Housebuilding on green fields can be intensely controversial but objections often have to give way before the ever-widening gap between supply and demand. In one case that illustrated the point, the High Court opened the
Fraud can be difficult to detect but judges are alert to the problem and will bend over backwards to assist victims of deceit. In one case, a tribunal came to the aid of a divorcee
Drug dealers and other criminals have a tendency to launder their profits through the property market, often using family members as go-betweens. As one High Court case showed, however, the authorities are well equipped to
Lawyers don’t use much Latin nowadays but ‘caveat emptor!’ – roughly translated as ‘buyer beware!’ – is still a fundamental principle that applies to property sales. In one case exactly on point, a builder defeated
Owners of listed buildings are entrusted to keep them in a reasonable state of repair and a failure to do so can have grave consequences. In one case, a woman whose 17th century manor house
Unlawful planning permissions are regularly overturned by judges, and those who pre-empt their decisions by carrying out developments prematurely do so at their own risk. In one such case, however, the High Court found that
Many housing estates are subject to restrictive covenants for the benefit of present and future residents and they can act as a control mechanism on development that is just as effective as the planning system.
Many housing estates, particularly those built in the 1960s, are looking tired and no longer meet modern living requirements. However, as one High Court case showed, their regeneration presents a major challenge for local authorities.
In the present economic environment, many tenants will be seeking to vacate premises, reduce the size of their premises or renegotiate their leases, so times are tough for landlords. Furthermore, tenants who were ‘good tenants’
In densely populated urban areas, the right to daylight and not to feel overshadowed by new development is of ever increasing importance. The High Court made that point as it scotched plans for a subterranean
