Property disputes are unusually stressful because they happen where you live. A landlord who won’t do repairs, a neighbour whose extension is over the line, a builder who took the money and vanished — none of it is easy to walk away from at the end of the day.
We act for tenants and for landlords, for homeowners in dispute with neighbours and contractors, and for people whose name isn’t on the deeds of a property they helped pay for.
We are also blunt about proportionality. Some property disputes cost more to fight than the thing being fought over is worth, and we will say so rather than let you find out later.
Renting
Disrepair, deposits, rent increases and possession. Housing law has changed significantly in recent years and continues to, so advice you were given previously — or read online — may no longer be right. Landlords have repairing obligations that cannot be contracted out of, and a deposit that was never protected carries a penalty of up to three times its value.
Possession
A notice is not an eviction. Only a court can order possession and only a bailiff can carry it out, and a significant proportion of possession claims fail because the notice was defective. We act for tenants defending claims and for landlords who want the process done correctly the first time.
Neighbours and boundaries
Boundary disputes, overhanging trees, encroachment, noise and party wall matters. Registered title plans show general boundaries only and are far less conclusive than people assume. Mediation resolves most of these disputes at a fraction of the cost of a hearing.
Building work
Work done badly, left unfinished, or billed far beyond the quote. A contract does not have to be in writing to be enforceable, and terms about reasonable care and skill are implied by law. Where the work is defective, tell the contractor before you engage someone else — failing to give them the chance to put it right can reduce what you recover.
Tell us what’s happened in your own words and we’ll point you to the right person.
Leave your name and number and we’ll ring you back within one working day. Your enquiry is confidential and there’s no obligation.