Building Legal Solutions
December has to be my most favourite month of the year because not only do I have my presents all wrapped and under the tree ready to go, as a firm we have a different festive occasion to celebrate each week , which I love organising. Firstly we have our...
Commercial Rent Arrears Recovery (CRAR) in the United Kingdom Have you ever wanted to know more about the legal basis behind the hit Channel 5 TV show ‘Can’t Pay? We’ll Take it Away’? What a silly question, of course you have! The TV...
On the 21st of September myself and several members of the Feldon Dunsmore team made the journey to Castleton in the Peak District to undertake a team bonding trek. With mountains of snacks and two dogs in tow, we started our walk in the very pretty village...
I was given the opportunity to interview with Feldon Dunsmore three days after completing my law studies at the University of Leeds. My strong interest in Land Law at University and having been surrounded by property development in my personal life meant...
During my first year and a half at Feldon Dunsmore I’ve had a fantastic opportunity to develop my legal skill set in commercial property matters, dealing with a vast array of scenarios from secured lending, leases and property purchases. I’m now...
The Team at Feldon Dunsmore has grown recently, and we have welcomed many new faces to one of the largest sections of our firm, the Early Talent Team. The Structure of the Firm Our Early Talent Team comprises our more junior members such as paralegals,...
As the 2023-24 academic year draws to close and we wonder how much earlier in the year shops can get away with running “Back to School” marketing campaigns, Team FD are as busy as always, working on a diverse range of transactional commercial...
World Environment Day is celebrated annually to encourage awareness and action for the protection of our environment. As a law firm based on a local farm we are always very aware of our local environment and at this time of year seeing the new lambs...
Abraham Lincoln famously said “A house divided against itself, cannot stand.” As we watch the current election campaign play out, I cannot help but be struck by those words. Over the last ten years we seem to have become increasingly polarised on...
It's Mental Health Awareness Week, and this year's theme is all about movement: "Movement: Moving for our Mental Health." This focus on physical activity highlights a powerful tool we often overlook: exercise. Exercise isn't just about...
A slightly different blog post to share with you all this week as we thought it would be really insightful to hear from our very own directors of general sociability or D.O.G.S as they attend regular meetings and social events, usually hunting for...
As we head towards the end of the financial year, we have started to reflect on how fortunate we have been to have been so busy this year with our legal work. We have also made a conscious effort to keep ourselves busy with doing other good work,...
‘Ad medium filum’ is a Latin phrase which means ‘up to the middle line’. It is a rebuttable presumption that an owner of land which adjoins either a public or private highway, or a non-tidal river or stream also owns the highway or...
This National Careers Week we are reflecting on the various events at local schools we have recently attended and our dedication to training and development early talent. As a firm we are proud to have a strong commitment to training and development of...
Last week myself and Simran attended our first career fair at a local school, we had many conversations with students of different year groups ranging from Year 7 to Year 11. We found that students were asking lots of questions about who we are and what we...
The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill 2023-24 (LFRB) was introduced to Parliament on 27 th November 2023. One area the LFRB looks to substantially alter is the law surrounding leasehold enfranchisement (the right of a leaseholder of a house to acquire the...
Is short-term holiday letting a breach of a covenant to use a property as "a private dwelling"? This question is one which crops up a lot when we act for clients looking to purchase investment property and also when we act for lenders who want...
As 2023 comes to an end, the Feldon Dunsmore team are working hard to conclude completions in preperation for the festive break. Due to the busy nature of this time of year, it can be very easy for individuals to isolate themselves under the...
Wow... how are we almost mid way through December? Feldon Dunsmore has continued to spread its Christmas cheer by sending out Christmas wreaths to clients, its been wonderful to hear they are taking pride of place on clients front doors. I would like...
Since the turn of the 21st Century technology has progressed at a rapid rate, with many professions using new technologies to adapt, change and improve. We have seen in healthcare technology has slowly been integrated to help with the diagnosis of diseases...
As we start to get into the Christmas rush, its also nice to take some time to reflect on our achievements and events throughout the year. As the FD team have attended so many events this year, we thought it would be best to round up in pictures! None of...
On the 8th of September, myself and 5 members of the team at Feldon Dunsmore completed the Lake District Three Peaks Challenge in aid of Helping Hands Community Project. The challenge consisted of climbing to the top of three of the highest points in the...
It seems strange mentioning Christmas in mid-October but for the legal profession, October is the start of our festive networking where the outings in Christmas jumpers and hot chocolates are plentiful, there is always something for everyone. This...
Virtue Signaling – an attempt to show other people that you are a good person. Black square on your Instagram grid, taking the knee before sporting events, posing with black high-profile individuals are all arguably examples of this. Are you a good...
This week I had the opportunity along with the rest of the team to speak to Lianne from Helping Hands Community Project, which is the local charity Feldon Dunsmore are supporting this year. Lianne talked to us about who they are and the wonderful help and...
I started working at Feldon Dunsmore Solicitors as a Paralegal on the 15th of May 2023. Therefore, I am approaching four months with the firm. In this blog post I would like to discuss my first few months at Feldon Dunsmore, for those looking to start...
On Wednesday we opened up our new garden area and space where we held a memorial tree planting ceremony in loving memory of our dear friend and colleague Harvey Gibbs. We invited close family, old colleagues and clients to join us for a curry (we all know...
We are delighted to welcome Simran and Sarah to the Feldon Dunsmore team. Simran joins us as a paralegal providing support to all members of the team but more particularly helping our plot sales manager Aimee on various plot sales. Simran is a real all...
Feldon Dunsmore is a specialist commercial property firm, and we also act on a small number of residential transactions. Training at Feldon Dunsmore provides an opportunity to be involved in both areas, and the general structure that is followed is 6 months...
Our approach to growing the business has always been based on developing early talent. Each year we invite graduates to spend a week with us to experience life at a niche law firm and for the first time this year we have a separate programme for...
We are delighted to announce that Beth Sealey and Heidi Erlandsen have been promoted from paralegals to trainee solicitors with us at Feldon Dunsmore Solicitors. The Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) is the new way to qualify as a solicitor in England and...
It has been a tough few weeks here at Feldon Dunsmore, first with the heart-breaking news of the passing of our dear Harvey, and then the retirement of Patricia Williams. All of their knowledge over the years has been invaluable and I know I am speaking on...
Following on from my success with my SQE 1, I completed the first sitting of the SQE 2 in April 2022 and set out below my approach to studying which helped me to achieve 89%. See my tips and advice on how I passed my SQE 1 exams here . The SQE 2...
There are so many things to celebrate about being a woman and International Women’s Day focuses on celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. This year, the theme for the UN International Women's Day is...
There are so many things to celebrate about being a woman and International Women’s Day focuses on celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. This year, the theme for the UN International Women's Day is...
1 April 2023 is a crucial date for landlords who let commercial property. It is the date under the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard Regulations (MEES Regulations), that all relevant leased commercial property must have an Energy Performance Certificate...
We are delighted to again be sponsoring the feature race of the day at Warwick Races. The Feldon Dunsmore Budbrooke Chase is always a competitive affair and continues our long standing support for the local course. Last year saw odds on favourite Espoir De...
Instagram is one of the top social media platforms of today with 1 billion monthly active users. It is used globally to share pictures and videos of just about anything within the community guidelines. Individuals can share memories, follow friends, post...
I’m back into the swing of my Friday morning walks in the dark with Beatle but even before sunrise there is plenty of interest. This morning featured a competition between the dawn chorus and the tawny owls in the trees surrounding my house hooting to...
Although most of us enjoy good relations with our neighbours, relationships can sometimes be strained. This is often put to the test when one neighbour requires access to the others property in order to undertake repairs/works that cannot be carried out...
A licence is a personal right granted by a licensor to a licensee to do something which would otherwise be a trespass. This could be in the form of a grazing licence, licence to occupy property or licence to use a right of way amongst many other types...
As I was walking my dog (and Director of General Sociability at Feldon Dunsmore), Beatle in pitch darkness this morning (a particularly odd thing to do with a black dog – more on why in a moment) it struck me what a great team we make. Despite...
For most property lawyers the days when they regularly received enquiries from clients who were in danger of having their homes repossessed by their mortgage lender are a distant memory. Indeed, I am sure that many conveyancers had not even been born when...
Wow I cannot believe we are now in December; this year seems to have flown by. I don’t know about you, I did all of my Christmas shopping in September and wrapped it all. So, I have been able to enjoy the run up to Christmas and putting my...
The ever-evolving advances in technology have undoubtedly increased procedural efficiency in the legal sector. Platforms such as DocuSign mean that clients no longer have to provide their wet signature for certain documents. Online Data Rooms including...
As December draws closer and following a successful year of charitable events for our chosen charities, we have been trying to think what we can do to support the local community this Christmas. With the cost of living crisis we are very aware this Christmas...
Feldon Dunsmore, along with other local businesses, has sponsored Warwick Town Bonfire and Firework display for the last two years. They have secured a stunning location based at Warwick Racecourse and this year saw crowds of over 6,000 people attend, with...
As we continue on our journey towards achieving B-corp status, I’ve been looking into some of the ways we can reduce our carbon footprint. One unexpected opportunity for reducing our energy use is email. Statisa reports that total email traffic in...
Earlier this week, Mohammed, Katy-Mae and I attended the University of Warwick Lax Expo 2022, a careers fair designed to give students considering a career in law the opportunity to speak to individuals who work in the legal sector. It also gives the...
“I’m in a rush to complete my house purchase and know the area well, so can we forget about doing the searches?” This is a question that is occasionally asked by some house buyers. If the buyer is having a mortgage, then the short answer...
Hedge and Ditch Rule There is a legal boundary presumption when it comes to drainage ditches and hedges; “"No man, making a ditch, can cut into his neighbour’s soil, but usually he cuts it to the very extremity of his own land: he is of...
It has been an exciting month at Feldon Dunsmore, we have welcomed new and familiar faces to the team and all undertaken DiSC Workplace profiling. Aimee, our plot sales manager, has returned from maternity leave and two new paralegals, Greg and Heidi have...
Following several months of training (and lots of complaining!), I will be running the London Marathon on Sunday in aid of Guide Dogs for the Blind. Training for the 26.2-mile event began in March and since then, I’ve trained 3-4 times a week, building...
The world seems to be full of acronyms and it’s hard to keep up as new ones slip into the business lexicon. Up until relatively recently, ESG hadn’t featured in my personal glossary until it was raised with us by our PI insurers as the...
Provisions affecting companies and other entities registered overseas have recently come into force under the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 and Schedule 4A of the Land Registration Act 2021. The new laws are intended to increase...
Provisions affecting companies and other entities registered overseas have recently come into force under the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 and Schedule 4A of the Land Registration Act 2021. The new laws are intended to increase...
Landlords have enough concerns at the moment about the likely impact on their tenants of the seemingly never-ending increases in the cost of living. However, landlords who let residential property in England (and anyone who is thinking of moving into the...
Last Friday we held our first charity coffee morning at our offices on the Leafield Estate, Warwick. It was great to be able to welcome everyone to our offices, eat, drink and show off our fantastic working environment, all whilst raising money for a great...
The Birmingham Commonwealth Games event is on track to be the most successful games in history, with more than 1.5 million tickets sold, and the city of Birmingham reporting August to be the busiest month the city has ever enjoyed. We were very proud to be...
Over the past few months, the Feldon Dunsmore team have hosted a number of interns as part of our Summer Vacation Scheme, which is now nearly drawing to a close for this year. This week, we have had the pleasure of having two interns temporarily joining the...
In a previous blog I talked about property fraud. Following on from that I would like to highlight the steps that all residential and commercial property conveyancers need to take to check the identity of their clients. This is something that conveyancers...
With exam season coming to an end, many law students will be relieved to have finally shut their textbooks and submitted their assignments as they enjoy their summer break and look forward to upcoming graduation celebrations. Graduating from law school is...
Heads of terms are usually intended to be a non-binding record of the main commercial terms agreed between the parties in relation to a particular transaction, setting out what the parties wish to happen, the structure as to how that should happen and the...
We often get asked by landowners (and developers) to act on their behalf in connection with the sale of land for development subject to planning permission being granted. There are various different structures including a joint venture agreement where the...
A very strong sense of the importance of fairness and justice for all initially attracted me to the law when I was very young. I saw the law as the bedrock of a fair society – provided it applied to all equally. The only way to ensure the...
As part of the first cohort of candidates who embarked on the SQE 1 in November 2021, I thought it would be useful to share my experience and tips on how I passed the exams within the first quintile (i.e. top 20% of scores). I have set out below how I...
Deciphering if a property held or brought by one partner is to be classed as Partnership Property in an Ordinary Partnership is crucial. Partners may want to challenge the ownership of property for many reasons but the two most common being; The property...
The aim of this article is to set out some tips for successful negotiation of a business lease by a tenant and where Feldon Dunsmore, as specialist solicitors, can help with this process. 1/ Heads of terms – as your solicitor we always like to...
Conditional Contracts A conditional property sale contract is one that provides for completion of the sale of a property to take place following satisfaction of a specific condition or multiple conditions. Some typical examples of such conditions are as...
It is nearly a year since the Feldon Dunsmore team re-located to Leafield Estate in Warwick. I am lucky enough to live within walking distance of the office and enjoy walking to and from work on most days. Out of work I can often be found walking locally, in...
This is a question that I am often asked by clients who have limited cash resources but own a property which, particularly given current values, might be worth many thousands of pounds. Prior to the emergence of equity release schemes, the options were very...
There are many scenarios in which plans are required in property transactions – usually where part of the property is the subject of the transaction or a particular area of land needs to be indicated. For example: Indicating the extent of the area to...
I’m delighted to announce that Feldon Dunsmore has formed an exciting new business partnership as part of its ongoing growth strategy. Following extensive behind-the-scenes discussions, we can reveal that we are launching a new restaurant in the...
I might have mentioned at least once already that Spring is my favourite time of the year. This year, Spring officially starts on Sunday 20th March, but on the Leafield Estate in Warwick (where our offices are based), it seems Spring has already sprung. The...
If you are a builder and/or developer of new homes, you need to be aware of the New Homes Quality Code which was published in December 2021, following a full public consultation. The general aims of the Code are to improve the quality of new build homes and...
What are restrictions? Put simply, Land Registry restrictions regulate the registration of certain transactions against a title registered at the Land Registry. Such transactions may include a transfer, lease and/or charge. Restrictions come in all shapes...
I’ve always had a keen interest in science and in particular anything to do with space exploration. I was nerdy enough to register for a boarding pass on the Mars Perseverance Rover and was blown away by the incredible footage of the...
The past few months have been a time of mixed emotions here at Feldon Dunsmore. Last week we said ‘goodbye for now’ to Plot Sales Manager Aimee, who has begun her maternity leave. The office will certainly be quieter for a while; the same...
Probably most people who have purchased a leasehold apartment in a purpose-built block did not consider the possibility that additional apartments might be added to the roof of the block in the future. However, since 2020 this scenario has become a real...
A transfer of part of registered land is when part of a registered title is transferred independently of other land in that title. For example, in a residential context, a transfer of part may take place where a house and garden are registered within one...
Death has stalked us all for the last two years and it has made me think about how best to use the time given to us before we pass. Inevitably, I have questioned whether I can live my best life as a property lawyer. The common perception of...
A lease must be granted for a fixed length of time and will therefore have an end date of the contractual fixed term. However, provided that a tenant of a business lease meets certain qualifying criteria, they will have the statutory right to a renewal lease...
Way back in the summer of 2001 I remember going to London for the day to hear a talk all about what was then the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill. There were several eminent speakers from the Government and representatives of those involved in the...
Earlier this week, the Autumn Budget revealed eagerly awaited further details of the proposed Residential Property Developer Tax (“RPDT”). First, by way of background, what is the intention behind the tax? The events of the night of 14th June...
A question which many conveyancers have been asked by their clients in the last eighteen months or so is whether there is anything in the title of the client’s property, or the property that they are buying, which might prevent the client from working...
There’s been plenty of news recently about a tight labour market across the country and the legal sector is certainly no exception. The shortage of good lawyers is particularly acute in the commercial property sphere and it’s become more...
There are a number of crucial factors that should be taken into account when looking to sell your commercial property. Our role as solicitor is to anticipate and deal with enquiries that arise during the legal process and the approach to this is key to a...
In today’s world, tackling climate change and reducing carbon emissions is a priority and there is a trend towards looking for more sustainable, energy efficient options in day-to-day life; from sustainably produced clothing to walking or cycling the...
What sort of things should you worry about when buying a property? The neighbours? Any new housing estates that are likely to be built in the locality? Possibly. However, if you are buying the property jointly with someone else then perhaps the thing that...
During the darkest days of lockdown, I was lucky enough to discover the inspirational Simon Sinek and devoured all freely available speeches he gave on a variety of business topics but it was his thoughts on leadership that really resonated with me. ...
Over the past 18 months, we have all experienced unprecedented change in nearly every aspect of our lives as a result of the pandemic: From wearing a mask when buying a pint of milk, to not being able to see loved ones, to unexpected financial hardship. With...
England’s long-awaited victory over Germany came on the eve of the last day of the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) “Holiday”. It was therefore with some very sore heads that Conveyancers in England arrived at work on 30 June faced with the...
We are very excited to confirm that we have now moved offices to a fantastic new countryside location in Warwick, in the vicinity of Warwick Castle. The move has been on the horizon for some time and after what feels like endless hours of planning and...
We now have a well-established graduate program and we are always interested to hear why applicants decided they wanted to become a lawyer. It’s actually a question many struggle to answer and it possibly stems from the fact that even law graduates...
At the start of 2021, the UK Government confirmed the details of legislation being brought forward to reform residential leasehold property. In particular, it is aimed at the level of ground rents for new leases and the cost of lease extensions. Ground rent...
Broadly speaking, commercial tenants who occupy commercial premises for the purposes of carrying on their business benefit from ‘security of tenure’ under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954. Provided the relevant provisions of the 1954 Act have not...
Digital signatures in conveyancing – the way forward? Since July 2021 the Land Registry has been prepared to accept electronic signatures as a means of executing deeds in conveyancing transactions. The concept of electronic signatures was not...
In a nutshell, all work experience provides individuals with an invaluable opportunity to have an insight in to the world of working, as well as giving individuals the opportunity to get in front of potential employers. What are the benefits of non-legal...
This blog post is for those of you starting out on your legal journeys, and possibly even for those of you who are more experienced, to remind you of where you started many years ago. Stepping into the legal world is no doubt a challenge, now exacerbated by...
Everyone knows and understands that Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is payable on the acquisition of a commercial or residential property. The same principles apply to the purchase price (known as a premium) for the grant of a new lease. What about when a...
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