We have had confirmation that the appeal of the decision in Richardson v Midland Heart (our detailed note here), on shared ownership, assured tenancies and leasehold interests, has been discontinued. Rumour has it that there is another appeal in a similar...
Martin Creed is not kosher
The lights go on, the lights go off, the lights go on, the lights go off. Such was Martin Creed's Turner Prize winning installation (and I will not hear a word against Creed - I warn you now, any objection will be met with a lengthy analysis of late...
Intermittently exposed
Now, this is a bit of an oddity. Mohammadi v Shellpoint Trustees Ltd & Anor [2009] EWHC 1098 (Ch) was an appeal from the Supreme Court Costs Office. It concerned when a person should have the protection from liability for costs under s.17 Legal Aid Act 1988....
The times, they are a'changin
Yesterday, the Lands Tribunal - so beloved of those of us who practice in the field of leasehold property law - ceased to be. It has been replaced by the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) which, confusingly, is known as... the Lands Tribunal. There is currently...
Why bother in the first place?
Since the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993, leaseholder owners of flats in certain categories of building have been able to "collectively enfranchise" and force the freeholder to convey the freehold of the building to a nominee...
Help with service charges
Leaseholders who purchased their properties from local housing authorities under the Right to Buy (and those persons who subsequently bought on from those original purchasers) are currently facing huge service charge bills (up to £40,000 in some London...
Leasehold update
A couple of things to leave you with on a Friday afternoon. Leaseholders who are dissatisfied with the management of their properties are entitled to apply to a Leasehold Valuation Tribunal (LVT) for the appointment of a manager - Part 3, Landlord and Tenant...
Unreasonable refusal to assign
A case appearing on my radar, though one that may not excite many readers is Landlord Protect Limited v St Anselm Development Company Limited [2009] EWCA Civ 99. A case concerning whether a landlord has imposed an unreasonable condition for a consent to...
What is a service charge?
Morshead Mansions Ltd v Leon Di Marco [2008] EWCA Civ 1371 Service charges. Much more interesting than tolerated trespassers. Honestly. Sections 18 - 30 Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 contain a detailed regulatory framework for service charges in residential...
Accepting "part" of a cheque without waiving forfeiture
Osibanjo v Seahive Investments Limited [2008] EWCA Civ 1282 (Court of Appeal) Are there circumstances in which a landlord can accept only part of a cheque offered by a tenant and thereby avoid waiving its right to forfeit? It would appear that there are,...
Shared Ownership – Midland Heart with benefit of transcript
The earlier post on this shared ownership possession case, Richardson v Midland Heart Ltd, (November 2007 Birmingham) attracted a lot of comment, some of it excitable and ill-informed (and much of that from me). Nearly Legal now has a copy of the judgment,...
Lack of ownership in shared ownership
[Edit 15/09/08. It now looks like the following judgment is a) being appealed shortly and b) may only have been a County Court judgment, not High Court - this latter point is not clear but reliable sources say County Court] [Edit 18/09/08. In the comments...