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  • Lewis Silkin announces Anthony Van Hoffen as real estate partner

    Press Release

    12 February 2018

    LONDON – Top 100 UK law firm Lewis Silkin LLP today announces the appointment of Anthony Van Hoffen as a partner in the firm’s Real Estate legal practice group.

  • From the pub to the court room

    19 December 2017

    It is not uncommon for commercial deals to be agreed with a handshake in an informal setting (often a bar, restaurant or other social venue). If agreed, parties usually then move the matter on to their lawyers to document the terms. But what if terms are never documented? How much reliance can be placed on commercial terms that are agreed orally?

  • New Welsh Land Transaction Tax

    02 November 2017

    From April 2018, Wales will have a new tax known as Land Transaction Tax (LTT), its own version of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT). LTT mirrors much of the SDLT regime and many of the SDLT rules have been incorporated into the Land Transaction Tax and Anti-avoidance of Devolved Taxes (Wales) Act 2017 (businesses and tax practitioners have emphasised the need for consistency between SDLT and LTT), but there are differences which the Welsh Government say make the tax simpler and fairer, and improve its efficiency and effectiveness.

  • Unsafe property causes death, but still no claim allowed

    02 November 2017

    A man visits a friend at his flat, falls down the stairs of the building (which are unsafe) and is killed. You would expect his widow would be able to sue the owner of the building in respect of her loss wouldn’t you?

  • Smart Cities – what does this mean for the Property world?

    26 October 2017

    One of the trending topics in property circles at the moment is the rather confusing term ‘Smart Cities’. Whilst there is a great deal of buzz around the topic the main question is what exactly is a ‘Smart City’?

  • Autonomous Vehicles and the Built Environment

    25 September 2017

    Self-driving cars are on their way. The trailblazers (Tesla, Google, Uber) are conducting increasingly sophisticated tests in real-world conditions. The traditional car makers (General Motors, BMW) are acquiring start-ups or partnering with established tech companies to boost their capabilities. Ford recently promoted the head of its smart mobility unit to chief executive and aims to have a mass market fully autonomous car by 2021.

  • CDM 2015: Who is the Principal Designer?

    01 August 2017

    By now, everyone is familiar with The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (“Regulations”). However, there still seems to be confusion as to who should fulfil the role of the Principal Designer (“PD”).

  • Rates debate - Re-development or disrepair?

    07 July 2017

    Business rates have been big news recently following the Government’s controversial revaluation which took effect from 1 April 2017. Against the backdrop of all this negativity, the Supreme Court decision of Newbigin (Valuation Officer) v S J & J Monk [2017] at least provided some positive news for those carrying out developments or refurbishments of property.

  • Tenants still can’t assign to their guarantors

    07 July 2017

    There are often very good reasons why a lease would be assigned to a guarantor (e.g. corporate restructuring or the tenant’s insolvency). However, a case in 2016 - EMI Group Ltd v O & H Q1 Ltd - decided that such an assignment would be void at law, even if all parties agreed to it.

  • Seller/Landlord beware! You need to take care with replies to preliminary enquiries

    07 July 2017

    As part of any commercial property transaction a seller/landlord will usually be required to provide to the prospective buyer/tenant replies to a set of pre-contract enquiries (known as “preliminary enquiries”) – typically using the standard form Commercial Property Standard Enquiries (CPSEs) .

  • Ignore Japanese knotweed at your peril!

    07 July 2017

    Japanese knotweed is an invasive non-native species and is problematic because it can cause physical damage to land and buildings, particularly through spreading roots. During the summer months, it can grow up to 10 centimetres a day and roots can extend to a depth of three metres and up to seven metres laterally. The presence of knotweed can have a significant and detrimental effect on the marketability and insurability of property and may also adversely affect value.

  • Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 - The Basics

    Inbrief

    27 June 2017

    Part II of the 1954 Act is perhaps the most important legislation governing commercial premises. The provisions of Part II of the Act were substantially amended with effect from 1st June 2004 and did away with many of the tactical manoeuvres that were available under the old regime.

  • Lewis Silkin delighted to be associated with long standing client Sager House (Almeida) Limited

    Deal

    20 June 2017

    Lewis Silkin is delighted to be associated with long standing client Sager House (Almeida) Limited (a joint venture between the Sager Group of companies and US investment fund Cain Hoy) in providing legal services for the delivery of a major mixed use development of the former North London Post Sorting Office off Upper Street, Islington.

  • Clicks & bricks - keeping digital while going physical

    Press

    06 June 2017

    Julia Poulter and Tom Merrick have written an article for Essential Retail as they take a look at the challenges of omnichannel and what e-tailers should think of before turning to physical.

  • Right to Rent immigration checks: increasing pressure on the property rental market

    Press

    30 May 2017

    Joanna Hunt has written an article for 24housing which discusses the Government's 'right to rent' checks and their increasing pressure on the rental market.

  • Proposed disclosure rules for non-UK entities owning property or bidding for Government contracts

    12 April 2017

    The UK Government proposes new rules requiring non-UK entities that already own, or intend to acquire, UK real estate, or that wish to bid for UK central Government contracts, to be required to disclose information about the beneficial owners of the entity.

  • Beware of copyright when considering existing planning permission

    02 March 2017

    The recent judgment in Signature Realty Ltd v Fortis Developments Ltd & Anor is an excellent example of the application of copyright in a planning and building context.

  • Estate agent unable to claim his fee on successful property sale

    17 February 2017

    The Court of Appeal has decided that it cannot imply contractual terms where there is no contract in the first place. In this case, it would not imply a term to enable an estate agent to recover his commission on a sale.

  • New Court form for Warrant Requests following suspended possession orders

    21 December 2016

    The Court Service has released a new Request to Issue a Warrant for Possession form which is to be used where a possession order has been suspended on terms requiring the payment of rent and arrears.

  • Lewis Silkin advises Be Heard Group Plc on its acquisition of Kameleon Worldwide Limited

    Deal

    15 December 2016

    Lewis Silkin has advised Be Heard Group plc, a digital marketing services group, on its 100% share capital acquisition of Kameleon Worldwide Limited, an award-winning content marketing agency.

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