Landlord, Tenant and Property

• Compensation for Loss of Light

• Following a recent case in which a dispute regarding a property owner s right to light was unexpectedly dealt with by the granting of an injunction against a developer, a more recent case has offered guidance on how much compensation might be payable by a...

• Data Protection Guidance for Landlords

• The Information Commissioner's best practice guide for landlords - written to to assist them in complying with the Data Protection Act can be downloaded from the Information Commissioner s website . The guide includes a checklist which is intended to assist...

• Landlords - Dealing With Pre-Pack Tenants

• Businesses in financial difficulties are increasingly seeking ways of ridding themselves of extra costs and, in many cases, premises let in more promising economic times are viewed as a substantial and avoidable liability, especially for businesses which...

• Mixed Premises - Legal Status

• Living above the shop is quite common in the small business sector and where the premises are rented, the lease will cover both the business and residential parts of the property. However, the statutory basis for repossession is quite different for...

• Options and Pre-emption Rights

• Prospective purchasers and vendors of land frequently wish to lock in the other party to the deal and the means by which this is done will normally involve the prospective vendor either giving the prospective purchaser an option to purchase the land or...

• Rent Arrears Protocol

• Since October 2006, a revised protocol has applied where a social landlord wishes to gain possession of a property occupied by a tenant under a secure tenancy, where possession is sought on the grounds of arrears of rent. It does not apply to claims in...

• Right to Buy - Can Tenants Buy Their Commercial Property?

• A recent decision of the House of Lords may have opened the door for thousands of tenants of offices and other properties originally designed to be used as homes to be given the right to buy their properties. The Leasehold Reform Act 1967 gives a long...

• Stamp Duty Land Tax: Beginner's Guide

• Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is a self-assessed tax. The onus is on the taxpayer to make the necessary land transaction return, calculate the tax and pay it across. This is a fundamental change. The old Stamp Duty regime taxed documents, so it was possible to...

• Tenancy Deposit Protection Schemes - Rules

• If you are a landlord it is vital that you are aware of the requirement that all deposits taken by landlords and letting agents for Assured Shorthold Tenancies in England and Wales must be protected by a tenancy deposit protection scheme. There are two...

• Termination of Leases - Tips for Landlords

• In the present economic environment, many tenants will be seeking to vacate premises, reduce the size of their premises or renegotiate their leases, so times are tough for landlords. Furthermore, tenants who were good tenants or who seemed financially...

• Termination of Leases - Tips for Tenants

• Break clauses in commercial leases have probably received more attention from tenants in the last year or so than at any time since the early 1990s. For tenants seeking to break their leases, here are some pointers: Make sure any notice to break the...

• The Duty to Manage Asbestos - HSE Guidance

• According to statistics provided by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), asbestos is the single greatest cause of work-related deaths in the UK. Every year 1,000 people who have been involved in carrying out building maintenance and repair work die as a...

• Understanding Options

• People who want to buy a property but do not currently have the means to do so, or who simply want to be guaranteed the opportunity to buy it during a specified period or at some future date, will often undertake an option agreement with the owner. Under...

• When Green is Brown (and Vice Versa)

• Development in rural areas presents a number of challenges for planning teams and developers alike. Whilst planning policy is clear that previously developed (i.e. 'brown') land is to be used for new housing in preference to undeveloped ('green') land, even...

• When is an Environmental Impact Assessment Necessary?

• The The Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (England and Wales) Regulations 1999 apply to any development likely to have significant effects on the environment by virtue of its size, nature or location. If a Local Authority fails...