James Gass

A property being sold in England and Wales usually means that its value has been ascertained and that the seller is willing and able to sell the property. An Estate Agent usually is the best party to advertise the property to the open market. Often, it is...

Labour’s 2024 election manifesto promised to ‘finally bring the feudal leasehold system to an end’. Despite much noise in the intervening period, it was only on 27 th January 2026 that the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local...

Although the UK regulatory bodies, including Companies House, have tightened their compliance requirements, solicitors are under obligation to comply with AML regulations and required to undertake their own AML checks to prevent financial crimes. This...

In the modern-day consumerist world, it is often easy to draw comparisons between material goods such as what phone or car to buy. Or the comparison of attending your favourite restaurant over a pub lunch. This is because to the average consumer with...

The conveyancing process can be daunting for anyone who is unfamiliar with buying and selling property in England and Wales. The transfer of the legal title to a property is known as a ‘conveyance’. There are various stages to a...

Buying or selling a property is one of life’s biggest decisions. But what happens between having your offer accepted and getting the keys? That’s where conveyancing comes in. You may have heard the term ‘Conveyancing’ a lot, but...

An issue that the haunts the dreams of Conveyancers and Leaseholders alike. Highrise cladding was brought to the attention of the UK public in light of the tragic circumstances of the Grenfell Tower disaster in 2017. The outpour of emotion following the...

Shared Ownership properties have returned to the forefront of the property market in recent years with the increase in property value in England and Wales. How Shared Ownership works It is a government scheme that is generally aimed and subsequently...

Overages (also referred to as “Clawback/Uplift agreements”) usually arise upon the sale/purchase of undeveloped or agricultural land, and represent an agreement between the Seller and the Buyer that, if the property was to benefit from the future...

What is an escalating ground rent and why are escalating ground rents problematic? Escalating ground rent clauses are provisions in a lease that enable the freeholder to review and amend the ground rent after a specified period of time has elapsed. ...

There is no other way to put it – rentcharges are a nuisance for property owners and property lawyers alike. Not all properties are affected by rentcharges, but they are common throughout North Somerset and Bristol. This article examines the...

At the time of typing, The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill (‘the Bill’) has just passed through the House of Commons and the second reading of the Bill in the House of Lords has just begun. The aim of the Bill is to ‘make the long-term...

Things to consider for a Tenant when negotiating heads of terms of a commercial lease Have you found a home for your business and decided to lease a commercial space? The next step will be to negotiate Heads of Terms. This process can be new and tricky...

Most legal professionals view Rentcharges as an annoying quirk of a bygone era and while they may well be correct it is essential that you are aware of the implications of owning – or buying – a property which is subject to a Rentcharge. ...

Absent freeholders or landlords When a landlord is absent, the leaseholders might think “happy days” with benefits such as quiet enjoyment of the property without the interference of the landlord or the lack of expensive service charges. ...