The “Resources and Seminars” section of the 39 Essex Chambers web site includes recent articles and news on planning, environment and property law by members of a set of chambers with expertise in this area.
This site provides information on property boundary disputes, rights of way and other land-related neighbour problems, with advice on how to avoid them. It is maintained by Jon Maynard FRICS, a chartered land surveyor.
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) is the regulatory body for licensed conveyancers in England and Wales. The Consumer Information section of its web site includes a searchable directory of licensed conveyancers and details of complaints procedures. The CLC’s Handbook is available for download.
Crofting is a form of landholding unique to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. The Crofting Commission replaced the Crofters Commission as the regulator of crofting on 1 April 2012. “The Act and Policy” section within “About us” presents the Crofters (Scotland) Act 1993 as amended by the Crofting Reform (Scotland) Act 2007, the Crofting Reform (Scotland Act 2010 and the Crofting (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2013. “Regulatory Applications” provides the latest decisions/applications on, for example, subletting, decrofting and bequests. Information is provided on how to enter crofts in the Crofting Register, launched 30 November 2012, with links to application forms used in connection with the Register, which resides on the Registers of Scotland site. “About us” also contains annual reports from 2016/17 onwards.
Falcon Chambers in the Temple is a specialist set in all areas of practice which relate to land. The site includes more than 70 articles, accessible via the “What we do” tab.
The First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) handles applications, appeals and references relating to disputes over property and land in England. It was established on 1 July 2013, taking over the functions of the Agricultural Land Tribunals in England (but not in Wales), the Adjudicator to HM Land Registry, and the various bodies which made up the Residential Property Tribunal Service, which included Rent Assessment Committees, Leasehold Valuation Tribunals and Residential Property Tribunals. Information provided here on the GOV.UK site includes forms and guidance, procedural rules, and links to legislation and decisions.
This advice site for homeowners in England and Wales covers such topics as boundaries, walls, trees, roots, bonfires and garden burial. There is also a Discussion Forum. The site was created by Richard Smithies of Bearders Solicitors, Brighouse, West Yorkshire.
Hardwicke is a set of barristers’ chambers in Lincoln’s Inn specialising in civil litigation. The site content includes case reports, articles and newsletters on a wide range of topics including commercial law, employment, housing, property, personal injury, clinical negligence and medical malpractice. These may be accessed within appropriate subject sections under the “Our expertise” tab.
Her Majesty’s Land Registry is a non-ministerial department which administers the land registration system throughout England and Wales. Publications accessible here in the Land Registry section of the GOV.UK web site include the set of 80 Practice Guides produced for conveyancers and other property or legal professionals.
The Lands Tribunal resolves disputes about the value of land and buildings in Northern Ireland, and about their occupation, use or development. Its web site provides information on its functions; links to relevant legislation, including the Lands Tribunal Rules (Northern Ireland) 1976 as amended; downloadable forms; and a table of published decisions since 1990 (and selected earlier ones), with links to full texts of the decisions.
The Lands Tribunal for Scotland deals with various types of dispute involving land or property. Its web site has general information, forms, procedural guidance, links to relevant legislation, and selected recent decisions.
LEASE is the Leasehold Advisory Service, a non-departmental public body funded by Government to provide free advice to leaseholders, park home residents, landlords, professional advisers, managers and others on the law affecting residential leasehold in England and Wales. There are full text (PDF) decisions and determinations of Leasehold Valuation Tribunals 1994 onwards, together with various guides (some including links to legislation), reports and other publications relating to the residential leasehold system.
New Square Chambers is a set of barristers’ chambers in Lincoln’s Inn which lists its main areas of work as civil fraud, commercial litigation, intellectual property, company, insolvency, property, trusts and estates, and offshore work. There are frequent articles and newsletters relating to these and other topics, with property and trusts perhaps most strongly represented. Also on the site are a number of calculators, amongst them a calendar for the years 1800 to 2200 and a term date calculator for the legal years 1972-73 to 2200-01.
Gary Webber, formerly of 33 Bedford Row chambers, London, maintains this property law updating service and research tool. Full access to all of the site content, which includes articles, case summaries and legislation, is available on subscription to members only, but access to some content including monthly updates requires only free registration.
The Property Litigation Association (PLA) is an organisation for professionals specialising in commercial, residential and agricultural property litigation. The Insights section of its web site has information of various kinds including articles, conference and seminar papers, and notes of recent property cases.
The Property Ombudsman (TPO) (known before 1 May 2009 as the Ombudsman for Estate Agents) provides an independent service for dealing with disputes between member estate agencies and customers who are buying and selling residential property in the UK. The site has TPO’s codes of practice for residential estate agents and for letting agents, summaries of recent cases, recent annual reports, and information and guidance on the complaint procedure.
Registers of Scotland (RoS) is an executive agency of the Scottish Government responsible for compiling and maintaining registers relating to property and other legal documents. The chief registers are the Land Register of Scotland, the General Register of Sasines, the Crofting Register, the Register of Sites of Special Scientific Interest and the Register of Community Interests in Land. The site provides access to RoS’s web-based services, which are chargeable. There is a good deal of free information available, including information leaflets and reports.
The Residential Property Tribunal Wales deals with disputes relating to private rented and leasehold property in Wales and is made up of Rent Assessment Committees, Leasehold Valuation Tribunals and Residential Property Tribunals. Its web site includes guidance booklets, forms, and decisions from April 2012 onwards.
The functions of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) include the regulation of property professionals and surveyors in the UK. This section of the RICS site provides information and guidance on the regulatory framework, including the rules of conduct for firms and members and details of recent and forthcoming disciplinary panel hearings.
HM Revenue & Customs provides information here on the GOV.UK web site about Stamp Duty Land Tax, Stamp Duty, and Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings (previously Annual Residential Property Tax). This includes manuals, guidance, forms and calculators.
The Lands Tribunal was established in 1949 to resolve certain kinds of dispute about land in England and Wales, particularly relating to the valuation of land, and was transferred into the Lands Chamber of the Upper Tribunal on 1 June 2009. It hears appeals from the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Residential Property, Valuation Tribunals, Leasehold Valuation Tribunals (in Wales) and Residential Property Tribunals (in Wales). This section of the GOV.UK web site has information about the Lands Chamber’s jurisdictions and procedure and includes links to forms and guidance; procedural rules and orders; practice directions and practice statements; and a database of decisions 2000 onwards (with a few from the end of 1999) on the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary web site.
The Valuation Tribunal for England (VTE) deals with appeals about council tax and non-domestic (business) rates. Its web site includes information, guidance notes, recent annual reports, the full text of the Council Tax Guidance Manual, newsletters and other publications. Select “Decisions & lists” to access a database, covering Wales as well as England, of rating decisions October 1999 onwards, and council tax decisions November 2005 onwards. There are also notes of recent cases in the online newsletters Valuation in Practice (October 2004 onwards).
The Valuation Tribunal for Wales (VTW) deals with appeals about non-domestic rates and council tax. Its web site has information (much of it in the form of FAQs) and guidance on appeals in Wales, and provides access under “Listings and Decisions” to both English and Welsh appeal decisions, on rating 1993 onwards, and on council tax November 1995 onwards.
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