the next day to inform me that: Due to the game containing copyrighted characters. (Not mine.) They were too scared to touch it due to the "Manga Law" in Sweden, so they had to drop me as a client. Which, I have read the law, and don't see how that affects anything but, I'm not a lawyer, so.

I also talked to several in the US and England. The US ones had no clue how international law worked. But did say I had a great chance against the platforms. It would just take around 15 years and cost 50k. The UK ones told me that this is an easy slam dunk. BUT, due to the "online safety act" and similar. It IS illegal to sue people over adult content. Which... not sure how that works. But, again: I'm not a UK lawyer. If 30+ of them tells me that they'd go to jail over it, I'll take their word for it.

I do have screencaps, videos, written confessions from my former partner. Proof of intent. Proof of deleted evidence. 5+ years of chatlogs. The whole shebang. Which have been the main reason it's been so easy to prove ownership. As well as the lawyers opinions on it. My former partners main argument is that I'm not entitled to ANY backdated compensation. As while I DID create the game. "That's in the past". And "4 years of work is irrelevant as the CURRENT latest version has nothing to do with the old versions".

But, as of now. It looks like ALL my options have been exhausted. I've thrown everything I could think of at the wall. The one thing I haven't tried. Is to register a corporation, and pay thousands for a trademark on the game's name. And THEN try to sue for infringement. Seeing how most businesses only respect other businesses, and ignore individuals.

So, with all that out the way: Is there anything I've missed? Any legal routes? Have I approached this from the wrong directions? Or am I just screwed as an indie dev?

Hello everyone. I need some advice regarding EU consumer rights and misleading commercial practices.

Here are the facts of the dispute:

The Booking: On July 1st, I booked a camper van with Indie Campers for a trip on July 12-18.

The Misrepresentation: Before paying, I asked their official website AI chatbot if I could travel to Montenegro. The bot explicitly guaranteed that it is allowed. Relying on this, I paid in full.

The Delay: One hour later, I emailed human support to double-check, intending to cancel immediately if the AI was wrong. Support ignored my email for over 48 hours.

The Dispute: When support finally replied, they stated that their T&Cs strictly forbid travel to Montenegro. I requested an immediate cancellation and a full refund since I was misled by their platform.

The Penalty: The company stated they "take no responsibility for AI answers." They eventually processed the cancellation but applied their standard late-cancellation penalty, offering me only a 5% refund and keeping 95% of my money.

I have already initiated a credit card chargeback dispute through my bank for misrepresentation/services not as described.

My questions are:

1. Under EU law, is a company legally bound by or liable for false information provided by their own customer-facing AI chatbot?
2. Are there any specific EU directives or terms I should quote to my bank to strengthen my chargeback claim?
3. I am preparing to file a complaint with the European Consumer Centres Network (ECC-Net). In your experience, how effective are they in cases involving AI misinformation?

Any legal insights or advice on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Maybe someone here can help me.

I was listed as a witness and have to submit a statement by July 18, 2026. However, I'm not sure how to word it because I don't want to write anything that could potentially be used against me later.

Here's the situation:

My ex-boyfriend believes that his Apple account and all devices connected to it were hacked and are being controlled by an unknown third party. He filed a police report against an unknown person and listed me as a witness because I stayed with him for about two weeks and allegedly had access to his devices.

I honestly can't say much about those allegations. During and after our relationship, he repeatedly stalked and harassed me. He also made statements such as: "You'd better be careful with everything that's important to you. Everything on my account is bigger than you and me."

The criminal police provided me with the following information regarding my witness statement:

Mr. X reported to the police that several of his mobile devices (mainly Apple devices) had allegedly been taken over and controlled by an unknown third party. He based this claim primarily on slow-running apps and the fact that he could no longer access his Apple account. According to his report, this occurred after a relationship with Ms. X, who had lived with him for approximately two weeks and allegedly had access to his devices. No financial damage was reported.

They asked me the following questions:

Did you have access to the devices?

Is there anything else you would like to tell us?

I was also informed that they were unable to extract data from his iPhone.

Meanwhile, I have filed a counter-complaint against him for coercion and stalking.

My question is: How should I word my witness statement?

Would something like this be sufficient?

"No, I did not have access to Mr. X's devices. Any further relevant information may be found in my counter-complaint (case/reference number X)."

Or is that too brief? What should I expect after submitting my witness statement?

Thanks in advance to everyone who took the time to read this and for any advice.

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for legal/practical advice about an Airbnb dispute in Germany.

I booked an apartment through Airbnb for 1 month for around €2,000. The booking was active and paid, but I was never able to access or use the apartment at all.

The host told me before arrival that the check-in would be personal and that she needed a specific arrival time by the day before arrival. Her exact message was:

“Es wird ein persönlicher Check-In stattfinden, daher ist es wichtig, dass ich spätestens am Vortag eine konkrete Ankunftszeit von dir weiß. Ohne Rückmeldung bis dahin kann leider kein Check-In organisiert werden.”

Translation: “There will be a personal check-in, so it is important that I know a specific arrival time from you by the day before at the latest. Without feedback by then, unfortunately no check-in can be organized.”

I did provide an arrival time before the check-in day, so I believed I had fulfilled this requirement. The host also wrote something like “Dann finden wir sicher eine Lösung,” which means “Then we will surely find a solution.” Because of that, I understood that communication and some flexibility would be possible.

The agreed check-in time was 17:00. On the check-in day, before 17:00, I informed the host that I would be delayed by about 1–2 hours. I first suggested that I could arrive around 19:00, and later updated her that I could make it around 18:00 instead.

I understand that this may have caused inconvenience, especially because the host probably had to travel or arrange the key handover personally. However, I still wanted to check in and use the apartment. I also offered to collect the key from her afterwards, even if I had to travel further to get it.

Despite this, the host refused to provide the key/access. I could not use the apartment at all, although the booking was active and paid. I contacted Airbnb support before opening the PayPal case, but Airbnb told me they could not do anything and did not offer a rebooking, refund, or any other solution. I paid via PayPal and have already opened a PayPal case for “service not received.”

• Can a host legally refuse access completely because of a 1–2 hour delay, even though I communicated before the check-in time?
• Does it matter that I provided the arrival time before the check-in day, as requested?
• Would I have a realistic claim for a full or partial refund?
• If legal action becomes necessary, would the claim usually be against the host, Airbnb, or both?

Hi everyone,

I live in Warsaw, Poland and I've been dealing with ongoing online harassment from a woman in Paris, France for about a year. I've documented the harassment and defamation (screenshots, emails, messages). She’s been harassing my followers and friends as well now.

I'm prepared to take legal action but I don't know where to start.

Should I contact a lawyer first or report it to the police in Paris directly? How do cross-border cyber harassment cases within the EU usually work? If anyone has experience with online harassment, impersonation or defamation cases or can recommend lawyers or organizations that specialize in cyberharassment, I'd really appreciate your advice.

Thanks!

I quit my job here in Linz not too long ago yet I am forced to work for 3 more months until full leave.
I’ve planned a vacation to Sweden for three years now, and I can’t find any information on if it’s illegal or legal to leave. These 10 days do not interfere with my work days at all. I’ll be on time during every workday and won’t miss even an hour.

Location: Linz Austria

Hi all, my UK-plated car impounded at Marbella municipal pound. Policía Local won't release it because it's untaxed. Can't tax it without a valid MOT, and MOT can't be done in Spain — classic catch-22. Car came in from Morocco. Has anyone actually got a UK car out of a Spanish pound in this situation? Can they release it onto a transporter to ship home? Any Marbella gestor who handles this? Rough costs?

Car was living in Morocco for a year so had a SORN so no taxes in the UK, was going to get it all re-registered when we get back.

Is there a way to get a temporary tax/ permit to let us drive it back to the UK?

Sorry if it’s messy, my hands are still shaking and I just stopped crying. Uhm. I was walking my dog this evening, obviously on leash, when a neighbour with her aggressive off leash dog was just around the corner. The dog basically instantly lunged at mine to attack, so I kicked the other dog (which I know is not super compassionate but I didn’t want to take any chances and there was little time to react). The neighbour lost her shit, started yelling at me not to kick her dog, getting into my space really aggressively and pushing me, so I tried pushing her back to get away and she hit me in the face. I managed to get away and I immediately called the police, they arrived and talked to me and separately to her but even though our stories agree, and I have swelling the size of a walnut on my face (well now maybe smaller, I’ve been holding frozen meat to it for an hour), they said that while I can file a report, without witnesses (only me, her and her boyfriend that was try to get the dog while she was attacking me), or cameras, it probably won’t go anywhere. They just got my address and name and left, not sure if they filed that report then or not, I was crying quite a lot. But now knowing that she lives in the building next to me and will likely keep walking her dog off leash terrifies me. Is there anything else I should do in the morning? Is there anything that can be done in general other than getting a camera in case she ever does something like that again? Frankly I just wish to never see her again but that might be difficult to do so at the very least if she was somehow obligated to walk that dog on leash… I don’t know. I’ll appreciate any advice at this point

My boyfriend and I were recently in a car crash while on holiday in Greece. We rented a car- he ran a stop sign and we were T-Boned. There were no markings in the intersection; and the stop sign was obscured by a tree. Multiple other drivers at the scene made comments about how it was impossible to see the stop sign.

we bought full insurance, however today my boyfriend saw his credit card had been charged 5000 Euro by the rental company, because they said he was at fault. They gave us no other notification, no police were at the scene, no breakdown of cost etc.

I was badly concussed in the incident, and my boyfriend and I were more worried about that at the time since we thought we were fully covered under insurance.

the car rental company won’t speak to us or help in anyway- any advice as to how to proceed?

Thank you so much in advance!

Title: [Citizenship] -> Netherlands: How do we handle unattainable evidence for nationality retention (spouse's nationality proof) and my own first passport application (proof of mother's nationality at birth)?
Body:
Hoping for guidance on two connected situations — my mother’s Dutch passport renewal/nationality retention, and my own first Dutch passport application as her child.
My mother (F)
Dutch-Australian dual national. Renewed her Dutch passport 3 times while living in Australia (most recent covering 2013–2018). Naturalised as Australian in 2015 while married to my father (M), who is himself a naturalised Australian citizen (not born there). They are now separated but not divorced; he currently lives overseas. She has a passport renewal deadline in late September 2026, VFS appointment already booked.
To confirm she qualifies for the “married to a national at time of naturalisation” exception (avoiding automatic loss of Dutch nationality under the voluntary naturalisation rule), she’s been asked to bring originals of:
Her naturalisation certificate (replacement in progress)

Marriage certificate (replacement in progress)

Her husband’s proof of Australian nationality, dated on/before 2015

Documents for #3 are not attainable — no copy currently held, and he is not easily reachable to provide originals or certified copies.
We are also obtaining a Proof of Non-Divorce from the Federal Circuit and Family Court to confirm the marriage was valid at the time of her naturalisation.
Myself (born Australia, 2003)
Applying for my first Dutch passport as the child of my Dutch mother. Per the standard checklist, I need to prove she held Dutch nationality at my birth (2003) and until I turned 18. The only document currently available is her passport covering 2013–2018 — nothing from 2003 or earlier is attainable.
Questions
Has anyone dealt with the spouse’s-nationality-proof requirement when the spouse’s documents are genuinely unattainable? Does a statutory declaration or other alternative ever get accepted?

Is a 2013–2018 passport enough to imply continuity of nationality back to a 2003 birth, or does the consulate need something closer to the birth year?

What actually happens if an application is filed with a document gap — refusal, deficiency notice, or provisional acceptance?

Any experience with similar gaps would help. Trying to get ahead of the September deadline.

A false allegation of strangulation was made towards me, i was bailed out same day no travel ban or nothing like that, i was planning to relocate to a country i currently am a citizen of (i was born there hold the passport etc) before that, and now i dont know wether i can, i cannot afford legal support there is nothing against me, no evidence whatsover, and i really just want to leave all of this behind and start my life again after breaking up with my ex, will i be persued arrested? what will happen. -destination Italy.

edit: nobody was actually hurt, and theres no evidence for the claim but i need to go because my grandad has a heart problem and is at EOL, i was meant to relocate prior to the arrest and its causing me alot of mental stress i just want to get out

Looking for some advice on a complex cross-border inheritance issue.

There are two wills from different jurisdictions. An earlier will (made in Jersey 2022) clearly stated that all worldwide movable assets outside Spain would pass to me (UK), while assets located in Spain would go to family members there.

A later Spanish will (2024) appears to state that all assets should go to the family in Spain, raising questions about whether it overrides the earlier will.
We've spoken to a solicitor who specialises in UK/Spanish inheritance matters, and they've said the situation is much more complex than it first appears. Their view is that there may be valid grounds to challenge the later will.

Has anyone been through something similar, particularly involving wills in multiple countries? Is this the kind of situation that's generally worth pursuing, or are these challenges rarely successful? Any experiences or general advice would be appreciated.

I am in England. The will is Jersey covering money in Jersey and the Isle of Man.

My flight from United Kingdom (Heathrow) to Germany (Berlin) last week got delayed by 4 hours for due to operational reasons. I checked out airhelp but their standard fee is now 35%, and if they have to go to court for you, they take up to 50%. Losing half my payout would incredibly be steep just for them to send a few emails.

What is the best alternative available. I want a faster service or should I keep fighting the airline myself. Would appreciate any help. thanks

Hi everyone, I removed my card from Amazon, but they still did an authorization later. Revolut said Amazon may have used a new token based on stored card details and strongly advised to cancel that card. Amazon support hasn’t answered my actual question.

Is this just a GDPR issue, or something more serious? If anyone’s dealt with this before, or if there’s a lawyer here who knows what the next step should be, I’d appreciate it.

I'm located in Croatia.

Thanks! 😄