Volunteering for Leeds-based charity St George’s Crypt keeps me grounded, gives me the opportunity to connect with people from different backgrounds, and allows me to support the local community. I’ve always been passionate about helping people and I first started to volunteer when I was in the Sixth Form at Penistone Grammar School. In 2006 […]

The Case of Tedworth North Management Ltd v Miller and Ogorodnov [2016] highlighted the risks involved with landlords seeking to recover costs and expenses through a Service Charge when the works aren’t specifically covered within the Landlord’s Lease obligations. The Case A Management Company Landlord of a block of flats replaced the building’s window-frames and […]

Recently my colleague Anushka Nicholas and I had the pleasure of attending the Women in Law Summit in London where the presentations, workshops, and seminars in which we participated were inspiring, encouraging, and uplifting. From panel discussions led by women at the top of their field, to talks delivered by aspiring young professionals, there was […]

A recent case has highlighted the importance of providing accurate replies to Commercial Property Standard Enquiries (CPSEs) and keeping them up to date. CPSEs come in many different guises depending on the particulars of a transaction, but the main and most frequently used beast is CPSE 1; a lengthy set of 32 enquiries which requires […]

The Electronic Communications Code governs the siting and operation of communications equipment across the UK and sets out the rights and responsibilities of equipment and land owners alike. In May 2016 the Government proposed a review and updating of the Electronic Communications Code, spurred on by the ever and rapidly changing world of electronic communications. […]

Adverse possession is a principle of property law that applies to both residential and commercial property. It is the legal basis on which ‘squatters rights’ can be claimed for land that is occupied by somebody who is not the legal owner of the same. In order to claim adverse possession of the land in question […]

Small Business Rates Relief As from 1 April 2016 there will be further relief for those small businesses in England that successfully apply for small business rates relief.  The previous temporary increase in the level of relief available was due to end on 31 March 2016 but the increase has been extended until 31 March […]

Most people know a tree when they see one. Big, leaves, branches, roots etc, but a recent Court of Appeal decision answered the rather unusual legal question: When does a tree become a tree? In Distinctive Properties (Ascot) Ltd v Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and another [2015], the Court of Appeal […]

You cannot fail to have noticed the LGBT movement in recent weeks. The Pride March in London, the major US Supreme Court decision to give same-sex couples the nationwide right to marry and social media sites, like Facebook, awash with rainbow tinted profile pictures. Many may feel that this wave of support is long overdue […]

Much like the hairstyle of choice for the ‘80s, a hastily signed waiver letter by a Landlord may seem like a good idea at the time but, with the benefit of hindsight, could prove itself to be a regrettable mistake. It’s a common enough situation; a Tenant is expecting the arrival of machinery or equipment, […]

Seeking contributions towards the maintenance of a shared estate road can be tricky, especially if the estate road owner is not in the habit of maintaining and repairing the road and recovering costs from the parties that benefit from a right to use it. Generally speaking, positive covenants do not ‘run with the land’. This […]

What is reinstatement? The connotations of the word ‘reinstatement’ suggest it is something to be dealt with at the end of the lease term. And to some extent it is. Reinstatement concerns the ‘putting right’ of a property at the end of the term into the state and condition required by the tenant covenants in […]