Building Legal Solutions
Death has stalked us all for the last two years and it has made me think about how best to use the time given to us before we pass. Inevitably, I have questioned whether I can live my best life as a property lawyer. The common perception of...
A lease must be granted for a fixed length of time and will therefore have an end date of the contractual fixed term. However, provided that a tenant of a business lease meets certain qualifying criteria, they will have the statutory right to a renewal lease...
Way back in the summer of 2001 I remember going to London for the day to hear a talk all about what was then the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill. There were several eminent speakers from the Government and representatives of those involved in the...
Earlier this week, the Autumn Budget revealed eagerly awaited further details of the proposed Residential Property Developer Tax (“RPDT”). First, by way of background, what is the intention behind the tax? The events of the night of 14th June...
A question which many conveyancers have been asked by their clients in the last eighteen months or so is whether there is anything in the title of the client’s property, or the property that they are buying, which might prevent the client from working...
There’s been plenty of news recently about a tight labour market across the country and the legal sector is certainly no exception. The shortage of good lawyers is particularly acute in the commercial property sphere and it’s become more...
There are a number of crucial factors that should be taken into account when looking to sell your commercial property. Our role as solicitor is to anticipate and deal with enquiries that arise during the legal process and the approach to this is key to a...
“The ground rent on my lease is more than £250. Should I be worried?” This is a question which many leaseholders, and buyers of leasehold properties, have been asking in recent years. The chances are that if you own a long leasehold...
In today’s world, tackling climate change and reducing carbon emissions is a priority and there is a trend towards looking for more sustainable, energy efficient options in day-to-day life; from sustainably produced clothing to walking or cycling the...
What sort of things should you worry about when buying a property? The neighbours? Any new housing estates that are likely to be built in the locality? Possibly. However, if you are buying the property jointly with someone else then perhaps the thing that...
During the darkest days of lockdown, I was lucky enough to discover the inspirational Simon Sinek and devoured all freely available speeches he gave on a variety of business topics but it was his thoughts on leadership that really resonated with me. ...
Over the past 18 months, we have all experienced unprecedented change in nearly every aspect of our lives as a result of the pandemic: From wearing a mask when buying a pint of milk, to not being able to see loved ones, to unexpected financial hardship. With...
England’s long-awaited victory over Germany came on the eve of the last day of the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) “Holiday”. It was therefore with some very sore heads that Conveyancers in England arrived at work on 30 June faced with the...
We are very excited to confirm that we have now moved offices to a fantastic new countryside location in Warwick, in the vicinity of Warwick Castle. The move has been on the horizon for some time and after what feels like endless hours of planning and...
We now have a well-established graduate program and we are always interested to hear why applicants decided they wanted to become a lawyer. It’s actually a question many struggle to answer and it possibly stems from the fact that even law graduates...
At the start of 2021, the UK Government confirmed the details of legislation being brought forward to reform residential leasehold property. In particular, it is aimed at the level of ground rents for new leases and the cost of lease extensions. Ground rent...
Broadly speaking, commercial tenants who occupy commercial premises for the purposes of carrying on their business benefit from ‘security of tenure’ under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954. Provided the relevant provisions of the 1954 Act have not...
Digital signatures in conveyancing – the way forward? Since July 2021 the Land Registry has been prepared to accept electronic signatures as a means of executing deeds in conveyancing transactions. The concept of electronic signatures was not...
In a nutshell, all work experience provides individuals with an invaluable opportunity to have an insight in to the world of working, as well as giving individuals the opportunity to get in front of potential employers. What are the benefits of non-legal...
This blog post is for those of you starting out on your legal journeys, and possibly even for those of you who are more experienced, to remind you of where you started many years ago. Stepping into the legal world is no doubt a challenge, now exacerbated by...
Everyone knows and understands that Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is payable on the acquisition of a commercial or residential property. The same principles apply to the purchase price (known as a premium) for the grant of a new lease. What about when a...
When reviewing residential properties subject to a tenancy, we often see how easy it is for landlords to fall out of compliance with the relevant legislation when letting their properties. Whilst it may not be the most glamorous part of their job, a...
Many agreements and deeds in the property sector include provisions requiring or allowing one party to serve notice on the other party, or a third party, if certain events occur. For example, a tenant, landlord, or both, may have the right to terminate the...
I regularly receive calls from clients who are interested in a property they have seen which is to be sold by way of an auction. Occasionally the first we hear about it is when our client telephones to say that they were the successful bidder at an auction...
Three lessons I will take forward from working from home. After working from home for the best part of a year, I will shortly be returning to office-based working on a rota basis three days a week. With this phased return to office working on the horizon,...
Welcome to the first in my series of blogs on James Bond films. The first being this 1989 classic starring Timothy Dalton. His third appearance got cancelled due a legal dispute involving the producers – who knew that? On second thoughts I’m no...
Degrees are not now the only way to enter this profession, learning about the CILEx route I was able to learn part time over 3 years in my evenings along side other professionals in the same situation as me. Not many people are aware that there are other...
In my mind’s eye, a forest is a dark place. The trees crowd together blocking out the light; the branches block your progress at every turn; and the paths slowly disappear the deeper you get leaving you hopelessly lost. I imagine that is how the...
You have read what a day in the life of one of our Directors Of General Sociability involves (see Beatle’s blog ), but what does a typical day for one of the Humans in the team look like? No two days are ever the same as a commercial property...
The payment of a service charge to cover the cost of maintaining communal facilities is well established for leasehold properties, such as apartments. What is not so well known however is that freehold houses can also be subject to a service charge, or an...
With the current circumstances we find ourselves in, focussing on our well-being is more important than ever before. Our time at work makes up a large proportion of our week and so we must ensure we take time out for ourselves and look after our mental...
Collateral warranties are a common requirement when undertaking a construction project that requires funding, or, will be sold or rented upon completion. What do they do? The legal answer is that they put a third party (with an interest in the site i.e....
After graduating from Warwick, I received two scholarships to complete an internship in China. I interned with a niche commercial law firm specialising in mergers and acquisitions and intellectual property. Travelling alone to China was something I would...
We are once again under a government imposed national lockdown due to the COVID19 virus. The challenges we all face remain the same as the previous lockdowns although, there is even more uncertainty now given the variant strain of the virus. This is also a...
My Human says I did so well covering for him last time that I’ve got the job permanently. I think he’s just trying to get out of doing it myself but as I’m still on furlough and my application to join the COVID-19 sniffer dog team was...
There are many matters which a prospective tenant should consider before taking on a new lease, in order to mitigate the risk of potential unknown and costly liabilities in the future. The below list provides just a few examples of some of the important...
Perhaps now is the time for a reminder about the risk of becoming the victim of a property fraud. This is particularly so given that since March 2020 many of us in the property industry have been working from home, with most communications with clients and...
There are a whole host of statutory requirements which apply to commercial properties and frequently these are overlooked by property owners, until they come to sell, let or refinance their property. It is prudent for any commercial property owner to...
As BDMs, we all know that getting out there and having that face to face interaction with others is key to what we do in our role and so when lockdown first happened I think it hit us all for six as it was such a huge change to our usual routines. We were so...
Whether selling freehold houses or leasehold flats the preparation of the legal pack at an early stage in the process (ideally before any plots are reserved) is crucial to ensuring a smooth transaction and quick exchange. The last thing you want, as a...
Whether you are developing a small parcel of land for a granny annexe or a large greenfield site for a mixed-use 1,000 unit extracare scheme, the key considerations remain the same. I thought that with my first blog I would set some of these out, so...
My Human (Steven Petty -Ed), has asked me to write his blog for him as he says he is currently too busy (from where I’m lying it looks like he’s just sat on his arse staring at a screen but what do I know). As many of you will know, I am one of...
Perhaps surprisingly, a regular enquiry that I receive from clients concerns what is known as “adverse possession” of land. The public perception of this is that it is all about squatters who have seized possession of a building. However, most of...
There are many scenarios where we are asked the question ‘what is mine?’. For example, developers want to be sure that their proposed development fits within the land they own; and tenants want to know exactly how much of a property they are...
This is the question that fuelled the start of my career in property law and so seemed appropriate for my first blog post. As a budding law student, somewhat ironically, I had not initially considered a career in law. Various city firms visited the...
Simple answer is no! Well maybe to me they are. Is there benefit in knowing the principles of such areas; I think so and this is what we are trying to assist with by means of these short articles. But, without falling into the cataclysm that can be ‘a...
Starting out back in January 2014 in a glorified broom cupboard with me, Steve and our secretary Pat seems like a lifetime ago. By the same token, the past 7 years (almost) have been an absolute whirlwind and the team is now 16 strong. We are continuing to...
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