A group of tenants have won their appeal to exercise the right of collective enfranchisement and acquire the freehold of their flats. The properties were owned by Grosvenor (Mayfair) Estate and held on a long lease by K Group Holdings Inc (2019). The issue arose after Aldford House Freehold Ltd, the nominee purchaser for 17
Tenants threatened with eviction are set to receive enhanced legal support under new measures proposed by the government. The Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme (HPCDS) offers free ‘on-the-day’ legal advice to anyone in danger of being evicted from their home or having their property repossessed, regardless of their financial circumstances. The government is proposing changes
The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) is calling for a new housing court to speed up justice for landlords and tenants. The association says that under Civil Procedure Rules, repossession claims should only take about nine weeks, but official figures show they’re taking an average of more than 22 weeks. It believes that the government’s proposal
Figures released by London Trading Standards (LTS) show that 46% of letting agents in the capital are failing to comply with new regulations. They were fined a total of £1.2m for not displaying their fees or for not being members of a redress scheme. Figures are not available for the rest of the country, but
A tenant has been granted an extension to an injunction preventing him from being evicted, although the judge made it clear that this did not prevent his landlord from issuing possession proceedings. The tenant had obtained the injunction after the landlord attempted to remove his possessions from the property and lock him out. There was
A landlord has won a dispute with a tenant over service charges for insurance dating back nearly 15 years. The case involved a tenant who held the lease of a flat in a building comprising of three flats and a commercial unit. Under the lease, the tenant covenanted to contribute one-sixth of the building’s specified
A developer has been refused permission to convert a family home into a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO). The property was in a street which contained mainly single-family homes. The developer wanted to the convert it into six self-contained apartments. The planning inspector considered the effect an HMO would have on the living conditions of
The Tenant Fees Act 2019 came into force on 1st June 2019 and provided more rules regulating tenancy deposits. The new rules undoubtedly provide a new hurdle for landlords, but it’s important that landlords continue to work to get the basics right. We have found that despite it being many years since the law changed
The Court of Appeal has ruled that a landlord was within his rights to end a tenancy agreement without giving his tenant the six-month notice period required under the Housing Act 1988. The tenant, Sarah Bamber, had agreed a seven-year tenancy on the property, which included a 12-month starter period. During this starter period, the
An estate agent has been fined £3,000 for not being a member of all the required redress schemes for the services it covered. The case arose following a complaint from a tenant who lived in a block of flats managed by the agent. The local authority discovered the agent was a member of a redress