The Portas Review: The landlord’s perspective

Nicholas Cheffings looks at Mary Portas’ report on how to revive the high street ‘There is a fairly fundamental difference between having a unit occupied for the sake of it and having a unit occupied in a way that actually enhances the high street.’On 13 December 2011, a report on the BBC suggested that a …
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ADR: A health warning

Kate Andrews discusses a case that highlights the costs consequences of a refusal to consider ADR Furst QC confirmed in PGF that the burden rested on the claimant to demonstrate why there should be a departure from the general rule that the claimant should be liable for the defendant’s costs. The recent case of PGF …
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Mineral Reservations: Finding a way through the minefield

Stephen Barry assesses the intricacies of mineral reservations in the context of recent case law ‘Most types of “mineral” have all been held by the courts in various instances either to be included in a mineral reservation or to be excluded from it. Much depends on the wording of the individual reservation, and its meaning …
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Occupiers: The extent of the duty

Magnus Hassett examines three recent high-profile court decisions and what they mean for landowners and their advisers ‘In the three cases considered, the court concluded that the law did not allow them to compensate the claimants for their injuries, no matter how desirable that outcome might seem given the catastrophic and life-changing injuries suffered by …
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Expert Determination: Use in a rent review or lease renewal

Jane Rogers reviews recent case law relating to relevance of previous expert determinations ‘In a sluggish market where direct market evidence is scarce, valuers often have to fall back on the rents determined by third-party surveyors acting as independent expert or arbitrator.’ Valuers and lawyers alike, engaged in the business of establishing the open-market rental …
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Easements: Protect it or lose it!

Gillian Baxter reflects on when an informally created easement is enforceable against a purchaser of the land over which it is exercised ‘To provide greater certainty, the Land Registration Act 2002 reduced the number of unregistered rights that bind a purchaser, making it even more important that easements are protected on the register.’ A recent …
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Co-Ownership: Breaking up is hard to do

Ben Gildea considers the current position in respect of how a person’s entitlement to the equitable interest in a property may be ascertained following a leading Supreme Court decision. ‘From now on, a party may argue that the terms on which their equitable interests are held have changed over time.’ In Britain, there are more …
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