The number of complaints against architects is increasing year on year, according to a report published by law firm Kennedys. The firm’s findings suggest that complaints to the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) increased 26 per cent between 2017…read more
Property owner wins £50,000 compensation for knotweed infestation. Published August 2019
A property-owner has won costs and damages of £50,000 after a surveyor failed to spot Japanese knotweed growing in the garden of the ground floor flat he was buying. Paul Ryb, who is one of the UK’s top visually impaired…read more
Swimming pool company fails in bid to claim on two years’ PI cover. Published Aug 2019
A swimming pool company has not been able to recover all the cost of fixing faulty pools after it reached the limit of indemnity on its professional indemnity (PI) insurance policy. Euro Pools was unsuccessful in a bid to have…read more
EU Agency fails to cancel London lease due to Brexit. Published July 2019
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has failed in a High Court bid to have its £500m Canary Wharf lease cancelled due to Brexit. The court ruling will be welcomed by landlords who feared that other tenants would try to use…read more
Planning permission quashed in ‘extraordinary’ case. Published July 2019
Planning permission for three marquees has been quashed six years after it was issued in an ‘extraordinary’ court hearing. Normally planning permission needs to be challenged by judicial review within six weeks of it being issued. Wedding venue, Thornton Manor…read more
Risks of selling property at an undervalue to settle a debt. Published June 2019
Selling a property for less than it is worth to settle a mortgage debt could land the parties in court. Two recent cases show the importance of considering how to obtain the best price for a property. In McDonagh v…read more
Social houses may be demolished following restrictive covenant breach. Published June 2019
Thirteen social houses may have to be demolished after a developer deliberately ignored restrictive covenants on the land. The developer’s attempt to have the covenants waived retrospectively was thrown out by the Court of Appeal. Millgate Development built the properties…read more
Lawyers and landlords split on need for a Housing Court. Published May 2019
The government’s plans to set up a new Housing Court have been welcomed by landlords, but the Law Society has come out against the proposal. Meanwhile housing charity Shelter has said it will only support the new Court if it…read more
New Permitted Development Rights relax planning regime. Published May 2019
Upward extensions of buildings will be allowed without full planning permission in controversial new rules revealed by the government. Chancellor Philip Hammond announced the new regulations in the Spring Statement alongside other planning moves which will allow shops to convert…read more
The treatment of Japanese knotweed could be reassessed. Published April 2019
Japanese knotweed’s fearsome reputation among property owners and mortgage lenders could be reassessed following research from Leeds University and engineering firm AECOM. Japanese knotweed is an invasive species, which has been linked to significant structural damage to properties. It has…read more
