Real Estate Disputes

We advise on a broad range of complex and high-value real estate disputes across commercial, residential, mixed-use and infrastructure developments. Our clients include developers, individuals, landlords, investors, asset managers and housebuilders – often engaged in business-critical or technically challenging matters.

Our team is known for its clear and pragmatic approach to litigation and dispute resolution. We focus on understanding each client’s priorities and real estate interests, and resolve disputes in a way that effectively protects asset values and manages risks.

We advise and support for clients on disputes involving:

• development and re-development strategies;
• overage and option agreements;
• lease breaks, rent reviews, lease renewals and service charge recovery;
• maintenance, repair, insurance and alterations;
• rights of light, boundaries, nuisance and trespass;
• party wall and access rights;
• professional negligence (e.g. solicitors, surveyors or managing agents); and
• property-related insolvency issues.

We often represent clients in High Court proceedings, arbitration, expert determination and specialist tribunals. We regularly advise on disputes involving multiple parties or that have complex site histories.

We act for institutional landlords, national housebuilders, commercial developers, pension and private equity investors, occupiers and infrastructure stakeholders. Many of our matters involve multiple different parties and can encompass significant portfolios of assets, where the stakes are high and the legal and factual landscape is highly technical.

Work highlights include advising:

• on the installation and removal of telecoms equipment under the Electronic Communications Code, and acting for site providers in related tribunal proceedings;
• a tenant in a dispute involving construction works to an adjoining property and service charge enforcement;
• a client in a £20m dispute involving linked land sales, debentures and alleged fraud;
• a tenant on a significant professional negligence claim against its former solicitors concerning a lease break clause; and
• a commercial tenant in lease renewal proceedings in a dispute concerning a contested redevelopment break clause.