Ashfords LLP has an enviable client roster of large registered providers, local authorities and housing associations, whom it advises on issues across property litigation and tenancy management, property and development work and procurement. Jointly leading the team, Sian Gibbon‘s workload comprises contentious property matters, including more complex tenant management issues, succession disputes and injunction applications, while Michael Gay assists on development acquisition work with a number of registered providers. Victoria Bonnet is recommended as an ‘exceptional property lawyer’ who acts on behalf of social housing landlords.
Social housing in South West
Ashfords LLP
Responsables de la pratique:
Michael Gay; Sian Gibbon
Autres avocats clés:
Victoria Bonnet
Les références
‘The Ashfords social housing team is extremely well organised and very good to work with. They are very responsive to all queries and ensure that the client’s best interests are protected at all times. They are careful and efficient and ensure that instructions and witness evidence are detailed and clear. An excellent team to work with.’
‘Victoria Bonnet is a Partner with the firm. Her approach is detailed, precise and firm. She takes an active role in cases, ensures that she is available to answer urgent questions on complicated negotiations at court and is overall excellent to work with.’
‘Victoria is an exceptional property lawyer. I don’t mean she just has good technical knowledge, which she does in a diverse range of topics in property law -she knows how to conduct a case so that the likely outcome is a satisfactory settlement for her client.’
Principaux clients
Sovereign Housing Association
Aster Group
Bromford Housing Association
LiveWest Homes Limited
The Guinness Partnership Limited
London Borough of Lambeth
Cornerstone Housing
London Borough of Wandsworth
St. Mungo Community Housing Association
HFL Group Limited
CURO
Brick by Brick Croydon Limited
Stonewater Limited
VIVID
London Borough of Southwark
Silva Homes
Housing Associations Legal Alliance (HALA)
Advantage South West Legal Panel
London Borough of Hackney
Somerset Council
Southampton City Council
Aequus Group Holding (wholly owned by Bath and North East Somerset Council)
Principaux dossiers
- Advising The Guinness Partnership on disrepair claims.
- Advising Sovereign Housing in connection with the acquisition of 172 units across two deals.
- Acting for St Mungo on a multitude of housing matters ranging from issues relating to temporary accommodation, commercial arrangements to secure housing and on possession and injunction actions.
Bevan Brittan LLP
Bevan Brittan LLP‘s team handles a range of work across property development, litigation and housing finance. Joint practice head Alison Buckingham works with housing associations and private developers on a range of affordable housing and development schemes, while Louise Leaver is a social housing finance expert. Andrew Shaw also leads the team.
Responsables de la pratique:
Louise Leaver; Andrew Shaw; Alison Buckingham
Autres avocats clés:
Jessica Church; Kate Hicks
Les références
‘Alison Buckingham is beyond exceptional, and it is clear from wider dealings and advice sounded from other colleagues that the firm has a good general depth and breadth of expertise. Associate dealings have also been of a consistently high standard.’
‘Alison Buckingham – Partner. Head & shoulders above any of the many other solicitors I have worked with over the years – optimising outcomes and client objectives with an astute commercial focus, the only solicitor we will now engage. Ability to cut through the smoke & mirrors of commercial contract negotiations – however protracted – to identify the key issues and risks, alongside options & solutions.’
Principaux clients
Places for People Group
Sovereign Network Group
Abri Housing Group
Peabody Group
Sanctuary Housing Group
The Housing Finance Corporation
London & Quadrant Group
Southmead Development Corporation
Sage Housing Group
ForHousing Limited
GreenSquareAccord Limited
Regulator of Social Housing
Orbit Homes
The Pioneer Group
Notting Hill Genesis
Grand Union Housing Group
Principaux dossiers
- Advised Peabody Group on land assembly and title rectification, having advised on the formation of its JV with Lendlease for the £8bn regeneration of Thamesmead Waterfront, which will provide 11,500 homes, education, commercial, health and community infrastructure.
- Advised Places for People Group on its two stage merger with South Devon Rural Housing, including initial acquisition and consolidation via a transfer of engagements and governance advice.
- Advised Grand Union Housing Group on its security valuation uplift project with Santander, achieving a £100m increase in the value of security on 1,900 properties by scrutinising titles for the properties, providing a “RAG” risk assessment, and addressing and resolving complex title and planning issues which were identified.
Trowers & Hamlins LLP
Assisting new entrants, government and regulatory bodies, Trowers & Hamlins LLP‘s team handles a range of matters including partnerships and joint ventures as a means of delivery, sustainability and retrofit solutions and regulatory compliance standards. The South West team is led by Georgina Savill James, who specialises in all areas of residential property, including development acquisition, portfolio acquisition work and large-scale disposal programmes, while Hannah Jackson manages portfolios of residential property assets for a variety of financing arrangements and acquisitions.
Responsables de la pratique:
Georgina Savill-James; Hannah Jackson; Suzanne Benson
Autres avocats clés:
Jack Frier; Hilary Pitts
Les références
‘Trowers & Hamlins stands out as a legal advisor due to its exceptional team, deep expertise, and dedicated client support. Their expertise and responsiveness to queries and complex legal matters ensure a seamless experience for clients. One of the firm’s key strengths is the designated partner model, which fosters a strong, personalized relationship, allowing them to develop a deep understanding of our business needs.’
‘The individuals we work with at Trowers & Hamlins truly stand out due to their expertise, responsiveness, and client-focused approach. What sets them apart from competitors is their ability to combine technical excellence with a deep understanding of our business needs, ensuring their advice is not only legally sound but also commercially practical.’
‘We have built a strong and trusted relationship with the team, and their commitment to supporting us in all aspects of the process and legal queries has been invaluable. Their willingness to go the extra mile, provide clear and concise guidance, and offer pragmatic solutions makes working with them a seamless experience.’
Principaux clients
LiveWest Homes Limited
Abri Group Limited
Selwood Housing
Vistry Group
Sovereign Network Group
One Lockleaze LLP
Origin Housing
Housing Solutions
Aster
Settle Group
Teign Housing
Westward Housing
The Hyde Group
Evera Homes
Homes England
The Regulator of Social Housing
National Housing Federation
Optivo
Peabody
The Guinness Partnership
Legal & General Affordable Homes
RentPlus
Coastline Housing
Hastoe Housing
Ravelin
RESi
Cornwall Community Land Trust
Holsworthy CLT
South Devon Rural Housing
MTD Housing Limited
Raven Housing Trust
City of Exeter YMCA
Principaux dossiers
- Advised LiveWest Homes Limited on the acquisition of a number of units at sites being developed and sold by Vistry and Westco.
- Advised Vistry Group and Bristol City Council, through its development subsidiary, on their programme of joint venture developments in and around Bristol.
- Acting for Legal & General Affordable Homes Limited on its continued land-led programme for delivery of affordable housing.
Clarke Willmott LLP
Clarke Willmott LLP is well regarded for its work on a range of matters, including housing management, property and development, as well as property litigation, including leasehold and asset management. Oliver Smedley leads the social housing development team, advising on all property aspects of development projects, including site acquisition, joint ventures and collaboration agreements, conditional purchase agreements and development agreements. Stephen Harper is a key name.
Responsables de la pratique:
Lindsay Felstead; Vicky Kells; Oliver Smedley
Autres avocats clés:
Stephen Harper
Les références
‘Clarke Willmott is attuned to its clients’ needs and requirements. They understand our business and provide a service which suits our needs.’
‘Oliver Smedley is our main contact at Clarke Willmott, and he works hard to deliver an excellent service to us. He is very commercial and is able to convert his advice to our requirements.’
Principaux clients
Stonewater Limited
The Guinness Partnership
Sovereign Network Homes
Bromford
Mears (Plexus)
Abri
LiveWest
Alliance Homes
L&Q
Aster
Principaux dossiers
- Acting on a Joint Venture for Aster Homes delivering 160 units in partnership with an SME developer.
- Acting for Sovereign on the management of a key mixed use commercial asset pending redevelopment and regeneration.
- Acting for Stonewater on the acquisition of land in Northamptonshire for the construction of 128 affordable homes.
Foot Anstey
Foot Anstey is known for acting nationally for Housing Associations and developers disposing of their social housing. Lara Borrett-Lynch leads the team with considerable experience acting for housing associations on all aspects of residential development, focusing on acquisitions, development agreements and development.
Responsables de la pratique:
Lara Borrett-Lynch
Autres avocats clés:
Paul Butterworth; Isabelle Clement
Les références
‘Very well run and resourced with a strong knowledge base providing pragmatic advice.’
Principaux clients
Livewest Homes Limited
Westco Properties Limited
Plymouth Community Homes
Hyde Group
Abri Group Limited
Aster Group Limited
Vivid Housing Limited
Ocean Housing Limited
Coastline Housing Limited
Westward Housing
Bromford Housing Association Limited
Eastlight Homes
Magna Housing
CURO
Communities & Housing Investment Consortium (CHIC)
Advantage South West
Housing Associations’ Legal Alliance (HALA)
Principaux dossiers
- Acting for a South West registered provider in Cornwall on the acquisition of land for 122 affordable homes from a PLC developer.
- Advising Aster Group on two acquisitions on a consortium site from two separate developers, including the purchase of 40 golden-brick Section 106 plots, and 43 golden-brick Section 106 plots.
- Advising Coastline Housing on the purchase of a former ironworks for 100% affordable housing.
TLT
The housing and regeneration team at TLT is jointly led by Sarah Hale, who is experienced in dealing with large scale residential developments, site assembly, acquisitions, disposals and estate management on behalf of Registered Providers, and David Meecham, who has a particular focus on large-scale housing and residential schemes and major regeneration projects in the public sector. Kane Kirkbride is also of note.
Responsables de la pratique:
Sarah Hale; David Meecham
Autres avocats clés:
Kane Kirkbride; Susannah Lopez-Bernal
Les références
‘Kane Kirkbride is an exceptionally good lawyer and also a pleasure to work with.’
Stephens Scown LLP
Stephens Scown LLP handles a spectrum of social housing mandates ranging across procurement and governance, finance, construction disputes, complex site acquisitions, planning and tenancy matters. Practice head Tim Walmsley advises on the acquisition of sites for housing associations and related infrastructure agreements. Walmsley also supervises the plot sales team and advises extensively on matters arising from the right to buy, the right to acquire and shared ownership leases. Kate Westlake is another key name.
Responsables de la pratique:
Tim Walmsley
Autres avocats clés:
Kate Westlake
Les références
‘Good interaction at all levels of the team. Wide range of skills to complement in a wider firm.’
‘The team is completely streamlined, processes flow well, and all members of the team can pick up work to cover leave effortlessly, making it easy to obtain updates and check in on progress.’
‘Provide good local advice on a wide range of topics.’
Principaux clients
Magna Housing
Reside Housing
Greenfields
Plymouth Community Homes
Hastoe Housing Association
LiveWest Homes Limited
English Rural Housing Association Limited
Coastline Housing
Abri
South Devon Housing Group
Cornwall Rural Housing Association Limited
Bramford Speke CLT
Westward Housing Group Limited
Truro CLT
The Peninsula Trust
Ocean Housing Limited
Cornwall CLT
Rural Homes Ltd
Cambridgeshire Cottage Housing Society Limited
Curo Places Limited
North Devon Homes Limited
Three Seas Cornwall
Principaux dossiers
- Acting for Coastline Housing Limited’s portfolio of over 5,000 properties.
- Acting for Magna Housing Limited’s portfolio of over 8,500 properties in many different areas of legal work.
Tozers Solicitors LLP
Tozers Solicitors LLP acts for a wide range of registered providers in the UK, from large national organisations to smaller regional schemes. The team is also known for its niche expertise in Community Land Trusts. Stephen Burtchaell leads the team, specialising in complex registered provider property work, particularly development and regeneration, joint ventures and site assembly. Rachel Langley joined the team from Foot Anstey in September 2025.
Responsables de la pratique:
Stephen Burtchaell
Autres avocats clés:
Rachel Langley
Les références
‘This practice stays true to its purpose, which ensures a consistency in delivery of the fundamentals of legal practice.’
‘Stephen Burtchaell remains outstanding in his service ethos and active interest in the social purpose of our organisation.’
Principaux clients
North Devon Homes Limited
Plymouth Community Homes
Brunelcare
Bromford Housing Group
Willow Tree Housing Partnership
Westward Housing Group Limited
Cottsway (previously Cirencester Housing Association)
Bridgwater YMCA
Exeter YMCA
Elim Housing Association
White Horse Housing Association
Places for People (previously South Devon Rural)
Cornerstone Housing Limited
Middlemarch CLT advisors
Nehmiah Housing Association
Stonewater
Northampton Partnership Homes (West Northamptonshire Council)
Salvation Army Housing Association
Coastline Housing Limited
Kingsbarton Housing Association
The Guinness Partnership
Sovereign Housing Association
West Devon Borough Council
South Hams District Council
Ilfracombe Community Land Trust
Newton and Noss Community Land Trust
Transition Homes Community Land Trust
Cornwall Rural Housing Association