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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 from forfeiture in a mixed-use building required residential

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly

Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly

Gateley Legal expands Midlands residential development team

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn adds employee benefits and executive compensation practice in London with partner Richard Surtees

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL appoints new partner and head of intellectual property disputes

NEWS
A series of recent decisions has clarified important principles across property law, from perpetuities to lease renewals and public rights over land
Employers cannot rely on wellbeing services alone to defend workplace stress claims after a High Court decision awarding almost £1m to an overworked employee
Andy Burnham's brand of 'Manchesterism' could offer fresh thinking on legal aid and access to justice if it reaches Westminster, according to Roger Smith, NLJ columnist and former director of JUSTICE
The constitutional fallout from a change of prime minister, rather than the politics, is under scrutiny as questions arise over the limits of executive authority in a leadership transition
The legal profession is undergoing a fundamental shift from selling services to creating technology-enabled products, according to Professor Luke Mason, Head of School of Law at Regent's University London
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