News - Wedlake Bell

News

Tenant Fees Act 2019

The Tenant Fees Act 2019 comes into force on 1 June 2019 in England and will have a significant impact on the charges that landlords (and lettings agents) can make.… Read more →

News

Parminder answers a readers question in The Sunday Times

This article was originally published by The Sunday Times on December 10, 2018. Problem of the week the sellers left our new house in a state of disarray Q: Two days … Read more →

Anna Lewis’ answer to a readers question is published in the Financial Times

The article was first published by The Financial Times on November 27, 2018. Could new leasehold laws affect my investment? Anna answered a readers question, she says freehold and leasehold … Read more →

News

“Specialist residential property lawyer, Jonathan Achampong has recently won ‘Conveyancer of the Year’ at the 2018 Modern Law Conveyancing Awards.”

Award winning Conveyancer Lawyer Talks about his career journey. Residential property partner, Jonathan Achampong, was recently crowned as the “Conveyancer of the Year” at the Modern Conveyancing Awards 2018. Today’s … Read more →

News

Jonathan Achampong responds to a readers’ question regarding lease extensions for retirement developments for Choice Magazine

Q: We live in a retirement development. All the flats have a 125-year lease from 1989. A few of the other residents are looking at possibly extending their leases, I … Read more →

News

“Our solicitor damaged our property deeds” – Gemma Mallett responds to a reader’s question for Choice Magazine

Graduate Member of CILEx, Gemma Mallett, has responded to a reader’s question regarding damaged property deeds for Choice Magazine: Q: Late last year we received a letter from the solicitors … Read more →

News

“Rising Star promoted to Partner at London firm” – Today’s Conveyancer reports on Jonathan Achampong’s promotion

Leading conveyancing publication, Today’s Conveyancer, have reported on the promotion Jonathan Achampong to Partner. Speaking of Jonathan’s experience, Today’s Conveyancer writes: “With his prime focus being on a range of … Read more →

News

eprivateclient reports on new Wedlake Bell Partner appointments

International private wealth publication, eprivateclient, has reported on the promotion of Jonathan Achampong and Alison Hills to Partner. The promotions, which took effect on 1 April 2018, bring our total … Read more →

News

Wedlake Bell Appoints Two New Partners

Wedlake Bell, is pleased to announce that Alison Hills (Pensions & Employee Benefits) and Jonathan Achampong (Residential Property) have been made up to Partners, effective from 1 April 2018, in … Read more →

Bulletins

Quarterly In Advance – Spring 2018

Quarterly in advance is published by Wedlake Bell’s Real Estate Team for our clients and contacts in the property world. Contents: Dear Claire – Claire answers a developer’s question regarding … Read more →

Bulletins

Long leases – the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning?

In December 2017 Communities Secretary Sajid Javid announced new measures to combat unfair and abusive practices within the leasehold system. Such practices have been a developing area of scrutiny and … Read more →

Bulletins

Wedlake Bell win Property Team of the Year award

Wedlake Bell recently won the “Property Team of the Year” award at the Eclipse Modern Law Awards 2017/18. The Eclipse Proclaim Modern Law Awards were launched to identify and celebrate … Read more →

News

Our Residential Property team have been shortlisted in the Modern Law Awards 2018

We’re pleased to announce that our Residential Property team have been shortlisted for ‘Property Team of the Year’ at the Modern Law Awards 2018. The annual awards ceremony, which aims … Read more →

News

Facing up to leasehold woes in the current market

Q: Should I delay purchasing my new build leasehold flat until after the government’s ground rent consultation? A: As alluded to in your question, the Government has recently launched a … Read more →

Bulletins

EC Google Shopping ruling may prompt further abuse of dominance cases and private actions for damages

Bulletins

Offloading premises

This article is the last in our series of property-focussed pieces. It highlights key points for HR and legal professionals as well as management who find themselves involved in the … Read more →

Tomorrow's City

Each to their own

The demand for owning assets is changing with rapid shifts in commercial cultures. Claire Haynes and Helen Garthwaite ask how landlords can keep up. Click here to view the full … Read more →

Bulletins

Car parking for new flats? – fine outside London, but a fine in London!

New residential developments can place a strain on parking provision, and in urban locations in particular local planning authorities look to section 106 agreements to implement policies requiring new developments … Read more →

Bulletins

Dear Claire – June 2017

Perplexed by property law? Relax, Solicitor Claire Haynes is here to answer your most pressing questions… Q: I am a developer planning to enter the retirement home sector as there … Read more →

Bulletins

Roundtable: Professional indemnity insurance

The professional indemnity insurance market for solicitors has, within a few years, become the preserve of stable, ‘rated’ insurers, premiums have fallen, and for smaller firms the choice of insurers … Read more →

Bulletins

Politically exposed persons and enhanced due diligence

The Fourth Money Laundering Directive allows firms to take a more nuanced approach to assessing the risks posed by PEPs, explains Michael Sinha. The Fourth Money Laundering Directive will be … Read more →

Bulletins

Why you should be wary of conveyancing fraud

Over the past 18 months there has been a spate of cases in which the buyer of a property has been tricked into buying a property from a person who … Read more →

Bulletins

Breaking up

The Winter 2017 In Counsel featured the first article in our three part series on the issues surrounding surplus premises. It looked at moving on and ending the lease relationship.… Read more →

Bulletins

How to speed up a conveyancing transaction

A lack of housing stock and high Stamp Duty Land Tax charges are often cited as the primary reasons why transaction volumes have fallen in Prime Central London over the … Read more →

News

First Female Senior Partner

Wedlake Bell is pleased to announce that Kim Lalli has been elected as the firm’s Senior Partner. This will be for a four year term that begins on 1st January … Read more →

Bulletins

A window of opportunity? Does a tenant’s repairing obligation include modernisation?

Often landlords and management companies use the repairing covenant in their leases to justify invoicing tenants through the service charge for the replacement of items that are not in disrepair … Read more →

Bulletins

Plastering over the cracks?

What are the Government’s plans to fix our broken housing market, and will they work? “Fixing our broken housing market” is the ambitious title of the Housing White Paper (“the … Read more →

Bulletins

When it makes sense to visit the Bank of Mum and Dad

As many first time buyers continue to struggle to get onto the property ladder, it has become increasingly common for parents to assist their adult children with their first purchase.… Read more →

Bulletins

Is it time to reform the property tax regime?

Although 2016 delivered a number of political surprises, the UK economy has shown tremendous resilience. However, the one issue that continues to exert influence on the property market is property … Read more →

Tomorrow's City

How automation and AI are transforming the space we need

Suzanne Gill discusses the increase in the trend for home working and the need for flexible office space. Click here to view the full article first published in Property Week … Read more →

Bulletins

Time to end the fetish for Home Ownership and Right To Buy

There are not enough homes to meet demand in much of the UK, and the tragedy is that despite recent fine words, Government policy still seems on course to keep … Read more →

Bulletins

Can tenants get away with a deliberate breach of their lease?

The Court has held that relief from forfeiture may be granted even where a tenant has deliberately breached a lease. In considering whether to grant relief, the Court should take … Read more →

Bulletins

Planning ahead: Permanent rights to change from office to residential use

Long-awaited amendments to permitted development rights to change from office to residential use without planning permission have now been made – the amendments to the Town and Country Planning(General Permitted … Read more →

Bulletins

Flash update – Tenants cannot assign to their guarantors

The High Court has held that a tenant cannot assign its lease to its own guarantor. This follows from the terms of the Landlord and Tenant (Covenants) Act 1995. In … Read more →

Bulletins

Exclusive possession in the sharing economy?

How can property law be updated so that it is relevant in a world that is becoming ‘shared’? It’s one of the first things we learn about landlord and tenant … Read more →

Bulletins

Flooding – who is responsible for the damage?

This winter has seen yet more flooding, devastating businesses and homes in the north of England and Scotland. Where flooding results from natural causes – heavy rainfall and rising rivers … Read more →

Bulletins

The Heat Network (Metering and Billing) Regulations 2014 – what you need to know

Claire Haynes provides the answers. Q. What is happening? A. The Heat Network (Metering and Billing) Regulations 2014 (as amended by the 2015 Amendment Regulations, together the Regulations) implement parts of … Read more →

Bulletins

Watch out! Your deferred consideration clause may in fact be a penalty

When structuring the acquisition of a company the buyer often looks to pay the consideration over a period of time. Such deferred consideration can be dependent on performance targets of … Read more →