Current Property Issues Autumn 2026

KEY SUBJECTS

• Case Law Update: Lessons For Surveyors In Practice
• Comparable Evidence In Real Estate Valuation – The Complexity Of Simple Comparison
• Landlord’s Consent: A Practical Guide To Alterations, Assignments And Sub-Lettings
• The MEES Regulations – What The F/G Am I Supposed To Do Now?
• UK Economic Prospects And The Pre-Conditions For Commercial Real Estate Recovery
• Navigating The Planning System – Tips And Traps

SPEAKERS

Sarah Thompson-Copsey, Non-Practising Solicitor, Legal Lecturer and Trainer

Nick French, Real Estate Valuation Theurgy, Property Education

Ben Strange, Senior Director, Mobius

Walter Boettcher, Chief Economist, Colliers

Ian Anderson, Senior Director, Lichfields

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

9.30am Chairman’s Introduction

Case Law Update: Lessons For Surveyors In Practice

A practical review of recent commercial property and landlord and tenant cases, which will include:

• 1954 Act: opposing on ground (g): Star Pubs v Gunmakers Arms
• 1987 Act – the Court of Appeal defines ‘building’: SGL v FSV Freeholders
• Commercial boundaries – evidence needed: Handy Cross Development v Vanni Properties
• Adverse possession – gnomes, horses and mistakes: Dobson v Unsted; Cross v Welsh; Hayward v Suffolk CC
• Restrictive covenants and ‘practical benefits’: Newton Poppleford Parish Council v Preston; Crossland v Fritchley
• Proprietary estoppel or legally binding contract? Conway v Conway

Sarah Thompson-Copsey, Non-Practising Solicitor, Legal Lecturer and Trainer

Comparable Evidence In Real Estate Valuation – The Complexity Of Simple Comparison

The 2nd edition of the RICS global practice guidance “Comparable Evidence in Real Estate Valuation” is due to be published in the second half of 2026. Comparable evidence is the bedrock of all valuations whether looking at direct capital comparison or determining the appropriate market rent and yield in an investment valuation. The role of the valuer is to read the market, assess any appropriate and available comparable evidence to determine the market value of the subject property. All approaches use comparable evidence in some form. The overriding requirement of any market valuation is to “price to market”. That is to estimate the price that would be achieved for the property were it to be sold on the open market on the date of the valuation.

No good valuer would simply replicate the numbers from comparable sales and other data without further analysis. It may be that the market is static and thus prices will not have changed, or the market may be falling or rising. In all cases, the valuer assesses what data is available, including the impact of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues, to make a professional judgement as to price in the market today. All valuations need to be placed in an economic context. Comparable evidence is the start of the valuation process and not the sole contribution.

This talk will look at:

• The new RICS Guidance on Comparable Evidence in Real Estate Valuation
• The need to understand the dynamics of the market and to look at other “sign posts” to provide an estimate of Market Value
• What is considered to be comparable evidence in markets, or conditions, where recent transactional evidence is not available?

Nick French, Real Estate Valuation Theurgy, Property Education

Landlord’s Consent: A Practical Guide To Alterations, Assignments And Sub-Lettings

Alterations, assignments and sub-lettings – why is obtaining landlord’s consent so often problematic and time consuming? This practical session will look at:

• Preparing the application: tips for the tenant to smooth the process
• Anticipating and handling landlord’s conditions: the tricky concept of ‘reasonableness’
• Saying ‘no’ – when should the landlord consider this, and how?
• How long should it take? How much will it cost?
• What to do if either landlord or tenant breaches its obligations

Sarah Thompson-Copsey, Non-Practising Solicitor, Legal Lecturer and Trainer

The MEES Regulations – What The F/G Am I Supposed To Do Now?

• What is the Government doing? (about MEES)
• Avoiding the worst-case scenario – a landlord’s guide
• Open goals for tenants – a tenant’s guide
• Current lease drafting issues – everyone’s guide
• How to improve an EPC – a building by building whistlestop tour

Ben Strange, Senior Director, Mobius

UK Economic Prospects And The Pre-Conditions For Commercial Real Estate Recovery

Dr Walter Boettcher, Head of Research & Economics at Colliers will offer remarks about what he sees as the pre-conditions for UK CRE recovery – lower interest rates and regulatory stability.  This talk will look at economics, politics, and their impact on UK commercial property.

• Outlook on inflation, interest rates and debt, economic performance, and their impact on transactional activity and performance
• Colliers is forecasting very modest a mid-single-digit UK property return for 2026 based primarily on income in the absence of capital growth. Will it be achieved?
• Latest cross sector metrics for UK commercial occupier and investment markets
• Expectations/Evaluation of the Autumn Budget and its impact on commercial property
• Evaluation of international forces, especially the US mid-term elections and other known/unknown foreign policy shifts

Walter Boettcher, Chief Economist, Colliers

Navigating The Planning System – Tips And Traps

The Labour Government made a strong commitment to simplify planning, cut red tape and deliver growth.

The National Planning Policy Framework 2024 (NPPF4) and its further draft revision published late 2025 intends to ‘speed up and streamline’ but how do day to day practitioners navigate the planning system?

This session will review:

• How the Planning system can be practically navigated
• What to review first when looking at properties and sites
• How to promote sites through the local plan system
• Preparing and submitting planning applications

Ian Anderson, Senior Director, Lichfields

5pm Close of Proceedings