Rebecca Stephen

Solicitor

Property Litigation

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Expertise

Rebecca is solicitor in the Property Litigation team.

 

Rebecca advises clients on a broad range of commercial and residential disputes, acting for both landlords and tenants in respect of 1954 Act lease renewals, dilapidations, forfeiture, break notices and service charge disputes.

 

Rebecca also has experience advising on possession claims, adverse possession, claims for breach of covenant, boundary disputes and farming business tenancies.

Relevant Experience

  • Assisting a national pubs and hotels business on the possession of a central London site, in addition to the recovery substantial rent arrears.
  • Acting for multiple leaseholders of high-value central London properties where the landlords have been in breach of repairing obligations.
  • Acting for a real estate investment company in the recovery of arrears from their tenant of a prime central London commercial premises.
  • Advising an IT company (the tenant) on a dilapidations dispute in relation to offices in the West End of London.

Career History

Rebecca qualified as a solicitor in March 2023, after training with the firm.

 

Prior to joining Wedlake Bell, Rebecca worked as a paralegal in the Commercial Disputes team at Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP.

 

Rebecca read Law at the University of Reading and completed the LPC at the University of Law, graduating with a Distinction.

 

Rebecca is a member of the Property Litigation Association.

Publications

QIA

Non-payment of rent: be careful not to waive goodbye to the right to forfeit

When a tenant breaches a covenant in a lease, most leases give the landlord a right to forfeit the lease (i.e., to terminate the lease and regain possession of theRead more

News

Dilaps, don’t sweat it: a guide for landlords

Now that we are all adapting to the “new normal” of working practices, many businesses are assessing their own business requirements, including their usage of premises. With this in mind,Read more

News

Excluding Security of Tenure – Back to Basics

Why exclude security of tenure? From a landlord’s perspective the main benefit of excluding security of tenure under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 (the “Act“) is that at theRead more