The Freehold and Leasehold Reform Bill passed its second reading in Parliament on 11 December, and was described by Michael Gove – the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Levelling-Up - as the “effective...more
In Wolverhampton City Council and others v London Gypsies and Travellers and others, the Supreme Court has confirmed that injunctions can be imposed to prevent “newcomers” from occupying land unlawfully. That means that...more
The Court of Appeal’s recent judgment in Gill v Lees News Ltd brought new clarity on when a landlord can successfully oppose the grant of a new lease under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 on the “tenant fault” grounds - in...more
In our last update in May, when the Renters Reform Bill was finally placed before parliament, we flagged the proposed changes - perhaps most significantly, the abolition of “no fault” or Section 21 evictions. While Bill...more
A resolution has finally been reached in the long running dispute between the Tate Modern Gallery and its neighbours, the owners of residential flats in Neo Bankside, with the parties agreeing a very neighbourly compromise....more
A snapshot of key regulatory developments expected to impact the UK real estate sector over the coming months.
This year has seen a huge amount of change, both politically and economically, which has been reflected in a...more
1 October is the deadline for registering higher-risk buildings. Here is a brief recap on everything you need to know about registration.
Anyone responsible for the safety of a higher-risk building (over 18 metres, or 7...more
In back to school week, the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in over 150 school buildings, posing a risk of collapse, dominated the headlines. However, the prevalence of RAAC in all kinds of local...more
The first remediation order has been made under the Building Safety Act 2022, requiring a landlord to carry out works to fix fire safety defects.
In January, the First Tier Tribunal made the first Remediation Contribution...more
The responsible actors scheme – which requires residential property developers to agree to remediate fire safety defects in relevant buildings, or face being barred from securing planning permission or building control...more
A snapshot of key regulatory developments expected to impact the UK real estate sector over the coming months.
The first six months of 2023 have seen a huge amount of change, both politically and economically, which has...more
In our previous Engage post in April, we set out the government’s proposals for the Renters Reform Bill. The draft Bill was finally placed before Parliament on 17 May. In this update, we track which of the original proposals...more
In Annington Properties Limited and others v Secretary of State for Defence, the UK High Court has robustly endorsed the rights of public body tenants to acquire a superior interest in property through leasehold...more
In part 1 of this series, we set out what landlord certificates are and when they must be provided. In this article, we delve deeper into the rather more burdensome requirements to provide supporting information with...more
The Building Safety Act 2022 introduced landlord and leaseholder certificates to help leaseholders understand which protections against the cost of remedial works apply to them. In this first part of our series on landlord...more
In its recent decision in Jalla and another v Shell International Trading and Shipping Co Limited and another, the UK Supreme Court confirmed that a one-off oil spill was not a “continuing nuisance”....more
Where the parties can’t agree on the terms of a renewal lease under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, the Court has the power to decide those terms. But how does the court balance the competing demands of a landlord - keen to...more
The registration process for higher-risk buildings opened on 12 April 2023, and anyone responsible for registration must make sure their building has been registered by 1 October 2023, or face a possible fine or imprisonment....more
In June 2022, the Government published a White Paper proposing sweeping changes to the private rented sector - affecting around 4.4 million homes and 2.3 million landlords. The Renters Reform Bill is due to be introduced in...more
The Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 (PSTIA) received royal assent on 6 December 2022 following an extensive consultation process....more
In their recent Judgment in R (on the application of Day) v Shropshire, the UK Supreme Court decided that public rights over local authority land – which was later discovered to be a public park - survived a sale to a...more
In Davies v Bridgend County Borough Council, the Court of Appeal of England and Wales has reaffirmed that encroachment of Japanese knotweed onto neighbouring land can amount to a nuisance and, for the first time, acknowledged...more
The First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) has made the first remediation contribution order under the Building Safety Act 2022. The Tribunal ordered a landlord to repay amounts paid by the leaseholders of a multi-let...more
Since our previous update on the Building Safety Act 2022, the legislative landscape around fire safety has continued to evolve, with the Fire Safety Regulations coming into force, and new Higher-Risk Buildings Regulations...more
2023 has already been a busy year for real estate litigation, with 3 Supreme Court decisions in as many weeks. Whilst recent years have taught us the dangers of trying to make any predictions, we have identified 5 key areas...more