Nick Wood

Practice Areas

Nick is a Partner in the Real Estate Dispute Resolution team. He has over 15 years' experience as a real estate litigator, dealing with landlord and tenant disputes and the entire remit of contentious property matters. Nick has acted for a wide range of clients, including REITs, property investment funds, receivers, public agencies, retail landlords and tenants, universities and property owners and developers. In particular, Nick has acted for Great Portland Estates plc, Land Securities, Hammerson, Capital & Counties, SEGRO, Columbia Threadneedle Property Investments, Glasgow City Council and Hermes.

Nick has also sat as a legal assessor to RICS appointed experts acting in valuation and land-based disputes. Nick regularly lectures on property litigation topics (recently speaking at the 2016 RICS Arbrix Annual Conference on the Arbitration Act 1996) and is a member of both the Property Litigation Association and RICS Dilapidations Forum.

Nick has advised, resolved and litigated on a variety of property-related disputes including opposed and unopposed business lease renewals, claims for forfeiture for tenant breach of covenant, break notices and their validity, interim and terminal dilapidations, tenant related insolvency and applications for leave of the court to forfeit (in the context of various insolvency regimes), possession claims, rectification disputes, advising on ability to withhold consent to alienate, rent review and service charge disputes, right of way and boundary disputes, derogation from grant and breach of quiet enjoyment covenant claims, various contractual disputes arising from property transactions and advising generally on tenant default and landlord enforcement options.

In particular, Nick has experience in acting on major redevelopment projects and in providing strategic land and site assembly advice to developers (and other key stakeholders). Nick has acted on many landmark schemes throughout the country including central London schemes as well as developments from Southampton to Newcastle. Frequently, these projects also involve planning related issues, including compulsory purchase, section 203 issues and judicial review.

Work Highlights

Dunnes Stores (Bangor) Limited -v- New River Trustee II Ltd (2015), a major Irish retailer in proceedings concerning the proposed redevelopment of a major Belfast shopping centre (with Anneliese Day QC). This involved numerous court appearances including a hearing before the Court of Appeal and a 5 day trial listing

Best Beat Ltd (In Liquidation) -v- Mourant & Co Trustees Ltd (2008) Chancery Division in successful defence of claimant's application for specific performance of a property sale contract (with John Male QC)

Century Projects -v- Almacantar Centrepoint Ltd & Ors (2014) on injunctive and damages proceedings concerning claims in derogation from grant and quiet enjoyment arising out of development of iconic West End building (with Jonathan Gaunt QC)

Aviva Life & Pensions -v- Kestrel Properties Limited (2011) Chancery Division on a major overage dispute and proceedings concerned question over the jurisdiction of the court to intervene in an expert determination (with John Male QC).

A client on the property aspects of a $145 million dispute concerning a new business venture in one of the Caribbean Islands. This involved derogation from grant, breach of restrictive covenant and nuisance claims. One central issue was the quantification of damages in lieu of an injunction and so-called Wrotham Park compensation awards;

An international natural resource exploitation company on an occupier exit strategy for a major UK site, involving dispute over lease break conditions, dilapidations, yielding-up and section 18 valuation issues;

A client on formulating and implementing a vacant possession strategy for major redevelopment scheme with numerous opposed lease renewal claims and a judicial review of related planning consent;

A client on insolvency of a head tenant, with major dispute as to directors' duties and potential fraudulent transactions in respect of the insolvent company, involving forensic accounting expert evidence;

A client on a dispute over circa £2m dilapidations claim with a significant section 18 LTA 1927 dispute;

A client on a construction and rectification dispute concerning a settlement agreement arising out of a break option dispute.

Education