One might be forgiven for thinking that, once planning permission has been granted for a development, that is the end of the matter. However, that is far from always so and, with the right legal advice, objectors can still win the day. The point was
Amidst widespread homelessness, owners of investment properties who allow them to stand empty for extended periods can find themselves on the receiving end of compulsory purchase orders (CPOs). Exactly that happened in a case concerning a desirable end-of-terrace property which had been vacant for 25
Breaching a planning enforcement notice is a serious offence and landlords should take careful note of a case in which a property owner was stripped of over £500,000 in rent paid on a house which had been converted into 12 flats without planning consent. After
Restrictions on the use to which land can be put – known as restrictive covenants – often lurk in title deeds and obtaining their release as a precursor to development can require payment of compensation. In a guideline ruling, the Upper Tribunal (UT) considered how
The integrity of the housing market depends on honest dealing and lenders are very often not the only victims of mortgage fraud. That was certainly so in the case of an innocent woman who, due to her husband’s dishonesty, faced losing her home of almost
When long relationships come to an end, disentangling former couples’ property and financial affairs can be challenging. As a Court of Appeal ruling showed, however, the law demands that both parties cooperate so that they can move on with their lives. The case concerned the
The freeholds of a great many blocks of flats are held by tenant-owned companies which operate on democratic principles. Such arrangements are, however, not a panacea and disagreements can arise. A guideline Supreme Court decision will, however, make it easier for tenants to know where
It is hard to conceive of a more draconian order than one which requires demolition of someone’s home on the basis that it is in a hazardous condition. That view was apparently shared by a tribunal which granted a reprieve to a householder who was
A fine imposed on a householder for parking her Land Rover on her own land put the conflict between private ownership and public access to the road network in high relief and provided the subject matter for an important High Court test case. For many
If a neighbour obtains planning permission for a building project to which you object, that does not always mean that you just have to grin and bear it. In a case on point, objectors to a householder’s plans to extend his garage succeeded in blocking
