Commercial tenants have been given a stay of execution by the Government on unpaid rent and evictions, that have accumulated during the pandemic, until March 2022. This has been instituted so that serious negotiations between the parties can now ensue to mitigate any credit damage that would be caused by court judgments.
In March a new arbitration process will commence in an attempt to provide closure for any stubborn organisations.
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The Master of the Rolls, Sir Geoffrey Vos, recently handed down a judgment in the Court of Appeal which seeks to clarify how Grounds of Appeal should be drafted:-
i) The grounds of appeal are an essential analytical tool for the court, to enable it to identify the issues which it is being asked to decide: they are not a vehicle for advocacy, which is the role of the skeleton argument.
ii) The starting point in every case must be for the appellant to think through carefully what specific errors the court below is alleged to have made. Once these errors have been identified, they need to be clearly and concisely articulated. In the unlikely event that the grounds are numerous, they must be presented in a structure which makes clear how they inter-relate.
iii) Each ground of appeal must be separately numbered, and the particular passages in which the judge appealed is said to have gone wrong must be specifically identified.
iv) The purpose of the grounds of appeal is to identify the points on which permission to appeal is sought, not to argue those points. Supporting submissions belong in the skeleton argument.
v) It follows that grounds of appeal should be short; in many cases, a few sentences will suffice. In a complex case, grounds of appeal may be longer, but clarity and concision should never be compromised.
This was a case in which exceptionally a permission to reopen a permission to appeal application under CPR 52.30 was allowed.
Share This:- Three principles have recently been established by case law in relation to these agreements. They are:-
i) Lawyers can charge for their time if the agreement is ended prematurely
ii) They will not be permitted unless a reasonable amount could be recovered from the claimant
iii) They are not the same as agreements for litigation funding.
Possession cases which had been stayed since the 26th March 2020 due to COVID-19 recommenced on the 21st September 2020 in the county court.
A list of priority cases has been formulated:-
i) Cases with allegations of anti-social behaviour, including Ground 7A of Schedule 2 to the Housing Act 1988 and Section 84A of the Housing Act 1985.
ii) Cases with extreme alleged rent arrears accrued, that is, arrears equal to at least
(i) 12 months’ rent, or
(ii) 9 months’ rent where that amounts to more than 25% of a private landlord’s total annual income from any source.
iii) Cases involving alleged squatters, illegal occupiers or persons unknown.
iv) Cases involving an allegation of domestic violence where possession of the property is alleged to be important for particular reasons which are set out in the claim form (and with domestic violence agencies alerted).
v) Cases with allegations of fraud or deception.
vi) Cases with allegations of unlawful subletting.
vii) Cases with allegations of abandonment of the property, non-occupation or death of defendant.
viii) Cases concerning what was allocated by an authority as ‘temporary accommodation’ and is specifically needed by the authority for reallocation as ‘temporary accommodation’.
On the 31st July 2020 the Prime Minister’s Office announced that Her Majesty The Queen had been pleased to approve the appointment of Sir Geoffrey Vos as the Master of the Rolls from the 11th January 2021 in succession to Sir Terence Etherton.
It is interesting to note that 6 out of 7 of the most recent incumbents of this judicial office have been of the jewish faith the others being Lords Woolf, Phillips, Neuberger and Dyson.
We find that jewish solicitors are often particularly sought after because of their perceived quality traits of intelligence, shrewdness, toughness and integrity.
If you are looking to find such a solicitor please do not hesitate to call us.
Share This:- House prices are beginning to rise as we ease out of lockdown commensurate to the growth observed in recent pre-Covid times. There were nearly half as many more inheritance claims in the High Court last year compared to the previous year. People have been alerted in this regard due to a few proceedings that have been well publicised.
Share This:- Company shares are often forgotten about when negotiating financial settlements to a divorce alongside the broader issue of pensions. This can obviously be a crucial income stream if only one party provided the family income. Pensions are usually divided equally. You need to re-institute legal proceedings if you forget this valuable asset!
Share This:- A recent High Court challenge by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to sever the commercial lease for its offices was won by its landlord the Canary Wharf Group. The EMA complained that its lease signed in 2014 for 25 years had been frustrated by Brexit which it contended was an unforeseen event. The value of the lease is £500m and the EMA intended to move to Amsterdam.
Share This:- Banging on the ceiling, screams of abuse, depression, 21 month vendetta, veiled threats, shouting, intimidating emails, distress, anxiety, reduced sale price, overgrown garden blocking light, tenants feeling petrified. If you are the victim of the aforementioned a civil harassment and nuisance damages claim may be appropriate at the county court.
Share This:- Two international substantially commercial firms are likely to merge that if successful would create the largest listed firm of solicitors in the country. Further details will be divulged if and when it completes.
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