United Kingdom: Real Estate

The process of remediating unsafe buildings and managing the safe development and occupation of Higher Risk Buildings (“HRBs”) continues to evolve. The Building Safety Regulator (“BSR”) and the government have recently announced updates impacting several areas – the Building Safety Levy regulations, a new approach to processing Building Assessment Certificates for HRBs, and an extension to the funding available to remediate unsafe cladding.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) has published its response to the Single Construction Regulator Prospectus consultation, confirming the direction of travel for construction sector regulation — but with implementation not expected before 2028.

The UK Government has launched a consultation on whether 'quid pro quo' leases—where tenants agreed to pay higher ground rents in exchange for lower purchase premiums—should be exempt from the proposed £250 annual ground rent cap. This issue is particularly significant for the retirement living sector, where flexible payment structures have traditionally allowed purchasers to choose between different combinations of upfront costs and ongoing fees. The consultation raises critical questions

Break clauses in commercial leases offer tenants the opportunity to exit early, but executing them requires meticulous attention to legal detail and strict compliance with conditions. This guide examines the ten most frequent and costly errors tenants make when attempting to exercise break clauses without professional legal assistance, from serving notices incorrectly to failing to meet financial obligations and vacancy requirements.

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 fundamentally transforms England's private rental sector by abolishing assured shorthold tenancies and section 21 "no fault" evictions, creating significant operational challenges for purpose-built student accommodation and build-to-rent schemes. This analysis examines how institutional investors and operators are adapting to the new assured periodic tenancy regime, enhanced tenant protections, and revised rent increase mechanisms that introduce unprecedented uncertainty into in

UK citizens owning property in European countries like Spain, Italy, or France face complex succession laws that differ significantly from British inheritance rules. Many European jurisdictions enforce mandatory inheritance portions for relatives that cannot be easily overridden, potentially conflicting with your intended estate distribution. Understanding these forced heirship rules and creating jurisdiction-specific wills becomes essential for ensuring your overseas assets pass to your chosen beneficiarie

On 16 June 2026, the Law Commission published two consultation papers proposing far-reaching changes to commercial leasehold law in England and Wales.

After six weeks of bruising election campaigning – not to mention recent years in which politics has strained the UK's long-founded reputation for consensus and stable policymaking – the nation wakes up on 5 July with a major shift in the landscape.

The right of responsible access (also known as the “right to roam”) allows everyone to access most land and inland water in Scotland for recreational and other purposes.