Caroline deals with all aspects of commercial and residential real estate problems.
Caroline joined Stevens & Bolton in August 2022, having previously been a partner at three leading City of London firms.
Caroline’s practice covers advice and risk avoidance as well as a broad range of litigation, arbitration and mediation, work in the Property Tribunal, Land Registry adjudications and expert determinations all focussed on real estate. Caroline is known for her technical expertise in complex areas of real estate law, and as a strategic thinker focussed on resolving disputes. Caroline has a particular interest in rights of light claims.
Her work includes:
- all aspects of property development including site assembly and site clearance, party wall work, rights of light disputes, overage claims, restrictive covenant and easement issues
- a broad range of landlord and tenant problems such as rent and service charge disputes, dilapidations, rent reviews, break clauses and covenant enforcement, as well as forfeiture and termination of tenancies
- real estate insolvency
- statutory lease renewals and extensions, enfranchisement, rights to manage and rights of first refusal
- claims to possession, trespass and nuisance including actions against protestors and urban climbers
- property related professional negligence claims
- planning and environmental matters including CPOs and DCOs, planning objections and judicial review and statutory enforcement notices
She acts for a broad range of clients including retailers, developers, insolvency practitioners, property investors and trusts, charities, leisure operators, residential management companies, professional partnerships and social housing aggregators as well as high-worth individuals and entrepreneurs.
Recent highlights include:
- Advising numerous long leaseholders and freeholders on their claims for rights of light infringement caused by the extensive redevelopment of a West London landmark building
- Pursuing a claim for proprietary estoppel on behalf of the tenant of a boutique hotel due to the landlord’s failure to complete a new lease
- Advising a residential management company on the impact of neighbouring developments including the preparation of planning objections and the release and modification of covenants
- Representing a major housebuilder in the expert determination of an overage dispute involving the interpretation of various complex valuation assumptions based on actual and permitted planning use
- Acting for a major roadside operator on a number of major infrastructure projects including various Highways England road expansion schemes, development consent orders, compulsory purchase and compensation claims
- Acting for a motor circuit operator in challenging various local authority noise abatement notices
- Advising on various aspects of the redevelopment of a mixed-use building including restructuring of ownership, rights of first refusal and party wall issues
- Acting for administrators of a recycling operation in a complex dispute arising out of the surrender and grant of a lease, the sale of assets and the transfer of environmental permits
Amongst other things, Caroline sits on the City of London Real Estate Committee and is a Consulting Editor to Lexis Nexis and a member of their Case Analysis Panel.