Commercial Property

Under Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988, to recover possession of a property after the expiry of the contractual term in the AST, landlords are required to give tenants two months written notice stating that they require possession of the property for a so-called “no-fault” eviction. “Section 8” Notices provide different notice periods for seeking possession where a tenant, typically, is in breach of the tenancy. The Coronavirus Act…

Commercial 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…

A tenant has lost his appeal to increase the compensation offered by the landlord for noise and disturbance caused by building work. The tenant was a dentist. In 2010 he had purchased a practice and had taken over the lease of its premises, which had a rent of £14,500 per annum. The landlord began works to convert the rest of the building into a hotel. No works took place at…

A property company has lost its appeal against a tribunal ruling that it had failed to correctly calculate the level of service charges payable by leaseholders. The case involved a mixed commercial and residential development owned by Avon Ground Rents Ltd. The leaseholders were contractually obliged to contribute through a service charge to the cost of any repair and maintenance works for which Avon was liable. Remedial works were needed…

The government has reinforced its commitment to protecting tenants in the private rental sector by awarding councils a total of £4 million to crack down on criminal landlords and letting agents. The new funding will be shared by more than 100 councils across England, enabling them to take enforcement action against offenders and advise tenants of their housing rights. If the measures prove successful, it’s likely that similar grants will…

CARLISLE Airport was the setting as Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors’ expanded 12-strong business team met to plan how they can best support companies to expand their horizons in 2020. Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors’ business team now includes three corporate lawyers, six commercial property lawyers, and three in its commercial employment team, delivering advice to businesses of all sizes across Cumbria, Northumberland and beyond. With commercial lawyers with a wealth of experience available…

A group of tenants have won their appeal to exercise the right of collective enfranchisement and acquire the freehold of their flats. The properties were owned by Grosvenor (Mayfair) Estate and held on a long lease by K Group Holdings Inc (2019). The issue arose after Aldford House Freehold Ltd, the nominee purchaser for 17 lessees, served an initial notice claiming to exercise the right of collective enfranchisement on the…

By Laura Bright Solicitor An estate agent has been fined £3,000 for not being a member of all the required redress schemes for the services it covered. The case arose following a complaint from a tenant who lived in a block of flats managed by the agent. The local authority discovered the agent was a member of a redress scheme for its letting work but not for property management work.…

By Linsey Hayes Conveyancer House prices rose slightly over the year to March, but there was a fall in the latest monthly figures. The UK House Price Index shows that prices fell by an average of 0.2% between February and March. However, there was an annual rise of 1.4%. The average house in the UK is now valued at £226,798. In England, the March data shows a fall of 0.5%…

By Sam Bulman Conveyancer The government has issued a new set of guidelines to help people preparing to sell their home. The document, How to Sell, was produced by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and covers everything from ensuring your home has ‘kerb appeal’ to making sure you get good legal advice from a qualified solicitor. People who haven’t sold a property for many years may notice…