Following the passing of the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 in March of this year, the Companies House register of overseas entities became live on 1 August 2022. From today the Land Registry will start placing restrictions on the titles of freehold and leasehold estates owned by overseas entities. Our update here provides … Read more

Climate change regularly grabs the headlines, but are solicitors obliged to consider its impacts for property ownership as part of their advice to buyers and lenders? In the latest issue of Property Law Journal (July/August 2022, #399) Julie Vaughan considers what sort of advice might a solicitor be expected to offer. See here for her … Read more

Cities are responsible for around 75% of global CO2 emissions. To effectively battle climate change, urban hubs will need to be in the vanguard. A handful of cities are aware of this responsibility, and willingly placed themselves on the front lines in the effort to decarbonise. Across the UK, mainland Europe and the Asia Pacific, … Read more

A recent UK Parliamentary select committee report calls asbestos “one of the great workplace tragedies of modern times” and calls for all asbestos to be removed from public and commercial buildings over the next 40 years. The installation of asbestos in buildings has been banned since the start of 2000 and in many cases asbestos … Read more

There is shared interest in ensuring that the decline of town centres is reversed and high-streets are regenerated. Investors are increasingly interested in achieving social value through improving the economic, social and environmental well-being of communities. Many owners and developers are leading the way by taking a community-first approach, ensuring that the social impact of … Read more

Landlords of commercial premises have, quite understandably, been awaiting further details of the UK Government’s anticipated “binding arbitration” scheme for rent arrears which have accrued during the Covid-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns. Happily for landlords and developers, a recent decision in the High Court has suggested that the courts will not entertain tactics by tenants … Read more

On 21 April, a new permitted development (PD) right came into force enabling the owners of most town centre premises to change from Use Class E (commercial, business and service) to residential use, with only limited consent required from the local planning authority. The new PD right, Class MA, will be exercisable from 1 August … Read more