Robert Wood

Full Profile

Robert has spent many years advising institutional landlords, developers and corporate occupiers on a wide range of property related disputes. He strives to help his clients resolve matters without the need to litigate but regularly represents clients in the County Court, High Court, Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) and arbitrations under the Arbitration Act. 

Robert “has ‘great technical knowledge’ regarding complex commercial property disputes” - Legal 500 (2024).

Specialisms include: 

• Landlord and Tenant issues – his practice covers all aspects of leasehold disputes including arrears, dilapidations, service charge disputes, break options, forfeiture, applications for consent, quiet enjoyment and interference with rights and reservations. 
• Development – he advises on all issues connected to development of property spanning from freehold development issues (such as restrictive covenants and easements), vacant possession strategies and mitigating and defending contractual and tortious nuisance complaints.
• Trespassers – Robert has advised numerous landowners and successfully obtained and enforced possession orders to remove trespassers, travellers, protestors and so called “urban explorers” from land and buildings.
• Telecoms – he specialises in the new Electronic Communications Code advising landowners in relation to rights sought over their land by telecoms operators as well as termination of agreements and removal of apparatus. 
• Business lease renewals – he is an expert in business lease renewals pursuant to the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954.
• Insolvency – Robert has a keen interest in all matters related to property insolvency and has advised landlords on the impact of insolvency events on their property interests. He has recently gained a lot of experience interpreting and challenging CVAs and restructuring plans. 
• Dilapidations – Robert advises landlords and tenants on liability for dilapidations claims, as well as disputes connected with repair and yield up obligations in leases.

Robert is a Solicitor Advocate with rights of audience in civil proceedings in the Courts of England and Wales. 

Experience

• Securing the timely exit of a global education provider’s campus to coincide with plans to develop and relocate to new premises. This complex matter involved multiple proceedings under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954.
• Successfully defending forfeiture proceedings brought by a local authority freeholder against an investor landowner related to alleged breaches of a long lease.
• Successfully challenging the terms of a CVA and an attempt to propose a further CVA in order to enforce the terms of a guarantee to recover significant arrears from a major retailer. 
• Advising a listed property developer on the planning and implementation of vacant possession strategies. This included applications to remove telecommunications apparatus, complex Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 issues involving multiple intermediate landlords and dealing with implied statutory tenancies. 
• Successfully defending a claim in derogation from grant and nuisance in connection with the development of a major central London property.
• Achieving vacant possession of a rooftop telecoms site under the New electronic telecommunications code.