When entering into a contract for building or other trade services, it is advisable to seek professional advice at the outset to avoid finding oneself involved in costly, complex and lengthy litigation over a poorly drafted contract later on. Such…

from 6 April 2011, the Competition Act 1998 has been extended to cover agreements made with regard to land. Such agreements were previously excluded from the scope of the Act. The Act seeks to prohibit agreements etc. that prevent, restrict…

A Herefordshire farmer who wished to set up more than 50 hectares of polytunnels on his 377 hectare farm found his wishes opposed by environmental group Natural England in a case which went to the Court of Appeal. The farmer’s…

A recent case brought a property owner into conflict with his local council after he had been refused planning permission for a change of use of amenity land beside his house to use as a garden. The owner had bought…

When planning applications are being considered, the difference between what may seem reasonable to do and what strictly should be done was clarified in a recent case in which the court ruled that a decision made by a planning inspector…

Property company Daejan Investments Ltd. has failed in its bid to overturn Tribunal decisions concerning repair works carried out at the company’s Queens Mansions property in Muswell Hill, London. The recent Court of Appeal ruling will cost Daejan almost £270,000…

A recent case confirms the doctrine that for a guarantee to be valid, it must be in writing and clear. It involved an extremely badly drafted document in which a man purported to guarantee the performance of a management agreement…

Provisions introduced on 6 April 2007 under the Housing Act 2004 made it a requirement that landlords protect their tenants’ deposits using an authorised Tenancy Deposit Scheme, if they have let the property on an assured shorthold tenancy. The rules…