We are delighted to announce that our colleague Iris-Ann Stapleton has been awarded Highly Commended as Young Professional of the Year at the Enfranchisement and Right to Manage Awards 2016. The annual awards recognise professional excellence in the…
Residential Property Insights
All private landlords should be made aware that, from 1 February 2016, they will have to check that new tenants have the right to be in the UK before renting out their property. The Immigration Act 2014 prohibits private landlords of residential properties…
Developers looking to convert offices into homes will welcome the government’s announcement of the introduction of a permanent permitted development right for change of use from class B1(a) (offices) to class C3 (dwellinghouses) from May 2016. This…
Two decisions in the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) (UT) provide cautionary reminders to landlords about residential service charge requirements. The first case concerned the consultation requirements under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. The UT held that…
A decision in the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) will increase the administrative burden on landlords to show that they have considered both alternative approaches and the financial impact on tenants of improvements before proceeding. Failure to do so may…
Buy-to-let owners of leasehold properties and other intermediate landlords will be concerned by a Court of Appeal decision on the liability for repairs to the exterior of a building. Under the terms of the headlease, the freeholder was responsible for…
The Court of Appeal has held that a landlord was not required to pay a rent deposit in respect of an assured shorthold tenancy (AST) into an authorised scheme, where there was no authorised scheme at the time the deposit was received. However, the landlord…
Landlords with existing residential leases that provide for a third party to determine the service charge will be concerned by an Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) decision. The tribunal held that a provision in a lease of a dwelling that provided for the…
Several changes to planning law came into force on 6 April 2014. The changes introduce a number of new permitted development rights for change of use: New Class CA allows a building used as a shop to be used as a bank, a building society, a credit union or…
