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When the Control of Horses Act 2015 (the Act) was enacted, it was estimated that there were up to 3000 horses unlawfully grazing on land not owned by their owners. Whilst some of these horses had simply been abandoned, others were involved in ‘fly-grazing’, a term used for grazing horses on private or public lands.…

The importance the law places on upholding Tree Preservation Orders (TPO) should never be underestimated, as North Northampton Council and developers Stanton Cross LLP found to their detriment recently, when the High Court found that 16 ancient lime trees had been unlawfully felled to prepare for the expansion of an access road. Despite a Tree…

Security of tenure for a commercial business tenant brings with it a lot of additional rights, so understanding when a tenant has security of tenure is important but cannot always be established just by looking at a situation head on. Sometime a little deeper digging is required. Recently we had a situation where a tenant…

In the UK, eligible employees can take up to 52 weeks maternity leave with the right to return to work. However, a poll of 848 mothers commissioned by ‘Careers After Babies’ suggests that while 98% of women want to return to work after maternity leave, only 13% say it is actually viable for them on…

In the first part of this article we looked at some predictions relating to the commercial property market in 2024, covering areas such as office spaces, residential property and the retail sector.   We also provided a brief précis of the wider economic outlook at the beginning of 2024, as extrapolating from the second half of…

It’s always going to be tricky to make forecasts about something as wide-ranging, varied and dynamic as the commercial property sector in the UK, but in this, the first of two articles, we’ve rounded-up some of the key real estate predictions for 2024, as set out by a range of respected and authoritative voices such…

Imagine a future where new developments are legally required to enhance the natural world. For developers submitting new planning applications for major developments in England, that future commenced on 12 February 2024 with mandatory biodiversity net gain (BNG). For small sites, there is bit more time with a delay until 2 April 2024. If you…

UK Finance, the trade association for big financial institutions, told its members last week that there was a surge in January of unauthorised security discharge forms. They say that 190 companies are involved with a total of 800 filings. There are over 5 million companies registered in the UK so it seems likely that there…

Empty property business rates in the UK is a tax imposed on commercial properties that are vacant or unoccupied for an extended period. These rates are a significant financial burden for property owners, developers and businesses, as they must continue to pay these levies even when their premises are unoccupied. This levy was introduced to…

If you occupy a commercial property or rent one out to a tenant then it’s vital that you understand the principles underpinning the agreement between the two parties, and in particular whether this agreement takes the form of a lease or a licence. The two forms of commercial rental agreement have many similarities but differ,…