Contract clauses

Contract clauses

The clause bank for property lawyers brings together examples of the most commonly used clauses from property contracts. The clauses are tailored to property practitioners, with drafting notes and practice

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Latest Property News

BPF analysis finds 81% of commercial buildings below proposed EPC standards

The British Property Federation (BPF) has published its annual analysis of Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings for commercial buildings across seven major English cities and found that 81% of stock remains below EPC B. The analysis covered all commercial asset classes in London, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle. It showed that 3% of buildings are rated EPC A and 16% EPC B, leaving around 190 million square metres of commercial floorspace below the proposed future minimum standard, despite year-on-year improvements of only 1–2%. Manchester and London performed best, with 22% and 21% of buildings respectively rated A or B. The Federation attributed the slow pace of improvement to the government’s failure to respond to its 2021 consultation on minimum energy efficiency standards, which proposed targets of EPC C by 2027 and EPC B by 2030, stating that the continued lack of clarity is delaying investment and upgrades and risks large parts of the commercial estate becoming unlettable.

Proprietary estoppel and unenforceable land contracts (Conway v Conway)

Private Client analysis: In Conway v Conway, the High Court clarified the interplay between proprietary estoppel and the statutory formalities required for contracts for the sale of land under section 2 of the Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989 (LP(MP)A 1989). The case concerned an appeal from a first instance decision ordering specific performance of an oral contract for the sale of land as relief in a proprietary estoppel claim. In allowing the appeal, Mr Justice Michael Green held that that proprietary estoppel could not be used to obtain specific performance of an otherwise unenforceable oral contract for the sale of land, but remitted the question of equitable compensation to the County Court due to the absence of alternative relief in the pleadings. The decision clarifies that LP(MP)A 1989, s 2 bars relief that has the effect of enforcing void contracts while leaving open other forms of equitable relief that can satisfy the equity arising in estoppel cases. Written by Cameron Stocks, barrister at Gatehouse Chambers, who acted for the appellant at first instance and on appeal to the High Court.

RICS publishes update on current developments in home buying and selling reform

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has published an update on current developments in home buying and selling reform, noting that long transaction times and high fall‑through rates have increased scrutiny of how property information is provided to buyers. The update refers to a UK government consultation launched in October 2025, which set out proposals for a faster and more transparent system supported by digital tools, higher professional standards and better-informed consumers. The proposals included mandatory qualifications and a code of practice, digital property packs and logbooks, binding conditional contracts, greater digitalisation and changes affecting leasehold sales. RICS states that, subject to the consultation outcome, the government intends to publish a reform roadmap during the current parliament, while noting that there is currently no planned legislation to support significant changes. The update also refers to a separate consultation on material information in property listings, launched following the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act 2024 (DMCCA 2024). RICS says its response addressed the role of professional advice and expertise in the provision of material information. The update includes frequently asked questions (FAQs) covering the timing of reforms, industry capacity, impacts on small firms, insurance, valuations and the interaction with the RICS Home Survey Standard.

HMLR updates Practice Guides 4, 21 and 50

HM Land Registry (HMLR) has updated three practice guides: Practice Guide 4—Adverse possession of registered land, Practice Guide 12—Using HMLR forms for complex and more unusual transactions and Practice Guide 50—Requisition and cancellation procedures.