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18 July 2025 / Fern Schofield , Gwyneth Everson
Issue: 8125 / Categories: Features , Property , Commercial , Housing , Landlord&tenant
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Property law brief: quarterly review (July 2025)

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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

Taylor Rose—Jessica Draganescu & Emily Hewlett

Taylor Rose—Jessica Draganescu & Emily Hewlett

Firm strengthens growth strategy and group litigation capability with senior hires

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Londstanding London firm appoints new senior partner

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Commercial team in London welcomes technology specialist as partner

NEWS
The legal profession’s claim to be a ‘guardian of fairness’ is under scrutiny after stark findings on gender imbalance and opaque progression. Writing in NLJ this week, Joshua Purser of No5 Barristers’ Chambers and Govindi Deerasinghe of Global 50/50 warn that leadership remains dominated by a narrow elite, with men holding 71% of top court roles
A legal challenge to police disclosure rules has failed, reinforcing a push for transparency in policing. In NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth examines a case where the Metropolitan Police required officers to declare membership of groups like the Freemasons
Bereavement leave is undergoing a quiet but profound transformation. Writing in NLJ this week, Robert Hargreaves of York St John University explains how the Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces a day-one right to leave for a wider range of losses, alongside new provisions for pregnancy loss and bereaved partners
Courts are beginning to grapple with whether AI-generated material is legally privileged—and the answers are mixed. In this week's issue of NLJ, Stacie Bourton, Tom Whittaker & Beata Kolodziej of Burges Salmon examine US rulings showing how easily privilege can be lost
New guidance seeks to bring order to the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Minesh Tanna and David Bridge of Simmons & Simmons set out a framework stressing ‘transparency’, ‘explainability’ and ‘reliability’
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