Property

Through her previous career as a property disputes solicitor Annabel has gained a wealth of experience including:

Advising a national housing builder whether an option agreement relating to the development of a new town had been terminated by conduct and/ or whether a repudiatory breach had occurred. 

Acting for a social landlord in a circa £2million professional negligence claim against a leading firm of solicitors regarding the grant of subleases for terms longer than the headlease. 

Advising a social landlord on a complex mixed use vacant possession strategy including opposed 1954 Act proceedings on the basis of redevelopment, commercial forfeiture and insolvency. The purpose of the strategy was to enable a major redevelopment with a GDV of £750 million. 

Advising a national house builder on a vacant possession strategy involving the termination of a number of agricultural tenancies.

Advising a care provider on whether there was an obligation to serve notices under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 prior to the sale of a care home and linked retirement village.

Housing

Whilst working in the housing litigation team at Gowling WLG Annabel acted for social landlords in relation to its housing portfolio. This work included anti-social behaviour possession proceedings and injunctions, housing disrepair claims, possession proceedings where the tenant was a protected party and service charge disputes. Some highlights included:

Acting for a national social landlord in a service charge dispute where the leaseholder challenged the recoverability of a block insurance policy

Acting for a social landlord to obtain three injunctions to exclude the respondents from large parts of Coventry 

Defending social landlords on a high value disrepair claim where the tenant refused to allow the landlord access to carry out asbestos removal works

Annabel also advised local authorities regarding their homelessness duties including acting for the London Borough of Croydon in the Zambrano carers appeal.