Sean Pettit > Chambers of Rachel Sleeman > London, England > Barrister Profile

Sean Pettit

Position

Sean is an established property law barrister with over 20 years of experience in all areas of the law pertaining to Real Property and Landlord and Tenant law and has represented clients at every level of tribunal including numerous landmark cases in the Court of Appeal.

Prior to his recent return to the Bar, Sean spent 2 years as a consultant at a firm solicitors specialising in Property and Telecommunications law, advising on Real Property and Landlord & Tenant matters, including leases, licences, wayleaves and property-related issues arising in the context of the Electronic Communications Codes.

Sean has particular experience in leaseholds and tenancies: disrepair and dilapidations, unlawful eviction, residential landlord and tenant, commercial landlord and tenant, business tenancies, mobile homes, easements, trusts of land and estoppel.

In the context of Local Government Housing, Sean has considerable experience in Statutory Appeals, Judicial Review and cases involving Public Law, Human Rights and EC Law issues.

For a number of years, Sean taught Land law and Trusts at the London School of Economics.

Local Government & Housing

Sean has a wealth of experience in the Public Law realm of social housing, representing both Applicants and Respondents in Judicial Review, Statutory Appeals and in the Court of Appeal. This experience means that Sean can provide solid, practical advise in how to best deal with these cases, taking into account the wider context in which they arise and the latest developments in law and practice.

Reported cases include:

• Panayiotou v London Borough of Waltham Forest, Smith v London Borough of Haringey (2017 CA)
  Homelessness appeal on the meaning of ‘significantly’ post Hotak; and the contracting out of part VII decision-making.
• Falastin Amin v London Borough of Brent (7/7/2011) LAG
  Homelessness Appeal turning on the definition of ‘worker’ within the meaning of Article 39 of the Treaty of Rome.
• Leon Denton v Southwark London Borough Council [2007] EWCA Civ 623 (CA)
  Homelessness. Whether it was reasonable for a homeless person to continue to occupy accommodation the family home.

Landlord & Tenant

Sean has acted for both landlords and tenants in the full gamut of tenancy-related work – both residential and commercial. Sean’s expertise includes all grounds of possession against statutory and contractual tenants, claims arising out of disrepair, dilapidations, protection from eviction, rent reviews, service charges, breach of contract, business tenancies, long leases, Right to Buy, Mobile Homes, housing co-operatives, trespass, Guardian schemes.

Sean has an interest in new technology and is regularly consulted by solicitors specialising in IT and Telecommunications law, in particular advising on property-related issues arising from leases, wayleaves and the Electronic Communications Codes.

Real Property 

Sean has considerable experience acting for parties in neighbour disputes, and disputes arising from the Party Wall Act, restrictive covenants, easements, adverse possession, Trusts of Land and estoppel.

Recent work:

• Academies Land Act Transfers
  Advising in respect of the transfer of schools under the provisions of the Academies Act 201 0.
• Promissory Estoppel
  Defending a claim for possession on the grounds of promissory estoppel in a claim brought by a son against his parents.
• Mobile Homes Act
  Sean has been instructed in a number of Mobile Homes Disputes.
• Restrictive Covenants
  Sean has been instructed in a number of case involving the effect and removal of Restrictive Covenants.

Career

Called 1997