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Painsmith Solicitors Limited trading as Painsmith Solicitors, Director: Marveen Smith. Registered No. 07617210.
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Emma SomersetEmma qualified as a solicitor in 2010 after completing her academic training at Bournemouth University and the University of Law, Guildford.
After undertaking her training contract at a large firm on the south coast she began her career with the same firm before accepting a position with PainSmith Solicitors in November 2012.
Emma specialises in all aspects of property litigation and can assist in resolving most disputes, regularly acting for landlords and land owners in connection with dilapidations disputes, forfeiture and possession claims, land registration disputes, building and boundary disputes, and recovery of arrears and other debts.
Emma is also able to draft up to date tenancy documentation, being fully conversant with all relevant requirements and guidance that applies to this heavily regulated and changing area. She has been praised for her ability to quickly understand her clients’ objectives and for offering commercial, pragmatic advice in a straightforward manner.
Alexandra RusuDavid Whitney is a solicitor and mediator. Prior to joining PainSmith five years ago he was a Partner in a West London practice. He has practised in the field of landlord and tenant law for about 20 years and has over the last 15 years developed a specialism in long residential leasehold work. His work encompasses dealing with all aspects of landlord and tenant including dilapidations claims, repossessions, enfranchisement, lease extensions, RTM applications and service charge disputes to name a few. In the past 12 months alone David has assisted over 200 hundred flat owners to either purchase their freehold or extend their lease. David understands the, often, competing interests of differing parties and prides himself on giving clients pragmatic and commercial advice. David also sits as a fee-paid Judge of the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) on the Southern Region and as a member of its mediation panel.
Laura SimpsonLaura graduated from the University of Portsmouth in 2013 with a degree in Law with Business. This year, Laura also completed the Legal Practice Course.
Prior to joining PainSmith Solicitors, Laura worked for a local council. She has the experience and knowledge to confidently handle her own caseload across a range of property matters and uses her understanding of business to ensure that she produces practical commercial solutions to client’s problems.
Sian MeredithSian graduated from the University of Portsmouth in 2015. Sian has an in-depth knowledge of possession proceedings and debt recovery.
Sian will commence her LPC in September 2016.
Richard PulfordRichard came to PainSmith in August 2011 as a Paralegal after graduating with a degree in law from the University of Sheffield. Whilst working for PainSmith he completed the Legal Practice Course at weekends completed a training contract at the firm and has been taken on by the firm as a fully qualified Solicitor. After receiving considerable training provided by PainSmith, Richard joined the legal helpline and has been one of the advisers on the helpline for over four years.
He has over five years of experience in Landlord and Tenant law and his normal work load ranges from case handling of possession matters, deposit disputes, drafting of tenancy agreements, advising on HMO properties and debt and disrepair claims. He is experienced in lengthy and complex litigation and settlement negotiations.
David WhitneyDavid Whitney is a solicitor and mediator. Prior to joining PainSmith five years ago he was a Partner in a West London practice. He has practised in the field of landlord and tenant law for about 20 years and has over the last 15 years developed a specialism in long residential leasehold work. His work encompasses dealing with all aspects of landlord and tenant including dilapidations claims, repossessions, enfranchisement, lease extensions, RTM applications and service charge disputes to name a few. In the past 12 months alone David has assisted over 200 hundred flat owners to either purchase their freehold or extend their lease. David understands the, often, competing interests of differing parties and prides himself on giving clients pragmatic and commercial advice. David also sits as a fee-paid Judge of the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) on the Southern Region and as a member of its mediation panel.
Marveen SmithMarveen Smith was one of the founders of PainSmith Solicitors in 2001 and has been the only Principal of PainSmith Solicitors a niche firm who are specialists in property law since 2006. Marveen has a background in accountancy and tax; forging a second career in law by qualifying as a Solicitor before starting her own practice. As well as working in her legal practice daily Marveen is one of the trainers for ARLA and other organisations presenting legal courses throughout the country; giving presentations at regional meetings for ARLA; and at seminars for landlords. Marveen has made regular appearances on Money Box for Radio 4 and Watchdog where she endeavoured to balance the one sided view of letting agents that can be presented by the media, as well as disseminating information to enable landlords to act in a more professional capacity. Marveen was the first person to establish a legal helpline for landlords and agents; and to offer both standard and bespoke documents designed specifically for the lettings industry. Today PainSmith offers a wide choice of legal documents to satisfy the requirements of both relocation companies, letting agents and landlords.
Business Tenancies
Its been a while since we blogged on business tenancies so here goes.
In Somerfield Stores Ltd v Spring (Sutton Coldfield) Ltd the tenant held a supermarket and adjoining land under three commercial leases which expired in March 2008. The year before the expiry the tenant had served a section 26 notice pursuant to the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 requesting a new tenancy. However the landlord served counter notices stating that it would oppose the grant of the tenancies under section 30 of the 1954 Act on the ground that the landlord intended to demolish or reconstruct the premises on the termination of the current tenancies. The tenant therefore applied to the court for the new leases.
The Landlord subsequently went into administration but the tenant was granted permission to continue with the proceedings and applied for summary judgement against the landlords ground of opposition. Initially the tenant’s application was refused but the tenant was granted permission to appeal.
At appeal the landlord contended that the date at which the landlord’s intention to demolish or reconstruct must be shown to exist is the date of the substantive trial of the landlord’s ground of objection, not the hearing of the application for the summary judgement. The tenant contended that the hearing of the summary application would establish whether the landlord had a real prospect of establishing a cause of action or defence at a future trial date not whether or not the intention exists.
The court held that the summary judgement would deal with the finding of fact only, that is whether the landlord intended to rebuild or not and you can not do this effectively using the summary judgement procedure. When a fact is contested the parties are usually cross examined but a summary judgement application is done on paper and as such the facts are going to be difficult to establish. Therefore the intention will not be established at the summary hearing and a further hearing will no doubt be required.
It was therefore in the courts view that the date at which the intention had to exist was the date of the trial. At a substantive trial evidence can be tested and facts found for the purpose of a final determination one way or the other of the landlord’s ground for opposition.
The logic behind this decision makes perfect sense from a litigation point of view. If the tenant was permitted to continue with the summary application as claimed this would simple raise costs for what is already a costly process and could no doubt result in tenants attempting to use this in order to force landlords to settle.