Withy King's multi-disciplinary team includes experienced housing lawyers with specialist expertise in property, construction contracts, finance and procurement. Our knowledge of the sector combined with this expertise makes us uniquely placed to provide advice.
As a social landlord, you need comprehensive advice to develop innovative strategies, minimising your legal risks while maximising your opportunities. We advise across the spectrum of social housing issues and work closely with you to meet all your legal needs. We advise on all areas from tax efficient procurement to flexible tenure arrangements, as well as providing the necessary legal services for setting up management companies for public areas.
Withy King’s Social Housing Team is the preferred choice for an increasing number of regional and national social landlords. Our knowledge of both the public and private sectors provides an insight into your commercial aims as well as the constraints under which you operate.
Whatever issues you face, we have the resources to advise you. In terms of people and technical expertise we work to deliver pragmatic, commercial solutions that meet your public accountability obligations.
Working in the Social Housing Sector
If your role in social housing is one of delivery (whether in a public or private context), our team is experienced in providing the advice and support needed from procurement though to administration and dispute resolution. With experience gained in the delivery of social housing projects and in acting for contractors and subcontractors, our core specialists in property and construction are well placed to provide you with commercial, timely and practical advice.
We believe in transparency and knowledge-sharing and work with you to guide and train your staff.
Through knowledge-sharing programmes we work with you to develop risk-management processes and to provide economies in the delivery of our services to you. We offer a ‘can do’ approach, supported by ‘have done’ experience.
With members of the team based in Bath, Swindon and Oxford, we are conveniently located to serve the South, South West, Thames Valley and the M4 Corridor.
The Team
Leading Social Housing team members:
James Barnatt (Partner)
James has over 20 years’ experience in acting for social landlords and has regularly acted for RSLs alongside other housing associations in the acquisition of single and joint sites. In addition, he also deals with the multiple charging of properties (whether blocks on building estates or individual properties) and the acquisition of housing and commercial property stock. He has extensive experience in dealing with the full range of property legal work for housing associations, with particular expertise in site acquisition and refinancing.
Louise Carver (Associate)
Louise specialises in Commercial Property and has particular expertise in development acquisitions and disposals. Formerly of TLT’s Social Housing Team, Louise has extensive experience dealing with a wide variety of property transactions for RSLs, including land acquisitions for redevelopment, open market and section 106 acquisitions, shared ownership sales, multiple charging of properties and office leases.
Edward Cooke (Partner)
Ranked as a ‘Leader in his field’, Edward has been involved, nationally and regionally, in some of the UK’s most high-profile developments. These have included the development of Harbourside in Bristol (http://www.harbourside.co.uk). Edward is a development specialist dealing with acquisitions and disposals for a wide range of development purposes including related planning and environmental issues. He specialises in landlord and tenant, corporate support, secured lending, pension funds, investors and organisations and charitable advice, including setting up, constitutional and regulatory issues. He is complimented for his “practical approach” and “efficient turnaround of work”.
Paul Daniels (Partner and Head of Commercial Property and Development)
Paul leads the firm’s Commercial Property department and is responsible for managing relationships with many of our social housing, charity, developer and healthcare sites and leases for retirement village and healthcare operators.
Louise is an independently-rated leading expert and an adjudication specialist, advising on contentious construction and engineering matters. She has over 15 years’ experience acting for employers, housing associations, trusts, contractors, subcontractors and consultants on a diverse selection of matters, ranging from advice on issues of design and construction to disputes over payment and performance. Her experience extends from multi-million pound national and international disputes to subcontractor adjudications on interim payment applications.
Caroline Preist (Partner, Head of Social Housing)
Caroline acts for a number of large commercial and RSL clients advising on a range of management and tenancy issues. She also advises upon the preparation and implementation of conflict/litigation avoidance policies and procedures, as well as the more usual litigation and mediation. Caroline specialises in and provides advice on the growing area of drainage, water and other easements.
Graham Street (Partner, Head of Construction and Engineering)
Graham advises clients on a wide- range of procurement alternatives, including building and engineering contracts, professional appointments, PFI contracts and associated agreements. Graham also represents construction-sector clients in construction-related disputes involving adjudication, arbitration, litigation and mediation.
Sally qualified in 1994 as a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives. She is a specialist property lawyer and has dealt throughout her career with housing associations. She specialises in dealing with the set up and grant of shared-ownership leases, as well as all aspects of stair-casing.
Flourish Homes (Previously Mendip Housing) Limited
Oxford Citizens Housing Association
Sovereign Housing Association
SOHA Housing Limited
