Full Profile

Keith's work focuses on disputes concerning property development, joint ventures, funding, site assembly, contractual and landlord and tenant matters. He has particular experience of rights of light and neighbour disputes, dilapidations and break right disputes.  He is the immediate past Chairman of the Property Litigation Association, a past chair of the Law Reform Committee, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and an ADR Mediator.

Experience

• Successfully acted for Capgemini in relation to two lease renewals (consolidated into one claim).The subject premises are a data centre of national importance in the UK and therefore the lease renewal considered a multimillion pound rent and many complex technical issues such as security, power capacity and power outages, which are over and above usual landlord and tenant matters.
• Successfully advising Cathedral LLP on a settlement in response to an application made against the client by a neighbouring land owner for an injunction to prevent our client from allowing a crane on its development site to oversail the neighbour's land.
• Advising Daejan Investments Limited (a major landowner in Central London and the UK) on a number of development sites and investment assets including, site assembly matters, vacant possession strategies, telecoms matters and proceedings relating to defaulting tenants and unlawful occupiers.
• Advising Pembury Hotels Limited on a Cypriot family joint venture dispute involving a number of properties and hotels in London, including forfeiture proceedings, lease renewal proceedings and advising upon termination of various leases and management agreements in respect of the properties and pursuing recovery of rent, trading and other investment receipts during the joint venture.
• Successfully advised on a complex landlord and tenant dispute regarding a rent review agreement between the head landlord and intermediate landlord who are part of the same group
• Acting for a Landlord of property and advising in relation to a terminal dilapidations claim and rights of re-entry and to enter the property to carry out substantial repair work.This case involved the tenant using the subject Property as accommodation for asylum seekers under a Services Contract with the Home Office.The Home Office withheld payments to the Tenant under its service contract and the Tenant applied for summary judgment against the Home Office that it was entitled to the sums due under the contract.The Landlord sought to be added to proceedings to defend the summary judgment application alongside the Home Office. We successfully assisted the Landlord to obtain a notification order (like a freezing injunction) against the Tenant to prevent dissipation of assets in order to allow the landlord to pursue its terminal dilapidation claim, obtaining a settlement following mediation just prior to the trial.
• Successfully acted for the corporate owner of the property in defence of a claim brought by a leading UK venue company for wrongful termination of a Management Agreement concerning a venue on the top floors of Milbank Tower in London
• Advising stationary retailer Ryman on issues arising from leases and former guarantees following the sale and insolvency of the La Senza business
• Rectifying proceedings in respect of a reverse premium following exercising a break by the tenant of a trophy building in the city of London
• Acting for Thamesway Developments in successfully defending an application by an action group to thwart a UK development by having land registered as a Village Green
• Acting for a UK house builder in getting an injunction allowing completion of road building works required under planning obligations, to be completed prior to commencing the building of a substantial housing estate
• Advising a UK real estate fund manager in an emergency application to remove residential squatters from commercial premises
• Advising Hiscox in relation to break obligations and providing vacant possession of an office building in London
• Advising a Developer in a dispute following the insolvency of the building contractor and disputed "step in" by the Forward Funder
• Advising a housebuilder in a dispute with a local authority landowner claiming a further overage payment
• Advising a Property company in a sizeable claim for terminal dilapidations against its former tenant
• Advising an asset manager and property manager following a complex and large claim by multiple tenants of a mixed use development in respect of alleged overpayments of service charges and insurance premiums
• Advising a group of investors following their enforcement of share pledge agreements in a multi-party claim following a failed Polish development