Planning for the New Normal - an update from the Scottish Chief Planner
The latest letter issued by the Chief Planner on 29 May 2020 summarises the recent legislative changes and recent advice from the Scottish Government...
3rd Jun 2020 Read moreLexology – Daily Feed
Extending contractual timeframes to reflect the impact of Coronavirus
Numerous Option Agreements and Conditional Contracts (i.e.- contracts which are conditional upon obtaining planning consent) will have various...
3rd Jun 2020 Read moreNot a requiem for a dream: why we should stop writing eulogies to the office
While it may not be the ancient Greek agora, the Parisian café that birthed modernism or the plywood palace that was the Massachusetts Institute of...
2nd Jun 2020 Read moreUK Government to publish code of practice for commercial property sector as June quarterly rent day looms
As the June quarterly rent day looms, the government has announced it is set to publish a new code of practice to support high street landlords and...
2nd Jun 2020 Read moreCOVID-19: New government code of practice on rental payments to be published
The government has announced a plan to publish a new Code of Practice to assist discussions about rental payments between high street businesses and...
2nd Jun 2020 Read moreGiant hogweed and other non-native invasive species: landowner and occupier obligations during COVID-19
Reports in recent weeks have indicated that the spread of giant hogweed along Scotland’s riverbanks has been ‘turbo-charged’ due to a combination of...
2nd Jun 2020 Read moreIncreased penalties proposed for livestock worrying offences in Scotland
Scottish Ministers have been asked to consider proposals to increase penalties for livestock worrying offences, which include a five-fold increase in...
2nd Jun 2020 Read moreDevelopment Land: Tenancies, Termination and Tactics
The political and economic pressures around housing continue, with supply consistently falling short of demand. In its 2019 manifesto, the...
2nd Jun 2020 Read moreDisputes Quick Read: Court stays evictions during COVID-19 - is this lawful?
A number of practice directions have been introduced to temporarily modify the court's procedural rules, the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR), to ensure...
2nd Jun 2020 Read moreHow can divorcing parties speed up property sales during COVID-19?
It is said that the housing market is driven by divorce, death and destitution. On a divorce, property is often at the centre of the dispute relating...
2nd Jun 2020 Read moreWhat additional costs will landlords be able to recover via the service charge?
As offices begin to reopen, landlords will naturally be considering what their new obligations to their tenants will be and how the costs of any...
1st Jun 2020 Read moreSale and Leasebacks - Why So Popular?
As businesses start to work out how to repair the economic damage caused by lockdown many are looking at ways to release capital from their balance...
1st Jun 2020 Read moreTenant Fees Act 2019 changes from 1 June 2020 - Prohibited Payments
The Tenant Fees Act 2019 came into force in England last year on 1 June 2019. The Act bans landlords and agents from charging fees to tenants other...
1st Jun 2020 Read moreBeware the Six Month Deadline for Pursuing Previous Tenants or Guarantors
Faced with increasingly uncertain rents, landlords should remember claims against former tenants or their guarantors - and the strict time limits...
1st Jun 2020 Read moreQ&A: Drawing down on a rent deposit where the tenant is in administration
What are the pros and cons of a landlord drawing down against a rent deposit before or after a tenant enters administration? Is there any risk that...
1st Jun 2020 Read moreRestrictions on fees extended to all ASTs from 1 June 2020: Make sure you are up to date
From 1 June 2020, the Tenant Fees Act shall now apply to all existing qualifying tenancies regardless of when the tenancy commenced. The Act applied...
1st Jun 2020 Read moreThe Principal Private Residence Relief - Practical Problems During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Principal private residence relief (PPR) provides an individual disposing of their main or principal place of residence (their ‘dwelling-house’...
1st Jun 2020 Read moreBeware the Six Month Deadline for Pursuing Previous Tenants or Guarantors
Faced with increasingly uncertain rents, landlords should remember claims against former tenants or their guarantors - and the strict time limits...
1st Jun 2020 Read more(Quarter) D-Day Looms for Landlords and Retailers
Both landlords and retailers will be looking ahead to the next quarter day (and next rent payment date under most commercial leases) on 24 June with...
1st Jun 2020 Read moreWe paid a 10 deposit to buy a new-build flat but now we're worried about house prices and our finances, will we lose the money if we pull out?
This is Money question: "I bought an off-plan flat in Battersea two years ago but so far have only paid a deposit. As property prices are expected to...
1st Jun 2020 Read moreA coded message - government plans for fair collaboration between commercial landlords and tenants
The government announced on Friday that it is working with certain businesses and trade associations to produce a code of practice to support high...
31st May 2020 Read moreCOVID-19 code of conduct compendium offers clarity to SME landlords and tenants
Concern experienced by commercial landlords and their SME tenants who operate in more than one jurisdiction in Australia over the Federal...
29th May 2020 Read moreHousebuilder Top Tip: CIL in a time of COVID
In these challenging times, cash conservation is high on the agenda of most businesses. With housebuilders the payment of a Community Infrastructure...
29th May 2020 Read moreResidential property - the complications of renting to a healthcare company to enable care of an individual
A healthcare company intends to rent a residential property for permitted officers or employees to occupy, on a weekly rota basis. However, an...
29th May 2020 Read moreTemporary CIL Reliefs and Extended Permitted Development Rights Announced
In response to the Coronavirus outbreak the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government has announced a planning update, including temporary...
29th May 2020 Read moreQ&A - Does overlooking constitute a nuisance?
I own a flat in a high-rise residential development in South London. I have lived here for five years. In the last year, two new towers have been...
29th May 2020 Read moreCovid 19 Landlord and Tenant Issues: Answering questions from both sides
Most landlords and tenants are working well together to reach agreement in respect of rent, either moving rental payments to monthly rather than...
29th May 2020 Read moreDistinguishing a Crock from a Gater
In a previous article ‘Gater Surfs the Waves of Windermere’, I considered the cases of Gater v Wellington Real Estate Ltd 2014 UKUT 0561 (LC...
28th May 2020 Read moreThe impact of covid-19 on rent reviews and other valuation events and what practical steps you can take
The immediate focus for many of our landlord clients over the last month has been the widespread non-payment of rent for the March quarter. We are...
28th May 2020 Read moreInvestment boom for UK multifamily sector
The private rented sector (PRS) in the UK has grown significantly in the last decade and the multifamily sector in particular has attracted...
28th May 2020 Read more