Property Ownership and Trust Disputes
Property and land are the most expensive things that most people will purchase or own during their lifetime. For the vast majority of people, they will never need to worry that they might end up in a dispute over the ownership of that land.
However disputes can arise, particularly between family members and unmarried couples, about how ownership of a property is divided, even when that property is recorded at the Land Registry as being owned by one person. Often these disputes can result from:
- People contributing money towards the purchase price or deposit for a property;
- People making significant contributions to mortgage payments;
- People paying for significant improvements to a property;
- People agreeing to work in a family business for less money on the understanding that they will have a share in the business or a property;
- People agreeing that, although a property will be registered in one person’s name, it will be shared between other family members.
This is a specialist area requiring in depth knowledge of property and trust law, as well as having expertise in litigation.
Our specialist property litigation solicitors have a wealth of experience of these kinds of disputes having acted for clients in complex disputes concerning property ownership in the Royal Courts of Justice and the High Court District Registries.
Examples of cases which our solicitors have acted in include:
- Defending a husband and wife against claims by their family that three of their London properties worth in excess of £1m were held on trust for the benefit those family members.
- Representing a property developer in a claim worth approximately £2m against his senior employees who carried out in excess of ten fraudulent property transactions for their own benefit. The case concerned the use of off-shore corporate vehicles in Belize.
We offer tailored advice to suit your objectives. Our team represent clients in Devon, Bristol, the South West and throughout the UK. We have experience of resolving disputes informally, through mediation and at trial.
