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As we begin 2018 today, all grandparents, landlords, classic car owners and drone pilots should beware.

This is because these are some of the groups who could be hit by law changes beginning on January 1.

While some of the changes might not make the slight bit of difference to you, others could leave you out of pocket or worse.

Several new laws are set to be introduced such as changes to the MOT and maternity leave being introduced for grandparents, the Manchester Evening News reports.

Here is a rundown of some of the new laws that you need to look out for at the turn of the New Year and some that could come into effect during 2018.

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Classic car MOTs scrapped

From May onwards, nearly 300,000 classic cars in the UK will no longer need a Ministry of Transport test.

Under new plans from the government, cars older than 40 years old will not need to take the yearly test, meaning that 1.5 per cent of cars in the country will not have an MOT certificate but will be allowed to be driven on the road.

The Department for Transport defended the decision from suggestions it was an unsafe move, by saying owners of older cars usually keep them in the good condition and do not use them regularly enough for an MOT test to be necessary.

Gender Pay Gap data will be revealed

For the first time ever, employers with at least 250 employees have to publish information about the differences in pay between men and women in their workforce.

The first reports must be published by 4 April 2018, Hull Daily Mail reports.

This is part of the government’s pledge to eliminate the pay differences between men and women in the UK.

New drone laws

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Drones - unmanned aircraft - are becoming increasingly regulated amid health and safety fears.

In 2018, the UK government is introducing new laws which mean users will need to take a basic online safety test and register their drone in order to lawfully use it.

Police will also be able to search and seize drones if they have grounds for suspicion. The test has been described as ‘similar to a driving theory test.’

Banks will freeze illegal immigrants’ accounts

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Part of Theresa May’s pledge to create a ‘hostile environment’ for illegal immigrants in Britain, banks will carry out immigration checks on 70 million accounts from January 2018.

The checks will happen four times a year and banks will freeze the assets of illegal immigrants.

The Home Office expects the checks will identify 6,000 failed asylum seekers and visa overstayers.

However, the plans have attracted criticism as it is feared people who have legitimately settled in the UK will be affected.

Minimum Energy Performance Ratings

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From April 1, there will be a requirement for any privately rented properties to have a minimum energy performance rating of E.

The government has announced it will be unlawful to rent out a property which breaches this minimum rating.

A civil penalty of up to £4,000 will be imposed for landlords who do - meaning properties which fall in the F or G category will no longer be acceptable.

Laws that could be introduced...

There are several proposals that have been suggested for 2018, but not yet confirmed. Here is a list of some of the big ones:

Your Council Tax could increase

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The government has relaxed rules on council tax increases - meaning families could see their bills rise by up to £100 a year.

Previously, local authorities could only put council tax up by two per cent thanks to a Government cap and if they wanted to increase it anymore, they had to have a referendum.

But as of March 2018, councils could well raise bills by up to 6 per cent without holding a vote - making it the biggest hike for 14 years.

However, this is a provisional announcement which will be subject to consultation and a final settlement announcement will be made early next year.

Grandparent Leave could be introduced

In 2015, the government announced plans to introduce a shared parental leave scheme which includes grandparents.

Part of the changing dynamic of childcare in the UK, the government estimates there are two million grandparents who have stopped work or taken time off to provide care for their grandchildren.

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Grandparents will be able to share up to 50 weeks leave with their child in order to care for their grandchildren in the first year after birth.

While the policy is expected in 2018, it has not be officially confirmed by Theresa May’s government.

Data Protection

Despite Britain leaving the EU, it’s still expected that we will adopt the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation into British law in March 2018.

This will impose much tougher punishments for companies that fail to stick to new rules around the storage and handling of personal data.

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Thousands of businesses in the UK not only collect personal data, but store and access it online - and it is then used for sales and marketing.

The new law will make this harder - and aims to protect people’s data being hacked by cyber criminals.