Steven Woolf

Call:1989

Introduction and Contact Details

Steven is first and foremost a Property Lawyer. His practice is almost exclusively property orientated, either within the framework of landlords and tenants or real property.

Steven prides himself on three principal qualities, which he believes are of primary concern to his professional and lay clients. They are:

• Firstly his knowledge of the law and how to use the law to ensure the best possible advantage for his clients.
• Secondly his work ethic which recognises that there are 24 hours in a day and 7 days in a week and if the client wants an answer tomorrow, they shall have it.
• Thirdly his amicability because it is imperative to the success of a case that a good personal as well as professional relationship exists between the three-person team of client, solicitor and barrister.

The case of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets v Begum provided him with his first visit to the House of Lords. In addition, Steven has been involved in a number of significant Court of Appeal decisions such as R v Rent Officer of West Sussex Registration Area ex parte Haysport Properties Limited [2001] EWCA Civ 237 a case involving questions of rent reviews under the Rent Act 1977, Hurst v London Borough of Barnet [2003] 1 WLR 17 and Markos v Goodfellow a case that clarified the working of the slip rule.

In addition Steven has been reported in approximately 20 High Court actions, the most recent being HFHA v Asra Greater London Housing Association [2008] EWHC 2430, the decision of Park J in the case of Edwards v Lloyds TSB Bank [2004] EWHC 1745, and the highly significant decision in relation to adverse possession in the matter of  Beaulane Properties v Palmer [2005] EWHC 817.

Cases in which he has been involved have frequently been reported in the Legal Action Group (LAG) journal, Family Law Reporter, Times Law Reports, New Law Journal, Family Law Cases.

Tel:    020 7242 2523 (switchboard)
Fax:   020 7691 1234

Email: steven.woolf@hardwicke.co.uk

PROPERTY & PRIVATE CLIENT

The main area of Steven’s property work is land related, in particular boundary disputes, rights of way and Adverse Possession. In addition to land, Steven has considerable experience in both residential and commercial landlord and tenant.

Real Estate

Steven has experienced a significant increase in land related litigation over the last five years. This he puts down in a large part to the existence of Legal Expenses Insurance. These disputes are most often very personal, involving the classic legal truism, an Englishaman’s castle is his home. Steven’s sensitive and pragmatic approach to litigation has resulted in favourable results for clients from as far afield as Pembrokeshire in West Wales to the Yorkshire Dales. Steven has at least 50 land related cases ongoing at any one time and therefore it is difficult to find the highlights, but the following are good examples of his recent work.

Recent Work

• acting in a dispute relating to the extent of land adversely possessed for near on 50 years
• acting in a dispute where the neighbour literally tore up trees that had been in place for hundreds of years and bulldozed a pond leading to subsidence to the surrounding land
• a dispute relating to the acquisition of a prescriptive right of way
• acting in a dispute relating to the escape of sewage from a caravan park onto farmland;

Commercial Landlord and Tenant

Steven is extremely experience in this field, which involves daily analysis and interpretation of technical lease terms and their effect on the use of commercial premises, the covenants that landlords and tenants offer to each other and the operation of termination and renewal provisions.

Recent Work 

• acting for a landlord against a tenant who used the premises for purposes other than commerce
• acting for a tenant seeking to establish a proprietary right to commerical lease
• acting for a tenant seeking damages against a shopping centre developer due to dust and smoke nuisance
• acting for a tenant seeking to avoid substantail servce charge demands relating to underground work

• acting for landlord in relation to terminal dilapidations at a brewery

Residential Landlord and Tenant

Steven has considerable experience in all types of resdiential occupation from bare licensees to 999 year leasees. The majority of this work would be possession related. In addition to claims for possession Steven has acted for landlords and tenants seeking consent to alterations, extensions to leases and service charge related disputes.

Recent Work

• whether storage area was appurtenant for the purposes of enfranchisement
• whether is remains possible to occupy two homes
• liability of the leasees for electrical installations in new residential development
• forfeiting of a residential lease following persisent arrers of service charge

Cases

HFHA v Asra Greater London Housing Association [2008] EWHC 2430 This case related to oral contractural terms and whether greater consideration to HFHA would be due following enhanced planning permission for a residential tower block scheme being granted.

Beaulane Properties –v- Palmer [2005] EWHC . Of its time this was a somewhat notorious adverse possession case as it laid out principles relating to the application of the Human Rights Act to adverse possession. In due course the decision of Pye in the European Court of Justice made Beaulane redundant, but having been involved in such a high profile and important case in this area, Steven has become one of the most frequently instructed counsel of cases involving adverse possession at the Bar.

Frazer V- Browne. An interesting case relating to the application of rule 251 of the land registration rules, the application of extrinsic evidence to conveyances and interpretation of historical plans.

Mortgage Express –v- Oni. A successful appeal of the decision of the Judge of first instance relating to questions of setting aside enforcement orders in mortgage possession claims.