Simon Foxcroft

Property Dispute Resolution Team

Associate Solicitor

St Albans

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EXPERTISE

I specialise in Property Disputes, including all types of Landlord and Tenant disputes relating to both Commercial and Residential Properties acting for both Landlords and Tenants, Freeholders and Leaseholders (e.g. Lease Forfeitures, Possession claims, Disrepair claims, Service Charge disputes, nuisance neighbours/harassment/anti-social behaviour issues. I also handle disputes relating to Private Property such as TOLATA ownership disputes, boundary disputes, building disputes, party wall act agreement disputes.

I predominantly work with individuals and families to help resolve any property related disputes and issues they may have. However, I also have experience working with management companies to help with issues they may have with tenants or leaseholders.

I pride myself on being able to create good relationships with all of my clients (whether they are individuals dealing with an issue with their home or a professional client dealing with a commercial property).

I have a calm and easy-going nature which I hope especially helps clients feel reassured when they are seeking help with an issue that they are finding particularly stressful and difficult to deal with.

I am very measured with the advice that I give to clients, and I always seek to ensure that all options are explored and then explained as clearly as possible.

I always try to find the most cost-effective solutions to an issue that I can for all clients.

In addition to acting for property owners and management companies, I also have previous experience of dealing with and assisting vulnerable clients with their housing and property disputes and as such I have a good understanding and empathy for both sides (especially when dealing with Residential Landlord and Tenant disputes).

I have previous experience of a very broad range of Civil Litigation work (including in Family Law, the Court of Protection and Employment Law) which I can draw upon when dealing with all types of situations, clients and opponents, within my current role as a Property Litigation solicitor.

KEY EXPERIENCE

Assisted a leaseholder client with successfully defending a claim for alleged unpaid service charges totalling over £15,000 (due to the Landlord’s management company having failed to properly serve any valid service charge demands for a number of years)
Assisted a landlord client in the recovery of substantial rent arrears of over £30,000 (from the tenant of an expensive rental property in Kensington, London) after the tenant had left the country for years and then returned. Tenant tried to argue that they were unaware of the debt and that they had not been given notice of any proceedings against them (we could evidence that they had been).
Assisted many landlords in Section 21 and Section 8 eviction proceedings.
Assisted a leaseholder recover ownership of his flat after he had discovered that it had become ‘Bona Vacantia’ (due to it having been held in the name of his company that had been dissolved many years earlier). This situation was only discovered whilst I was assisting him in a dispute with a neighbour over the ownership and use of a storage cupboard adjacent to the property.
5Assisted many property owners in boundary dispute issues with neighbours.