Chris is a property litigation specialist who works primarily on commercial property disputes. He advises on a wide range of matters including all things relating to landlord and tenant law, real property and contract disputes. He has extensive experience in areas including business lease renewals, enforcement action, alienation issues, break options, possession actions, occupational status disputes, and dilapidations. In the real property arena, Chris advises on issues such as restrictive covenants, adverse possession and easements. He also has a wide range of experience in residential property matters. Chris has clients across a range of different sectors.
Chris deals with cases in a variety of court and tribunals including the High Court, County Court, First Tier and Upper Tribunal (Property Divisions) and has dealt with cases in the Court of Appeal. He is a strong proponent of ADR and regularly uses mediation and other forms of ADR in order to successfully resolve disputes.
Expertise
- Commercial property disputes
- Commercial landlord and tenant
- Business lease renewals – contentious & non-contentious
- Arrears recovery, forfeiture and other enforcement methods
- Break options
- Property sale disputes
- Breaches of leasehold covenants
- Assignment and other alienation issues
- Breach of quiet enjoyment and derogation from grant disputes
- Possession proceedings and disputes over status of occupiers
- Dilapidations – mid-term and terminal
- Service charge and rent review
- Property development issues including conditional contracts and overage clauses, rights to light, retention of deposits and modification of covenants
- Adverse possession
- Rights of way and other easements
- Restrictive covenants
- Occupational status disputes, licences, tenancies at will and other species of tenancy
- Tenant insolvency issues
- Lease expiry issues
- Development disputes
- Property advisory work
Experience
- Acted in High Court proceedings concerning an opposed business lease renewal of restaurant premises on the Strand and a related long-term business partnership dispute.
- Acted for a global bank in exiting 17 different leasehold premises under conditional break options and managing the relocation to new City-based premises.
- Acted in Court of Appeal proceedings concerning the ability of the English court to extend time for appeals against registration and enforcement of European judgments.
- Acted for a national hairdressing chain in High Court proceedings for breach of repairing covenant and failure to repair.
- Successfully acted for an investment landlord in proceedings defending multiple allegations of breaches of covenant, quiet enjoyment, repudiatory breach of contract, unreasonable withholding of consent and service charge disputes.
- Acted for an investment client in a purchase dispute concerning the right to terminate contracts following a failure to complete new-build flats within time on a large-scale development.
- Acted in the FTT in forfeiture actions and determination of breach of covenant proceedings.
- Acted in High Court proceedings for a major department-store client in relation to a substantial breach of covenant claim and counterclaims concerning termination of rent concessions.
- Acted for a major retail tenant in opposed lease renewal proceedings of premises in Covent Garden.
- Successfully defended forfeiture proceedings in respect of a long leasehold interest of petrol station premises following alleged multiple breaches of covenants. Parallel Section 84 application to the Lands Tribunal to amend terms of the lease.
- Acted on a major rent review arbitration for large industrial premises for an energy client.
- Successfully resisted adverse possession claims on behalf of a large energy company in both registered and unregistered land claims.
- Acted for a landlord in successfully pursuing a quasi-guarantor of a lease disclaimed by a liquidator.
- Acted in successful proceedings in an application for a prescriptive right of way in connection with medical surgery premises.
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Recognition
Recognised by The Legal 500 2024 for Property Litigation
Recognised by The Legal 500 2022 for Property Litigation
“Chris Hill is always available to discuss cases and provides in-depth yet clear guidance on the options.” The Legal 500 2022
Listed as a recommended lawyer for Real Estate Litigation – London in all editions of The Legal 500 between 2016 and 2022.
“Chris Hill leads the practice and is very responsive and will go the extra mile for the client.” The Legal 500 2019
Member – Property Litigation Association
Career
Chris qualified as a solicitor in 2004. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2020, he worked at the following firms:
- Field Fisher Waterhouse
- Fletcher Day