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 20 July 2021, the House of Lords’ marshalled list of amendments (the Lords Report) on the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Bill (the Bill) was published. This provided some much needed amendments to the Bill which was first introduced on 13 May 2021 and on which we reported in our earlier blog. In summary, the … Read more

At the eleventh hour, and despite previously declaring that it was the final extension, the UK Government has today announced that the current restrictions on landlords being able to forfeit commercial leases for non-payment of rent (which protection was due to expire on 30 June 2021) has now been extended until 25 March 2022. Read more

Introduction The 2021 Queen’s Speech signalled the start of the UK Government’s anticipated plans to change the system of leasehold residential ownership: “Laws to modernise the planning system, so that more homes can be built, will be brought forward, along with measures to end the practice of ground rents for new leasehold properties.” On 13 … 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

The property industry will by now be very familiar with the unprecedented raft of protective measures introduced by the Government in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which suspended (and continue to suspend) a landlord’s ability to pursue remedies for the recovery of arrears (but also other covenant breaches). The practical effect of these measures is … Read more

One limb of the government’s strategy to bring greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 is to target privately rented non-domestic properties and to bring the ratings of these properties up to an EPC B by 2030. A 2019 consultation identified that the main challenges to hitting this target centred on compliance and enforcement … Read more

The real estate sector is at the centre of the disruption caused by measures to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. Its impact will be profound and its effects will magnify as life returns to normal and the market takes steps towards recovery. In our latest guide “Forearmed: A real estate disputes guide to likely trends in … Read more