The publication in October of guidance on minimum energy efficiency standards ("MEES") in domestic rented property is a reminder that MEES applies across the spectrum of commercial, residential and mixed use assets.
Read moreLandowners who allow the public to exercise rights of access over their land are at risk of that access route becoming dedicated as a public right of way, unless steps are taken to prevent a right from being created.
Read moreThe 2016 case of Roberts and others v Lawton and others [2016] UKUT 395 has shown that rentcharges still have a sting in their tail, and highlighted why developers and investors should not ignore rentcharges revealed on title due diligence.
Read moreLast year, particularly between Christmas and the end of January, we saw a dramatic upsurge in instructions to evict trespassers.
Read moreElectronic signatures are increasingly being used to execute documents, however there are issues surrounding their use which should be considered, particularly as they have not been fully tested in the courts and the statutory framework.
Read morePerhaps as some light relief from the omnipresent Brexit, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy last week launched two separate consultations
Read moreFor nearly 10 years, lasting powers of attorney (LPAs) have been a way for someone (the Donor) to make sure that their financial affairs can be looked after in the event of their mental decline.
Read moreWhat should you, as landlord, do in the event that your tenant has served a break notice but subsequently decides they want to stay?
Read moreThe tragic Grenfell Tower fire on 14 June 2017 has caused consternation throughout the property industry and raised numerous industry-wide concerns.
Read moreWith space at a premium, particularly in urban arears, landlords often look to develop the roof space of their existing properties. This article considers what a leaseholder can do to prevent their landlord from developing the roof of their building.
Read moreThe news that London had breached its annual air pollution limits just five days into 2017, swiftly followed by the final warning issued to the United Kingdom by the European Commission for failing to address repeated breaches of air pollution limits, is a sobering reminder of the price we continue to pay for freedom on four wheels.
Read moreAcquiring a site is one thing, but equally as critical is the ability to use it for your desired purposes. Do you have sufficient parking provision on-site or do you need to use a neighbouring car park? Are you able to access your property directly from the public highway or do you need to pass over land in third party ownership?
Read moreOn 1 October 2017 the new Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims against individuals (“the Debt Protocol”) will come into force.
Usually houses are sold as freeholds where a purchaser buys the building and the land it stands on outright. In some cases, houses are sold as leasehold. This may be appropriate for some houses for example because they are on National Trust land.
Read moreA few days after we wrote about wide-ranging changes to European data protection law coming into force in May 2018, under the EU General Data Protection Regulation, the UK government published a statement of intent regarding plans to introduce a UK Data Protection Bill.
Read moreLawyers do sometimes make life difficult for themselves. Let's take lease classification as an example. The same lease may be variously described as a concurrent lease, a lease of the reversion and an overriding lease, sometimes rightly and sometimes wrongly, and, to complicate matters further, there are also reversionary leases, which may be leases of the reversion.
Read moreIn 2017, it is Bitcoin that is back in the news.
Read moreHaving previously advised that only postal applications would be accepted, HMRC’s website has now revised its guidance to confirm that notifications of options to tax land and buildings can be submitted to an email address ([email protected]) as well as by fax or post.
Read moreThe General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was adopted at the EU level in April 2016 and will replace the current UK Data Protection Act 1998 on 25 May 2018.
Read moreIn a typical commercial property transaction, the seller/ landlord will provide the buyer/ tenant with replies to CPSEs, and often, replies to additional enquiries.
Read moreIn May we advised on the changes to the UK's existing 'People with Significant Control' (PSC) regime.
Read moreThe Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has updated its subject access code of practice to reflect developments in Court of Appeal judgments given in early 2017.
Read moreWhen, in September 2015, Private Eye published their online map of properties in England and Wales owned by overseas companies, few would have suspected that ...
Read moreArticle 30 of the Fourth Money Laundering Directive, which relates to beneficial ownership of corporate and other legal entities, will bring about changes to the UK's existing 'People with Significant Control' (PSC) regime.
Read moreEarlier this month, the Evening Standard reported that a fruit farmer, Paul Mansfield, had sought permission to appeal an order requiring him to pay £12.2 million to his ex-wife.
Read moreThe Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has published much awaited guidance on minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) for non-domestic property.
Read moreMarketing your property for sale – when does a selling agent's commission become due? Not many sellers think of their conveyancer when considering a selling agent's terms of business as part of their initial instruction on who best to market the property.
Read moreOn 1 March 2017, the Supreme Court decided that property owners seeking to carry out refurbishments can claim business rates relief.
Read moreWhat happens to those property contracts that have already been entered into when the Government announces a SDLT rate change? Unsurprisingly, with off-plan residential properties and agreements for commercial leases being marketed and exchanged far in advance of their respective build date and completion dates, this is a frequently asked question.
Read moreWith two swift and successful squatters' evictions by our property litigation team in the first few weeks of January, as well as a recent high-profile judgment eviction of squatters from a £15m Belgravia property, 2017 is looking to be, not only the year of the rooster, but also the year of the squatter!
Read moreThe recent case of Trevallion v Watmore & Another (2016) reminds us why buyers must carry out a careful inspection of the boundaries of a property prior to purchase.
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