Tanfield Chambers' team has an excellent reputation for advising on the whole spectrum of property litigation. Recent case highlights include Philip Rainey KC and Mark Loveday acting for the interveners in A1 Properties v Tudor Studios RTM, a Supreme Court appeal, where the court ruled that the respondent’s failure to serve a claim notice on the appellant did not invalidate the transfer of the right to manage. James Fieldsend is 'an exceptional talent' and 'a details man you definitely want in your corner if you want to leave no stone unturned'.
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Profile

Work Department

Property

Position

Mark is a specialist residential property barrister, with his entire practice in this area. His work includes service charges and management, the Right to Manage, leasehold enfranchisement and building safety.

He recently appeared in the Supreme Court in A1 Properties v Tudor Studios (2024) and FirstPort v Settlers Court RTM (2022). He has represented clients in contested hearings at every other level including the First-tier Tribunal, County Court, High Court, Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) and the Court of Appeal.

Work largely relates to long leasehold service charge/management disputes and leasehold enfranchisement. He is General Editor of Service Charges & Management (Sweet & Maxwell, 5th Ed). He is regularly instructed by the major London estates and leaseholders in high-value contested management and enfranchisement cases. Marks' weekly column on residential property matters appears in the Times newspaper every Friday.

Mark is a judge of the First-Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) and a member of the rule-setting Tribunal Procedure Committee. He was legal advisor to the joint working group that drafted the ICAEW Technical Release on Residential Service Charge Accounts ("TECH/03/11"), the leading professional guidance for service charge accounting in England. He is one of a handful of barrister Fellows of the Institute of Residential Property Management.

Numerous awards include:
"Barrister of the Year" at the Residential Management Awards 2011.
"Barrister of the Year" at the Enfranchisement & Right to Manage Awards 2022.

Mark has extensive experience in arbitration and expert determination. He accepts appointments as a mediator and as an arbitrator in property disputes.
For a list of reported cases in the Upper Tribunal, High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, please see the section below.

Career

Qualified 1986; Judge, First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber).

Publications: ‘Service Charges & Management’ (Sweet & Maxwell); 'Rent Review: A Surveyor's Handbook' (RICS); weekly column on residential property law in 'The Times' newspaper.

Barrister of the Year, ERMAS Awards 2022

The Property Institute (Fellow), Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners, Property Bar Association.

Languages

Italian.

Memberships

  • Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (Advisory Committee)
  • Chancery Bar Association
  • Property Bar Association
  • Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Fellow)
  • Institute of Residential Property Management (Fellow)

Education

St Edmunds College, Ware; University of Kent at Canterbury (1981 BA (Hons)).

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Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'Tanfield is well known as being market leaders in leasehold valuation matters, with a great breadth and depth of experienced barristers.'
  • 'Specialist expertise - the go to set for residential L&T matters.'
  • 'Tanfield is an excellent chambers.'
  • 'Alex Southern is an incredibly talented clerk who is a pleasure to work with.'
  • 'They have barristers at all levels of qualification who are able to assist with contentious property issues of all shapes and sizes.'
  • 'The clerks have always been wonderful.'
  • 'The depth of technical expertise in leasehold enfranchisement among the advocates is significant.'
  • 'The clerking service is excellent at Tanfield.'