Businessman ordered to repay more than £5m to former partner
August 4th 2020A businessman who misappropriated large sums of money from his company has been ordered to refund more than £5 million to his former partner. The case involved Ashank Patel and Mohammad Babar Iqbal, who had been partners in a property development business. After some of the projects suffered delays due to cashflow problems, Patel discovered that Iqbal had been misappropriating funds from the business, resulting in losses of around £5…
Covid-19 new changes which will effect Landlord’s possession claims
August 4th 2020Natalie Tatton Solicitor in our Dispute Resolution Team provides an update. The stay on issuing new and progressing existing possession proceedings has been extended until 23rd August 2020. Lord Greenhalgh, the minister of state for housing, communities, and local government, revealed the date in the House of Lords. He said: “From 24 August 2020, the courts will begin to process possession cases again. This is an important step towards ending…
Ban on business evictions due to COVID-19 extended until September
July 15th 2020The government has extended the ban on businesses being evicted during the Covid pandemic until September. Stephanie Johnson Associate Solicitor in our Dispute Resolution team provides an update. The measures to protect struggling businesses include: amending the Coronavirus Act to extend the time period for suspension of the forfeiture of evictions from 30th June to 30th September 2020, meaning no business will be forced out of their premises if they…
Leaseholders of terrace house not entitled to obtain freehold
June 22nd 2020By Natalie Tatton Solicitor in our Dispute Resolution Team The tenants of eleven terrace houses had no right to acquire the freehold title as their leases excluded certain structural parts of their property. That was the decision of the High Court in a case involving Freehold Properties 250 Ltd v Beverley Ann Field & 18 Ors (2020). Freehold Properties appealed against a decision of the County Court that 11 of…
Corporate insolvency bill to ease pressure on businesses during Covid-19
June 11th 2020The government has published its new bill designed to relieve the pressure on businesses during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. It’s hoped the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill will ease some of the pressures posed by the threat of reduced trading and allow directors to focus all their efforts on continuing to operate. The Bill will: introduce temporary easements on filing requirements and Annual General Meetings (AGMs) introduce new corporate restructuring…
Shops and SMEs to be protected against aggressive rent collection
April 29th 2020Stephanie Johnson Associate Solicitor provides an update. Shops and small businesses will be protected from aggressive rent collection during the Covid-19 emergency. Instead, Business Secretary Alok Sharma says they will be asked to pay what they can over the next two months. Mr Sharma says most landlords and tenants are working well together to reach agreements on debt obligations, but some landlords have been putting tenants under undue pressure by…
Landlord and Tenant repossessions and trespassers during COVID-19
April 27th 2020Mark Aspin Director and Head of Dispute Resolution provides an update As we have previously reported, as a result of the Coronavirus Act and changes to the court rules, tenants in both commercial and residential properties have been given extra protection to avoid eviction during government restrictions and the coronavirus pandemic. The courts have now, however, modified the general stay on possession proceedings that was granted recently and added the…
Businesses that fail to pay rent due to Covid-19 won’t be evicted
March 30th 2020Commercial tenants who cannot pay their rent due to Covid-19 will be protected from eviction under new legislation. Many landlords and tenants are already having conversations and reaching voluntary arrangements about rental payments, but the government says it recognises that businesses struggling with their cashflow due to coronavirus remain worried. The emergency Coronavirus Act provides that no business will be forced out of their premises if they miss a payment…
Athena Brands wins contract dispute with Superdrug Stores
March 18th 2020Athena Brands has won a contract dispute with Superdrug Stores over the supply of various cosmetic products. Athena claimed that it had entered into a binding agreement with Superdrug in an exchange of emails with one of its employees. In the course of the email exchange, Athena had asked the employee to confirm that he was placing orders and committing to the specified yearly minimum quantity. He had emailed back…
Business owners urged to take six steps to limit coronavirus risk to their operations
March 13th 2020Amid all the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus outbreak business owners may feel their fate isn’t in their own hands – but in fact there’s lots that they can do to help them take control. “These are uncertain times. No-one knows exactly how this is going to play out. But there are certain things you can do to protect your business,” said David Tew, a dispute resolution specialist with Cartmell…
