2002 looks set to be a year of important legislative changes for real estate with the enactment of a new Land Registration Act, a much awaited Commonhold Act, reforming legislation for the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 and a DTLR review of planning use classes – but what happened in 2001? OK, not a year for legal milestones, but there have been a number of developments in the landlord and tenant arena which mark an apparent pro-tenant trend. Government-led initiatives included a consultation on a landlord’s right to levy distress, an investigation into upward-only rent reviews, draft legislation for landlord and tenant reform and a new Insolvency Act. The decisions in a number of key cases also illustrate the growing importance of human rights in dealings between landlord and tenant.
