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Property law brief: quarterly review (July 2025)

18 July 2025 / Fern Schofield , Gwyneth Everson
Issue: 8125 / Categories: Features , Property , Commercial , Housing , Landlord&tenant
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Fern Schofield & Gwyneth Everson round up the lessons learnt from key property decisions in Spring 2025
  • Courts may require residential tenants seeking relief to assume commercial lease obligations.
  • The Court of Appeal clarified that land held under a statutory trust is not exempt from adverse possession claims under the Land Registration Act 2002, and that boundary agreements are binding on successors in title whether or not they had knowledge of it.
  • Several cases reinforced that actual occupation must be continuous and evident to bind third parties.

In this latest quarterly roundup, we explore some of the most notable recent decisions in property law from March, April and May 2025. To make sense of the varied terrain, we’ve grouped them into three distinct categories: cases primarily concerned with private individuals; cases with technical detail; and cases turning on the assessment of evidence.

Individual interests

Derwent Lodge Estates Ltd v Signature Living Hotel Ltd (in administration) and others [2025] 3 WLUK 402

Relief

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Clarke Willmott—Declan Goodwin & Elinor Owen

Clarke Willmott—Declan Goodwin & Elinor Owen

Corporate and commercial teams in Cardiff boosted by dual partner hire

Hill Dickinson—Joz Coetzer & Marc Naidoo

Hill Dickinson—Joz Coetzer & Marc Naidoo

London hires to lead UK launch of international finance team

Switalskis—11 promotions

Switalskis—11 promotions

Firm marks start of year with firmwide promotions round

NEWS
Property lawyers have given a cautious welcome to the government’s landmark Bill capping ground rents at £250, banning new leasehold properties and making it easier for leaseholders to switch to commonhold
Four Nightingale courts are to be made permanent, as justice ministers continue to grapple with the record-level Crown Court backlog
The judiciary has set itself a trio of objectives and a trio of focus areas for the next five years, in its Judicial Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2026-2030

The Sentencing Act 2026 received royal assent last week, bringing into law the recommendations of David Gauke’s May 2025 Independent Sentencing Review

Victims of crime are to be given free access to transcripts of Crown Court sentencing remarks, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has confirmed
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