Property Newsletter: October 2026
Introduction
No site visit is likely to be quite as daunting as that of solicitor Jonathan Harker to Dracula’s Transylvanian home. And while the Gatehouse property team has encountered the occasional skeleton this Halloween season, thankfully none has caused too much alarm.
In this month’s edition, Lauren Godfrey looks at forum choice in property cases, Lina Mattsson considers the recent decision in Craigard v Westbury Homes, where a landlord’s plans limited damages for dilapidations, and Laura Tweedy has a new mediation podcast.
We celebrate an exceptional performance in the directories, with a raft of new individual listings and Brie Stevens-Hoare KC winning Property Silk of the Year. Thank you to everyone who was so generous with their feedback to the researchers.
We also welcome William Richardson to our property team. He has particular experience in residential and commercial property disputes, including landlord and tenant matters, possession claims, leasehold disputes, forfeiture, adverse possession, easements and TOLATA claims. His wider practice encompasses contentious probate and beneficial ownership disputes, as well as high-value commercial claims, company disputes and personal and corporate insolvency proceedings.
We hope you enjoy the October edition of our Property Newsletter, look out for the next edition coming in November.
Editor – David Peachey
News
Gatehouse Chambers welcomes property and chancery barrister William Richardson
We’re delighted to welcome William Richardson as a member of Chambers.
Called to the Bar in 2018, William has a broad civil practice spanning property, private client and commercial work. He regularly appears in both the County Court and High Court in matters ranging from half-day interim applications to multi-day trials.
William has particular experience in residential and commercial property disputes, including landlord and tenant matters, possession claims, leasehold disputes, forfeiture, adverse possession, easements and TOLATA claims. His wider practice encompasses contentious probate and beneficial ownership disputes, as well as high-value commercial claims, company disputes and personal and corporate insolvency proceedings.
William is a member of the Commercial Bar Association, Property Bar Association and Chancery Bar Association.
Learn more about William’s expertise.
If you have any queries, please contact William’s Senior Practice Manager, Patrick Sarson, or Gatehouse Chambers’ Head of Marketing, Ashley Allen.
Gatehouse Chambers shortlisted for Chambers of the Year at the British Legal Awards 2026
We are pleased to share that Gatehouse Chambers has been shortlisted in the category of Chambers of the Year at this year’s British Legal Awards.
The awards are now in their 17th year and are the premier legal awards in the region. These prestigious awards honour the standout achievements of law firms, in-house teams, chambers, and individuals who are driving the legal profession forward.
Winners will be announced on 25 November 2026.
Gatehouse Chambers Celebrates Success Across the Legal Directories
Chambers UK Bar Guide 2027
We’re delighted to announce another excellent set of results in the Chambers UK Bar Guide 2027, achieving 106 individual rankings, including 17 new rankings and 25 upward moves.
The results recognise barristers across a broad range of practice areas, with particularly strong results in Construction, Construction Professional Negligence, Commercial Dispute Resolution, Insurance, Private Client and Real Estate Litigation.
Read Gatehouse Chambers’ full Chambers UK Bar Guide editorial and ranking here.
The Legal 500 UK Bar Guide 2027
We’re thrilled to announce another strong round of results in The Legal 500 UK Bar Guide 2027, with 142 individual rankings, including 10 new entries, and 21 upward moves across the tables.
The results recognise barristers across the full breadth of our expertise. Personal Injury has also moved up to Tier 2 at set level, alongside continued recognition for chambers in 9 other practice areas.
Read Gatehouse Chambers’ full Legal 500 editorial and rankings here.
We would like to extend a huge thank you to our clients and the researchers for their time, valuable feedback and continued support in helping us achieve these fantastic results.
What have we been up to?
John de Waal KC and Gemma de Cordova will be appearing in the Supreme Court next March on the question of what is a ‘building’ for the purposes of Part I of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987.
Daniel Gatty has been busy referring to his own book on airspace and subsoil (second edition still available in some good bookshops) to advise about issues ranging from trespass to separately owned minerals in the middle of the country to ownership of subsoil in central London. His above ground cases have included solicitor professional negligence claims, mortgages and restrictive covenants.
Aside from the usual run of paperwork, John Clargo spent much of September preparing for (and conducting) a long County Court trial the principal purpose of which was to preserve access to his clients’ moat. That was followed by a long road-trip around Iceland (the country, not the shop) returning to deal with an appeal against the costs order following the aforementioned trial.
Andrew Skelly has started an arbitration (as arbitrator) in a dispute as to misrepresentation/breach of contract, and represented the Claimant in a mediation in another case involving fraudulent misrepresentation relating to the sale of land. Andrew also advised, with Emma Hynes, on a complex ‘crossing agreement’ in respect of gas pipelines.
Peter Petts has been involved in pursuing guarantors; avoiding landlords’ claims on guarantors; injuncting landlords against forfeiting leases; claiming relief from forfeiture for entering a CVA (upon which there appears to be no authority); performing on the lecture circuit; and finding some time to soak up some autumn sun and Tom Collins in Mallorca.
James Hall has been dealing with his usual portfolio of property related prof neg claims and also enjoyed the launch party for the second edition of Risk and Negligence In Property Transactions (Law Society), edited by John de Waal KC and to which he contributed the chapter on mortgage lending. He is also dealing with a case involving allegations of fraud and undue influence in a bridging loan, by complete coincidence…
Jamal Demachkie has had an intense few weeks culminating in a High Court trial on the intricacies of contracting out of the 1954 Act, rectification and estoppel (judgment awaited).
Lauren Godfrey concluded a long running case of professional negligence with a settlement on favourable terms to his clients. The underlying proceedings were about a high street firm of solicitors. The negligent advice involved commercial premises and an unfair prejudice petition. He has also recently advised in an appeal relating to a section 21 notice.
Laura Tweedy has been having a lovely time mediating disputes about terminal dilapidations, farms, boundary walls, neighbours and the regular flurry of issues between landlords and tenants.
Lina Mattsson spent September knee-deep in terminal dilapidations, water ingress and restrictive covenants, with two section 60 costs determinations on the side and a light sprinkle of adverse possession for seasoning. After what will feel like a well-earned half-term with the kids, she’ll be back to drawing lines in the sand, or at least on the title plan, in yet another boundary dispute.
Victoria Dacie-Lombardo has just returned from a very quick trip to her beloved Yorkshire and had a thoroughly lovely time catching up with colleagues and clients at Chambers’ Openhouse event in Leeds. Now firmly back at her desk and thinking about many things including a very thorny possession claim, the possible waste of an Estate’s assets and interim applications for specific disclosure.
Philip Marriott has been looking at rescission for fraudulent misrepresentation, procedural issues over County Court bailiff appointments, and authorisation to execute documents under s.39 Senior Courts Act 1981. He’s also enjoying delivering various property law talks throughout October, including Gatehouse Chambers’ property seminar on 22 October and teaching at UCL Bartlett School.
David Lipson looks forward to spending the second half of October in Ghana. He has spent the first half of the month up and down the country, from Burnley to Bristol via Barnett, on matters ranging from possession claims to easement disputes. He has also been drafting a Defence and Counterclaim in response to a claim for rent and service charge arrears.
Mark Erridge has, in addition to the usual drafting of advices and pleadings, advised on the recovery of legal costs as an administration charge, and drafted a Respondent’s Notice for a service charge challenge in the Tribunal.
Property Litigation Costs in 2026: Forum Choice, Conduct Risk and Recoverability
Lauren Godfrey considers why costs risk in property disputes now turns on forum, procedure and conduct as much as merits.
Article by Lauren Godfrey
Did you miss? Craigard v Westbury Homes [2026] EWHC 2453
The article examines terminal dilapidations, focusing on supersession, the landlord’s intentions and the limits of recoverable loss where refurbishment works were already planned.
Article by Lina Mattsson
The Property Mediators Podcast: The Role of the Mediator
In this episode of The Power of Mediation by The Property Mediators, Iain Travers is joined by Laura Tweedy to explore the role of the mediator. They discuss managing dialogue between parties, moving beyond a litigation mindset, maintaining impartiality and confidentiality, using reality testing to assess the strengths and weaknesses of each case, and navigating the emotions that can arise during mediation.
Podcast episode featuring Laura Tweedy
Conact us
If you would like to discuss any of the topics in this newsletter, please contact the H Team at hteam@gatehouselaw.co.uk or get in touch with one of our Practice Managers.
Patrick Sarson, Senior Practice Manager
Jim Findley, Practice Manager
Samuel Read, Practice Manager
To find our more about our Property team and their work, visit the property page on our website. To view a copy of our privacy statement, please click here.
This edition of the property newsletter was edited by David Peachey. Comments or queries about this newsletter? Please get in touch with him!