Can Office to Residential Conversions Help Revitalize Downtown? (Audio)
Practicing on the Front Lines of Landlord-Tenant Regulations and Housing Law
Office-to-Apartment Conversions – A Good Idea, but Tricky to Pull Off (Audio)
Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 93: Listen and Learn -- Constructive Eviction
On 17 July 2024, the King announced a new Renters’ Rights Bill (“RRB”) to be introduced “to give greater rights and protections to people renting their homes...” The RRB has not yet been published however the background...more
The Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) has recently given its judgment in Lehner v Lant Street Management Company Limited, absolving a tenant from paying service charge due to defects in the service charge demand....more
Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, has secured a remediation order requiring a pension fund landlord to carry out fire safety remediation works totalling £15 million under Section...more
In IAA Vehicle Services Limited v HBC Limited, the High Court concluded that a deposit under the Standard Conditions of Sale fell due as soon as an option to purchase a freehold property was exercised, but that time was not...more
The King’s speech announced a new Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill ‘to reform the housing market by making it cheaper and easier for leaseholders to purchase their freehold and tackling the exploitation of millions of...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
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
The Renters (Reform) Bill was introduced to Parliament on 17 May 2023. It proposes an overhaul of the residential tenancy system, intended to put renters in a better position. This note sets out some of the key provisions of...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 First Tier Tribunal (FTT) has allowed a landlord to dispense with the statutory requirement to consult with leaseholders prior to carrying out substantial fire safety works to a multi-storey residential building....more
The problem - You are the landlord of a residential block in England. The flats in the block were sold on long leases. Each lease reserves a ground rent of £250 a year payable in two instalments every six months....more
As part of its levelling-up agenda, on 16 June 2022 the government published its long awaited white paper on the reform of the private rented sector. Proposed changes include banning so-called no-fault evictions whilst...more
Residential property reform is high on the government's legislative agenda as announced in this week's Queen's Speech. Proposed changes to the rental market include banning the so-called no-fault evictions, a commitment to...more
This blog summarises the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022, which is the first concrete step in the government's wider residential leasehold reforms. What? The Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022...more
The abolition of ground rents in residential leases in England and Wales is to come into force from 30 June 2022 under the new Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022....more
Gabb v. Farrokhzad - Landlord's Unreasonable Refusal to Consent to an Assignment of a Lease - ..Mr Gabb owned a flat in Kensington and had a difficult relationship with his landlord, Mr Farrokzhad. Following some...more
On 8 February 2022, the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022 received Royal Assent, effectively outlawing ground rents in residential leases in England and Wales once the legislation comes into force....more
What changed? At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government sought to ensure that renters, especially those who are vulnerable and on low-incomes, received the support they needed to see them through the pandemic,...more
In the first part of a long-heralded suite of reforms to leasehold property law in England & Wales, the UK government has introduced a draft Bill which is intended to consign to history ground rents under leases of flats and...more
The Financial Conduct Authority v Arch Insurance (UK) Ltd and others [2021] UKSC 1 - What was it about? ..The Supreme Court gave its view on various business interruption insurance policy clauses. ..The case was...more
The UK Government announced yesterday (7 January 2021) that leaseholders will be given the right to extend their leases by a maximum term of 990 years at zero ground rent. This announcement forms part of the biggest reform of...more
The recent Supreme Court case of Duval v Randolph Crescent concerns the question of whether a landlord may allow a departure from a tenant’s lease covenant in a multi-let building, where the leases of the other tenants in the...more
What is the change? In this time of crisis, the Government is seeking to ensure that people cannot be evicted from their homes in the coming months. The Government has extended tenant eviction notice periods to a minimum...more
It will not have escaped the attention of anyone in the real estate industry that today is the March quarter day. For many landlords and occupiers, the immediate focus will be on rent payments due today and the media are...more