UK Real Estate Sector: Legal Update for in-house lawyers - Webinar

In the second session of our new UK Real Estate Sector webinar series for in-house lawyers, experts from across our firm and practice areas provided an outline of some of the key areas of change in the sector. Please see a summary of key discussion topics below.

Key topics of discussion:

• Stuart Murdoch, a Partner in our Litigation and Regulatory team discusses the launch of the UK Green Taxonomy consultation and the importance of considering due diligence requirements in construction supply chains in light of The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive coming into force.
  
  
• Peter Fletcher and Megan Dutch, a Legal Director and Associate from DLA Piper's Property Litigation team highlight some of the key changes proposed by the Renters' Right Bill and some takeaways from recent cases on misrepresentation and penalties.
  
  
• Rob Russell, a Partner in the Restructuring team explores some trends in the real estate sector, drawing attention, for example, to the rise in the number of insolvencies in the retail, hospitality and construction industries and to some recent examples of restructuring deals.
  
  
• Gemma Grunewald, a Legal Director in the Tax team provides an overview of the changes announced in the Autumn Budget, particularly the proposed reforms to business rates and the potentially significant impact of the increase in employer's national insurance contributions.
  
  
• Rachel Chaplin, a Senior Professional Support Lawyer in DLA Piper's Construction team hones in on some of the wider-reaching requirements under the Building Safety Act 2022, including the obligation to appoint dutyholders and the new gateway processes, both of which apply to all new projects.
  
  
• Nicholas de Lacy-brown, a Legal Director in DLA Piper's Intellectual Property and Technology team discusses some of the new cybersecurity laws in the EU and the UK and their potential impact on data centres.
  
  
• Alexa Smith, a Legal Director in the Intellectual Property and Technology team sets out some examples of how children's data protection is a relevant consideration for some businesses in the real estate sector.
  
  
• Trevor Ivory, a Partner in the Planning team explores some of the recently announced planning reforms, including the proposed deregulation of the green belt and the introduction of a 'grey belt'.