
The cladding companies putting profits ahead of safety
The inquiry that follows the June 2017 fire, in which 72 people died at the Grenfell Tower in West London, has highlighted some of the shocking tactics of the management ...
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Property worth £10 million surrendered to NCA
Despite never having been convicted of a crime, a Leeds businessman has handed over 45 properties, and the Poundland brand name, to the National Crime Agency (NCA). The properties handed ...
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Major housebuilders under investigation over leaseholds
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced that it is investigating four of the UK's largest housebuilders, following what it described as 'troubling evidence' over their methods of selling ...
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Grosvenor Property Developers consultant faces prison
Sanjiv Varma, who claimed to be a consultant to developer, Grosvenor Property Developers Ltd, has been found guilty of contempt in the High Court for failing to disclose assets and ...
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Ban on ‘No DSS’ after court judgement
The case against 'No DSS' stipulations stepped up a notch when two mothers recently won out of court settlements against two letting agents. A judge in York County Court ruled ...
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Stoke on Trent solar panel company accused of Erroneous Transfers
Tenants of properties in Stoke on Trent have accused a solar panel company of mis-selling by making Erroneous Transfers. The company worked with the City Council offering free panels with ...
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McMafia law claims London properties
Three multi-million homes in London has been seized as part of the National Crime Agency's Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO) powers, or so-called 'McMafia law'. The properties in Hampstead, Chelsea, and ...
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Court of Appeal rejects appeal against first Unexplained Wealth Order
The Court of Appeal has rejected Zamira Hajiyeva's appeal against the UK's first Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO), meaning she must now reveal the source of her wealth. She has been ...
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Estate agent price-fixing cartels broken up by CMA
The three price-fixing estate agent cartels that colluded to fix fees for letting and selling properties have now been broken up by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Price-fixing results ...
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Home owners take legal action against mortgage lenders
The Treasury has pledged to be working on the removal of barriers to cheaper deals that have trapped 'mortgage prisoners'. However, 150,000 people under the banner 'UK Mortgage Prisoner Action ...
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Landlord v Tenant, Residential v Commercial – Supreme Court ruling in leasehold enfranchisement / planning dispute
In Sequent Nominees Ltd v Hautford Ltd [2019] the Supreme Court justices have ruled that a freeholder was entitled to withhold consent from a leaseholder who wished to apply for ...
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Nottingham breach of planning regulations fined £20,000
A Nottingham couple have become embroiled in a dispute with their local council over a breach of planning regulations by building in their back garden. Ishitaq Ahmed and his wife ...
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Homeowner says Persimmon Homes solicitor failed to highlight restrictive covenants
A homeowner in Pembroke has complained about her discovery of several restrictive covenants on her property, although she wasn't informed about them when she bought the new build property, even ...
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Legal: Restrictive covenants preventing sale of property
The neighbouring properties of 141 and 141A Dunstans Road in East Dulwich, London, originally formed a single double fronted Victorian home. In October 1983, the home's owner split the property ...
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Is it legal for a landlord to lock access to a shared property’s thermostat?
A landlord has installed a locked cover over the Nest thermostat of the shared house she owns in Ealing, London. The move means that hot water and central heating settings ...
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Overage Agreement explained in light of recent High Court ruling
Properties and land are often sold if there is a potential for increased value with an overage agreement. Case law has recently addressed the clause that is often used: “detailed ...
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Legal: £500,000 fine for planning offence
The highest penalty ever imposed for a planning offence in central London has been given to a landlord prosecuted by Westminster City Council, who divided his home into flats without ...
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Solicitors’ lucky escape
The House of Commons Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee has conducted an extensive inquiry into leasehold reform. This month (July 2019) the government published its response. It seems ...
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Berkshire estate agents accused of price fixing
Four Berkshire estate agents stand accused by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) of forming a 'price fixing cartel', exchanging information and fixing commission for their own financial gain. The ...
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Is the leasehold system fair and transparent?
The Competition and Markets Authority has at long last opened an investigation into the practices of the leasehold property market. The investigation launched on 11th June 2019 follows years of ...
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Legal: Wells v Devani
In Wells v Devani [2019], estate agent Mr Devani claimed that commission was payable to him by the vendor, Mr Wells, on completion of the sale of his flats to ...
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New laws on electrical safety
Landlords of private rented property will soon need to ensure that the electrics in their properties are checked to ensure they are as safe as they ought to be, under ...
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Greedy landlord guilty of disregarding planning enforcement
Reading Crown Court has sentenced a Langley landlord to a suspended prison term and ordered him to pay over £300,000 for costs and compensation. Talwinder Singh built a block of ...
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Inadequate solicitors advice possibly leading to homeowners trapped by ‘fleeceholds’
A crisis on a scale compared to the recent PPI scandal has left home owners and MPs alike wanting answers, as new home owners are being lumbered with annual charges ...
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Stepney landlady wins legal fight to make noise
A pub landlady in Stepney, East London has won a landmark victory to prevent people who will live in an unbuilt development from complaining in the future about noise pollution ...
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Privacy Law – visitors to Tate Modern can enjoy ‘rather splendid’ view
Property owners of the multi-million pound Neo Bankside flats next door to the Tate Modern's £260 million Switch House Building in London have lost their privacy case at the High ...
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Serious Fraud Office investigating major property developments
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has opened investigations into suspected fraud related to three major property developments. Angelgate, Manchester £77 million Pinnacle Angelgate in Manchester was developed by Pinnacle (Angelgate) ...
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Solicitor jailed for property fraud offences
Manchester Crown Court has sentenced a conveyancing solicitor to seven years in prison after finding him guilty of three offences of money laundering over a period of five years, up ...
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New tenant rights to sue landlord
A new private members bill has been passed in the Commons, enabling tenants to take legal action if their private or social rented home does not meet the minimum standards ...
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Judicial Guidance on Party Wall Act surveyor fees
What is Party Wall Work? The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 introduced a procedure for the resolution of disputes between owners of neighbouring properties, arising as a result of one ...
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Moore v National Westminster Bank Plc
In Moore v National Westminster Bank Plc the High Court upheld an award of damages awarded for breach of contract by the lender when it failed to arrange a Home Buyers Report ...
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Leasehold law headache continues
Barclays Bank has reignited the debate on unfair leasehold practices, after refusing to lend against a high profile development in Stratford, in the London Borough of Newham. The main cause ...
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HMRC battles with DIY
In September 2010, Mr and Mrs McHugh sold the home they had built for themselves between November 2004 and December 2007. During the build, the couple lived in another property ...
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Representatives of G. Graham v HMRC (2018)
Business Property Relief is currently denied to businesses that ‘consist wholly or mainly of dealing with securities, stocks or shares, land or buildings, or making or holding investments’, including property ...
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Landmark legal ruling: Mills v Mills
In a legal challenge by her former husband, the Supreme Court has ruled that an ex-wife cannot force her divorced husband to increase the amount of maintenance payments simply because ...
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Fraudulent sales of property
Conjoined Appeal in Court of Appeal on Fraudulent Sale of Properties: P&P Property Ltd v Owen White & Catlin LLP ; Dreamvar (UK) Limited v Mishcon de Reya; An Important ...
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What the law allows you to do when confronted with an intruder in your home?
The terrifying prospect of finding an intruder in your home is fortunately something few of us have to deal with. But with the news this month that 78 year old ...
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Localism Act 2011 being used to trap people in homelessness
The Localism Act 2011 gave councils the power to restrict access to social housing. Since the law change became effective, the total number of households on waiting lists in England ...
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Equality laws highlight discrimination against housing benefit claimants
A recent legal case has highlighted the practices of thousands of letting agents and landlords that discriminate against tenants, in particular women. The case, brought to the county court by ...
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Why aren’t more homes being bought under commonhold law?
In 2016, 98% of flats were purchased 'leasehold' - giving the purchaser ownership of the property for a fixed number of years during which they pay ground rent to the ...
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New Bill could be the end of expensive boundary disputes
The cost of boundary disputes was highlighted recently in the well publicised case of the London family who lost their £600k home of 31 years to their neighbours, after losing ...
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Legal loophole benefiting holiday home owners may soon close
In our article ‘why do we need new homes?’ we identified tax evasion over business rates and council tax by landlords as one of the problems contributing to the current ...
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April 2018 government legislation changes to HMOs and EPCs
Spring 2018 brings with it changes to Government legislation on Houses of Multiple Occupation and Energy Performance Certificates in rented accommodation. HMO Legislation changes The Government is proposing changes to ...
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Planning law update: Local Authority being challenged over breaches of air pollution laws resulting in invalidation of Local Plan
Environmental campaigner, Emily Shirley, has brought a legal challenge over Canterbury’s adoption of its Local Plan, claiming that the city did not properly consider the impact on air pollution of ...
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Money Laundering Regulations update takes effect
In an attempt to further address the estimated £24 billion a year 'generated' by organised crime, the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations ...
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Storm Gertrude: School collapse is the tip of the PPP iceberg
In January 2016, Oxgangs Primary School in Edinburgh made the news headlines when Storm Gertrude brought nine tons of bricks falling to the ground. The shocking collapse identified significant defects and a ...
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If a deal seems too good to be true, then it probably is – how to protect your property from title fraud
Mr Minh To, of Stockport, had paid off his mortgage so when he saw his five-bedroom home advertised on Rightmove he was rightly concerned. Without Mr To’s knowledge, the deeds to ...
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