Property

The council can only compulsorily purchase your home if it has legal authority for the development and follows strict statutory procedures, including serving a notice and offering fair compensation.

You are entitled to compensation based on the market value of your land, plus additional payments for disturbance, severance, and injurious affection, as set out in the Compulsory Purchase Act 1965.

If your property is acquired under a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO), you have the right to fair compensation, to object before confirmation, and to challenge the CPO’s validity or necessity — all protected under the Compulsory Purchase Act 1965.

Buying a leasehold flat means you own the property only for the length of the lease, not the land — you’ll pay ground rent and service charges, and may need the freeholder’s permission for changes.

Yes, you can extend your leasehold even if it has less than 80 years remaining, but the process and costs depend on whether you qualify under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 — the 1967 Act does not apply to flats or lease extensions.

As a leaseholder, you have legal rights to compel the freeholder to maintain common parts of the building under your lease and the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. If they fail, you may apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) for an order or seek cost recovery.

To convert your leasehold property to freehold in England and Wales, you may be eligible to enfranchise under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967 — but only if your property is a house (not a flat), you have owned the lease for at least two years, and it meets statutory criteria.

The Leasehold Reform Act 1967 does not regulate or cap ground rent increases for most leaseholds — it mainly gives qualifying leaseholders the right to extend their lease or buy the freehold. Ground rent rises are usually governed by your lease terms.

Yes, qualifying leaseholders in England and Wales have a statutory right of first refusal when the freeholder intends to sell the freehold interest in a building containing flats.

You may have a legal right to light if your windows have received uninterrupted daylight for at least 20 years — this is protected under the Prescription Act 1832, not the Law of Property Act 1925 s.62, which does not govern rights to light.

There is no general legal rule in England and Wales saying who must repair a shared boundary fence — responsibility depends on ownership, property deeds, or agreement, not the Law of Property Act 1925.

No, you are not liable for removal costs — your neighbour is responsible for preventing their tree roots from causing damage to your property.

Boundary disputes in England and Wales are usually resolved by checking the title register and title plan from HM Land Registry, with formal determination possible under the Land Registration Act 2002 s. 60 if the boundary is not clear.

You may have a private nuisance claim against your neighbour if Japanese knotweed from their land encroaches onto yours and causes damage or interferes with your use of the land.

Yes, you may apply to the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) to modify or discharge a restrictive covenant under section 84 of the Law of Property Act 1925, if certain legal conditions are met.

No, you cannot lawfully stop people from using a public right of way across your property — it is a legal right enjoyed by the public, and obstructing it may be a criminal offence.

An easement is a right to use another person's land for a specific purpose, such as a right of way. It can arise by express grant, implication (including under section 62 of the Law of Property Act 1925), prescription, or necessity.

Yes, you may be able to claim adverse possession of registered land in England and Wales after 10 years — or 12 years for unregistered land — if your occupation was factual, exclusive, open, and without the owner’s consent.

Yes, but it is extremely difficult to claim adverse possession of registered land in England and Wales — you must occupy it without consent for at least 10 years and meet strict legal conditions under the Land Registration Act 2002.

No, you generally cannot lawfully build on your land in the UK without planning permission — doing so risks enforcement action, even if you own the land.

In most cases, you do not need planning permission to add a conservatory in the UK — it is usually considered permitted development, provided it meets specific size, height, and location rules.

If a charge on the property title wasn’t disclosed before you bought it, you may still be bound by it — unless it’s an 'overriding interest' or you qualify as a 'purchaser for valuable consideration' under the Land Registration Act 2002.

In the UK, buyers generally buy property 'as is' unless defects were deliberately concealed or misrepresented — sellers have no general duty to disclose defects under the Law of Property Act 1925.

Generally, the local authority is not automatically liable for flood damage to your property — liability depends on whether they failed in a specific legal duty, such as poor maintenance of drainage systems or breach of statutory duty.