05/12/19
The law Unless a lease is contracted out, a business tenant has a right to a new lease upon expiry of their contractual term, subject to limited grounds. Section 30 (1) (g) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 contains an 'own occupation' ground. This allows a landlord to refuse the…
29/11/19
Background We recently acted for an organisation which received notification of a claim pursuant to the Pre-Action Protocol for Defamation (now replaced by the pre-action protocol for media and communications as of October 2019). It was alleged that during the course of the two day conference a…
26/11/19
Sequent Nominees Ltd v Hautford Ltd [2019] UKSC 47 What happened in this case? This case concerned a six-storey building let to the tenant. The lease provided that the tenant may not apply for planning permission without the landlord's consent, which must not be unreasonably withheld…
25/11/19
Hochtief (UK) Construction Ltd & Anor v Atkins Ltd [2019] EWHC 2109 (TCC) What happened in this case? The Claimant succeeded at trial in a claim for damages in the sum of £802,475.33 and interest of £77,372.41. The Claimant succeeded on a claim concerning a bridge, but lost…
25/11/19
The third instalment in our series of practical guidance for Landlords continues on with the theme of forfeiture, more specifically the issue of landlord's waiving the right to forfeiture. Scenario: a commercial property is let out to a tenant under a commercial lease with the rent payable on…
21/11/19
Kamran Naqvi v (1) Harris Cartier Limited (In Liquidation) (2) Richard Slade & Co (3) Jeffrey Bacon (4) Brian Levy [2019] EWGC 3042 (QB) What happened in this case? The Claimant brought an action for damages for professional negligence against the Solicitors and Barrister who acted for…
15/11/19
Just as an administrator of a SIPP or SSAS has duties to the trust, a solicitor instructed on behalf of the trust has a duty of care. Forbes have experience acting on behalf of pension funds against their former lawyers for failing to spot a defect in the title, such as a restrictive covenant or a…
08/11/19
Overview Forfeiture is where a land owner takes back possession from a tenant due to a breach. The court has the power to grant relief from forfeiture to a tenant of a lease. This case examines the ability of the Courts to grant relief where the occupier holds a licence, as opposed to a lease…
18/10/19
Neocleous v Rees [2019] EWHC 2462 (ch) What happened in this case? The parties were in dispute about the use of a right of way. Rees' solicitors emailed Neocleous's solicitors, offering to transfer land in settlement of the dispute. The name of the solicitor was automatically…
01/10/19
Shaviram Normandy Ltd v Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council [2019] UKUT 256 (LC), the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chambers). What happened in this case? Shaviram Normandy Ltd (Shaviram) was the tenant of a purpose-built office building let on a long headlease. The use was restricted to offices.…
26/09/19
Costs down the drain The Dispute Resolution team at Forbes recently acted for an academy trust which had a vexatious claim issued against it by a neighbour. The neighbour's garden backed onto the school's playing field and he issued a claim for nuisance, alleging that his garden would…
24/09/19
Borwick Development Solutions Ltd v Clear Water Fisheries Ltd What happened in this case? Borwick created lakes on its freehold land and populated them with fish before running the site as a commercial fishery whereby anglers could come and fish for sport, returning any fish they caught…
20/06/19
Alexander Devine Trust v Millgate 2018 What is a restrictive covenant on land? A restrictive covenant over land is a contract which runs with the land, and prevents that owner from doing certain things (usually relating to development or use). How is a restrictive covenant released /…
14/06/19
Advice given by professionals will be of the utmost importance to the client relying on it and be fundamental to business decisions. This may include examples such as legal advice on a significant transaction, an architect assisting with a construction project, engaging a chartered accountant to advise…
