In a lease, a tenant covenants not to make any alterations to the demised premises without the landlord’s consent not to be unreasonably withheld. The demise of the property does not include the structural walls of the building. The tenant seeks to remove part of a structural wall and the landlord is in agreement. Is it simply a question of the landlord consenting to that work through a licence (and possibly a supplemental lease to reflect the small amount of additional land)? If the lease makes no reference to the tenant’s right to do such work, would the other tenants be entitled to request the landlord refuses consent as per the recent judgment in Duval v 11-13 Rudolph Crescent Ltd?

Chris was called to the Bar in 2003 and since that time has built a busy practice across a range of areas, with an emphasis on Chancery practice. He enjoys a well-deserved reputation for his knowledge and expertise in each area. He appears regularly in the County Court, Family Court and the High Court as well as various specialist Tribunals, and has been involved in cases up to and including the Supreme Court. He regularly is instructed at Appellate level. He has extensive and wide-ranging experience particularly in the areas of wills, probate and inheritance disputes; property including adverse possession, boundary disputes and issues arising out of trusts of land; company and commercial work and financial remedies. Chris is head of the Family Group and head of the Property Team at 4KBW.

Chris is the author of numerous articles in publications such as the New Law Journal, Counsel and Family Law, amongst many other titles, and is the co-author of Social Media in the Workplace: A Handbook (2015, Jordan Publishing).