Property disputes in the UK can arise from a variety of situations. In fact, recent data shows that millions of British homeowners have experienced some kind of property dispute, with cases lasting from 6 months to one year on average. These are some of the most common disputes.
Boundary and neighbour disputes
Specialists such as novo-modo.co.uk/litigation-funding often receive requests for litigation funding to handle neighbour disputes over boundaries. These involve fences, shared driveways, hedges, and building encroachments. One of the biggest issues is that HM Land Registry only holds plans for ID purposes, and these are not precise. This means that legal interpretation and professional surveys are vital.
Tenant and landlord issues
These types of disputes can involve lease agreement breaches, rent arrears, eviction notices, and dilapidation claims. New legislative reforms may increase disputes in the short term.
Rights of way
Disputes over access rights are another key source of conflict, particularly with regard to who can use a driveway or shared pathway. These can become complex cases, especially where there are historic rights of way which may precede building works.
Ownership and inheritance
Conflicts often arise over legal rights to property ownership, especially when multiple parties have a claim or during inheritance cases. Again, these can be complex and expensive cases to resolve, often requiring litigation funding and long lead times.
As ever, the focus is to try to resolve the dispute out of court, pre-litigation, with services such as arbitration to avoid time, stress, court resources and large sums of money.