Westbrook Dolphin Square Ltd v Friends Life Ltd (Westbrook Dolphin Square Residential 1 Ltd intervening) – WLR Daily

Westbrook Dolphin Square Ltd v Friends Life Ltd (Westbrook Dolphin Square Residential 1 Ltd intervening) [2014] EWHC 2433 (Ch);  [2014] WLR (D)  330

‘A “proposed purchase price” contained in a notice by qualifying tenants seeking to exercise a right of enfranchisement for the purposes of section 13(3)(d)(i) of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 must be a genuine offer as opposed to a nominal figure.’

WLR Daily, 17th July 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Court of Appeal: landlord entitled to refuse new lease due to tenant’s failure to allow access – OUT-LAW.com

Posted July 9th, 2014 in covenants, landlord & tenant, leases, news, repairs by sally

‘A landlord was entitled to refuse to grant a new tenancy to a commercial tenant due to that tenant’s “substantial breach” of provisions in the lease allowing the landlord to access and inspect the property regularly, the Court of Appeal in England has said.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 9th July 2014

Source: www.out-law.com

Historic Neglect – Nearlylegal

Posted July 4th, 2014 in covenants, landlord & tenant, leases, news, repairs by tracey

‘Daejan Properties Ltd v Griffin & Anor [2014] UKUT 206 (LC) is not, perhaps, the most riveting of Upper Tribunal appeals on service charges, but it does have some useful statements and reminders along the way.’

Full story

Nearlylegal, 3rd July 2014

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/

Come friendly bombs… – NearlyLegal

Posted June 16th, 2014 in insurance, landlord & tenant, leases, news, service charges, terrorism, tribunals by sally

‘Terrorism insurance is an increasingly contentious issue in service charge cases; in short, many leaseholders think it is unnecessary and simply serves to increase the their service charges (and, potentially, acts as an additional source of commission for landlords, itself a very contentious issue). Well, in Qdime Ltd v Various Leaseholders at Bath Building (Swindon) and others [2014] UKUT 261 (LC), the Upper Tribunal has given an unqualified endorsement of terrorism insurance and, in the process, may well have greatly extended the number of properties which are now required to obtain such insurance.’

Full story

NearlyLegal, 13th June 2014

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Former landlords and s.20B LTA 1985 – NearlyLegal

Posted June 16th, 2014 in appeals, landlord & tenant, leases, news, service charges, water companies by sally

‘In Ground Rents (Regisport) Ltd v Dowlen [2014] UKUT 144 (LC), the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) had to – once again – grapple with s.20B, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. The facts are quite straightforward. Imagine, if you will, that there is a modern development of three blocks of flats. It was developed by Countryside Properties (UK) Ltd, who were also the original landlords under all the long leases. Once the leases had been created, the freehold was transferred to the appellant.’

Full story

NearlyLegal, 13th June 2014

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

On the naughty step: The unacceptable face of London landlords – NearlyLegal

Posted June 13th, 2014 in benefits, housing, landlord & tenant, leases, news, rent, unfair contract terms by sally

‘Some of you, those in London at least, might have noticed Boris Johnson announce a new, and completely voluntary, no compulsion here, landlord accreditation scheme. The idea being that tenants, desperate to find somewhere in the middle of the worst accommodation shortage in London for many, many years, will choose to avoid a ‘non-Boris’ landlord. This is of dubious worth, but no matter, what concerns us here is what followed that announcement. Bear with me, because it is worth it in the end.’

Full story

NearlyLegal, 12th June 2014

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Don’t ask the surveyor – NearlyLegal

‘Windermere Marina Village v Wild [2014] UKUT 163 (LC) is an important decision about the vexed question of apportionment that arises in many residential service charge disputes.’

Full story

NearlyLegal, 2nd June 2014

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Permitted use restriction in retail lease breached Competition Act, London court rules – OUT-LAW.com

Posted May 19th, 2014 in competition, landlord & tenant, leases, local government, news by sally

‘A ‘permitted use’ restriction in a commercial lease which limited the type of goods that a retail tenant could sell from the premises was in breach of the Competition Act, a county court in London has ruled.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 19th May 2014

Source: www.out-law.com

L Batley Pet Products Limited (Appellant) v North Lanarkshire Council (Respondent) – Supreme Court

L Batley Pet Products Limited (Appellant) v North Lanarkshire Council (Respondent) [2014] UKSC 27 (YouTube)

Supreme Court, 8th May 2014

Source: www.youtube.com/user/UKSupremeCourt

Regina (O Twelve Baytree Ltd) v Rent Assessment Panel – WLR Daily

Posted May 8th, 2014 in jurisdiction, landlord & tenant, law reports, leases, tribunals by tracey

Regina (O Twelve Baytree Ltd) v Rent Assessment Panel: [2014] EWHC 1229 (Admin); [2014] WLR (D) 185

‘Notwithstanding that an applicant had given notice of its intention to withdraw an application under section 84(3) of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 for determination of its right to manage premises, the Rent Assessment Panel retained jurisdiction and could either decide to dismiss the application or proceed to determine the application.’

WLR Daily, 16th April 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

You don’t just walk away – NearlyLegal

Posted April 22nd, 2014 in costs, housing, landlord & tenant, leases, news, tribunals by sally

‘R (Twelve Baytree Ltd) v Rent Assessment Committee [2014] EWHC 1129 (Admin) is that rare beast – a judicial review of the LVT (as it was; FTT(PC) as it is now). It concerns how you withdraw a Right to Manage claim. I confess, when I first heard about this case, I had thought it would be more interesting than it has turned out to be.’

Full story

NearlyLegal, 20th April 2014

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Fiddler under the roof – NearlyLegal

Posted April 22nd, 2014 in appeals, damages, housing, injunctions, leases, news by sally

‘A Court of Appeal case on the problems with the edges of demises and reserved rights of access, involving, in this case, a land grab above a ceiling and a demand to access the flat above.’

Full story

NearlyLegal, 20th April 2014

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Leasehold Reform (Amendment) Act 2014

Posted March 14th, 2014 in leases, legislation by tracey

Leasehold Reform (Amendment) Act 2014 published

Full text of Act

Source: www.legislation.gov.uk

“Game, set but not quite match” following the C of A decision re rents in administration – 11 Stone Buildings

Posted March 10th, 2014 in administrators, expenses, insolvency, leases, news, rent by sally

‘Many commercial landlords will be delighted with the Court of Appeal’s unanimous decision in Jervis v Pillar Denton Limited (Game Station) and Others [2014] EWCA Civ 180, overruling the decisions in Goldacre and Luminar. The Court of Appeal held that, applying the Lundy Granite principle, the question of whether quarterly rent due under a lease was an administration expense or a provable debt depended not on whether the rent fell due during the period of the administration, but whether the property had been used for the benefit of the administration. Sarah Clarke gives the background to these cases, sets out the Game appeal decision and highlights its consequences as well as the real concerns for officeholders.’

Full story

11 Stone Buildings, February 2014

Source: www.11sb.com

Getting section 146 notices right: Anders v Haralambous – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted February 14th, 2014 in appeals, covenants, leases, news, repossession by sally

‘Despite the 146 notice having been around, in one form or another, for more than 130 years, it is still causing as much angst as ever. The High Court appeal in Anders v Haralambous [2013] EWHC 2676 (QB), in which John de Waal QC acted for the Respondent, highlights the added complication of the interaction between s146 and the determination of breach pursuant to s168 of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002.’

Full story

Hardwicke Chambers, 4th February 2014

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

Fixed term tenancies: How hard can it be for a social landlord? – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted February 14th, 2014 in fixed-term contracts, landlord & tenant, leases, news by sally

‘In November 2010 the Housing Minister Grant Shapps identified what he perceived to be a problem with social housing:

“For far too long in this country there has been a lazy consensus about the use of social housing, which has left one of our most valuable resources trapped in a system that helps far fewer people than it should. This out-of-date approach has seen waiting lists rocket and is unfair to people who genuinely need social homes. They trap existing tenants in poverty, often in homes that aren’t suitable for them.”

After consultation the Government came up with some proposed solutions which involved a radical re-think of the way social housing was to be allocated and administered. The ideas included: flexible tenancies, fairer allocations, greater mobility, fairer provision for homeless, affordable rents and tenants’ powers of scrutiny.’

Full story

Hardwicke Chambers, 12th February 2014

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

Cramaso LLP v Ogilvie-Grant (Earl of Seafield) and others – WLR Daily

Cramaso LLP v Ogilvie-Grant (Earl of Seafield) and others [2014] UKSC 9; [2014] WLR (D) 64

‘A contracting party could be liable in negligence for a representation made in pre-contractual negotiations which induced the conclusion of the contract by someone other than the original representee.’

WLR Daily, 12th February 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Cramaso LLP (Appellant) v Ogilvie-Grant, Earl of Seafield and Others (Respondents) (Scotland) – Supreme Court

Cramaso LLP (Appellant) v Ogilvie-Grant, Earl of Seafield and Others (Respondents) (Scotland) [2014] UKSC 9 (YouTube)

Supreme Court, 12th February 2014

Source: www.youtube.com/user/UKSupremeCourt

Helman v Keepers and Governors of the Possessions, Revenues and Goods of the Free Grammar School of John Lyon – WLR Daily

Helman v Keepers and Governors of the Possessions, Revenues and Goods of the Free Grammar School of John Lyon [2014] EWCA Civ 17; [2014] WLR (D) 20

‘Where the tenant of a long lease became bankrupt, a notice claiming to exercise the right of enfranchisement, pursuant to Part I of the Leasehold Reform Act 1967, served in the name of the bankrupt tenant by a receiver, appointed by a sub-chargee of the property, was invalid as by the time the notice was served the tenant was no longer the tenant as his tenancy had vested in his trustee in bankruptcy.’

WLR Daily, 22nd January 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Guarantor was released from obligations when alterations to property were made without its consent, Appeal Court confirms – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 24th, 2014 in insolvency, landlord & tenant, leases, news, rent, surety by sally

‘The guarantor of an insolvent commercial tenant cannot be held liable for outstanding obligations if changes were made to the lease without its consent which had the “potential” to increase the burden on the guarantor, the Court of Appeal has confirmed.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 23rd January 2014

Source: www.out-law.com