News
Is a property put in a child’s name a safe investment or a gift?
The recent judgement in Zeng v Tan [2026] serves as a cautionary tale for parents who purchase property in their children’s names without formal legal documentation. When a parent funds a house but
Distributing home equity after cohabitation is no simple division
The breakdown of a long-term cohabitation is a deeply stressful period, one made even more complex when a family home is jointly owned. A common question that arises years after a split is how the
A new legal test for selling multi-block estates
The process of navigating "right of first refusal" just became significantly clearer for leaseholders and landlords. A landmark Court of Appeal (CoA) ruling has now redefined precisely what
The 21-year rescue: How modern law saved a “flawed” land deal
The High Court has delivered a definitive ruling clarifying that, while a contract’s label as a “lease” will be ignored if the developer lacks exclusive possession of the land, the modern statutory
The name on a deed is not necessarily the beneficial owner of a property
The First-tier Tribunal (FTT) dealt with a classic example of what happens when family arrangements and legal paperwork do not match up. For anyone living in a home owned by a relative, or for parents
Right of way: When creating a hostile environment becomes illegal
The High Court’s decision clarifies how the law treats gates, signs, and “grumpy” behaviour on shared land. It moves away from a focus on physical impediments and begins to consider the psychological
Unless a monetary value is agreed, services cannot be deemed as rent
The Court of Appeal (CoA) clarified the meaning of “rent” under the Housing Act 1988, where the occupier provides money’s worth, such as work or services, instead of money as rent.Facts:The landlords,
Can a WhatsApp message transfer a property interest?
The High Court had to decide whether a WhatsApp message can amount to a signed transfer of property.Facts:Mr. Gudmundsson and Ms. Lin were married in 2009 and purchased a property as joint tenants.
An office is not always exempt from the rubric of residential law
The Court of Appeal (CoA) provided a roadmap for how “ancillary” use is treated by confirming that, as long as a unit is physically self-contained (i.e., having its own basic amenities such as a









