In St Pancras & Humanist HA v Leonard [2008] EWCA Civ 1442, the Court of Appeal held that, although Mr Leonard had possession of the relevant property (a garage), he nevertheless was estopped from claiming a right by adverse possession against the...
Tis aw a muddle
A reminder, if one was needed, of the perils and pitfalls of constructive trust cases can be found in Elithorn v Poulter & Others [2008] EWCA Civ 1364 The problems in this case were not just the confused and confusing evidence (not only that of Dr...
Agreements and constructive trust
Parris v Williams [2008] EWCA Civ 1147 was an appeal against an order that Mr Williams had 100% beneficial interest in one of two flats to which legal title was held by Mr Parris. It is of interest because it contains a challenge to the ways in which a...
Estoppel – needs something to estop
I'm not going to do a report on this one as it is a) epic, b) unprecis-able and thankfully c) pretty much off topic for housing law. But anyone who, like me, is a bit of an equity hobbyist on the side, the House of Lords judgment in Yeoman’s Row Management...
Aaargh
Started on Doherty, but on closer inspection, the Lords have also given me R (On The Application of M) (Fc) V Slough Borough Council and R (On The Application of Heffernan) (Fc) V The Rent Service to deal with, and possibly also Yeoman's Row Management...
Constructive trust and dodgy RTB
There is an all too common situation. A tenant with the right to buy is offered a capital sum and the mortgage payments for the (in this case) three years needed to avoid repaying the RTB discount on transfer. In the meantime, they either get to stay or hand...
Stack v Dowden revisited
The Court of Appeal has effectively given guidance on the application of Stack v. Dowden [2007] UKHL 17 where one is faced with a transfer into joint ownership and no express statements as to shares in the property in Fowler v Barron [2008] EWCA Civ 377 (23...
Proprietary Estoppel yet again
Blimey, who declared this Estoppel month? The latest is Powell & Anor v Benney [2007] EWCA Civ 1283. Although the case itself is not that interesting, the judgment is worth a look as it gives a clear overview of the Court of Appeal's current thinking in...
Constructive Trust and Proprietary Estoppel again
In James v Thomas [2007] EWCA Civ 1212, the Court of Appeal fine-tuned some points on constructive trust and proprietary estoppel, with reference to shares in property. To note from Sir John Chadwick's main judgment: A constructive trust can arise some years...
Equitable interests and right to buy discounts
A fairly abstruse discussion after the recent fun and games, but, to someone like me who was intrigued and amused while studying equity, an enjoyable one. A recent case involved the client's equitable interest in an ex-council house, formally purchased by...
Divorce for the unmarried.
Interesting to see the Government publicising proposals for setting up property distribution mechanisms for ex-cohabiting couples somewhat ahead of the Law Commission's final report. The Guardian's paper account, if not its online report, compared the...