Dear valued clients, colleagues and friends, We are pleased to bring you the September 2021 issue of our quarterly Newsletter, we hope that you will continue to find its contents of value to you. In this issue’s Front Page Focus, Caitlin Tan Hui Yi, associate from our Dispute Resolution Practice Group, discusses the disqualification of solicitors in the Court of Appeal case of Dato’ Azizan bin Abdul Rahman v Pinerains Sdn Bhd ...
The Tenant Farming Commissioner’s Code of Practice on the Conduct of Rent Reviews contains a useful summary of the law applicable to rent reviews and provides recommended steps for the conduct of the rent review itself. If the rent can’t be agreed by simple discussion or exchange of letters then the Code of Practice sets out a timetable that the parties should follow unless both parties have agreed otherwise ...
The Technology and Construction Court (TCC) in Quadro Services Ltd v Creagh Concrete Products Ltd [2021] EWHC 2637 (TCC) held that a claim referred to adjudication with three separate payment applications was still considered a single dispute for the purposes of adjudication. The adjudicator therefore did have jurisdiction to consider all three payment applications to determine the sum due, and the adjudicator’s decision was enforced ...
As projects become more and more complicated, owners often look to simplify the building process by hiring a single firm to handle both design and construction. This is perfectly legal and commonly known as the “design-build” delivery method. A design-build project has many advantages. There is only one point of contact for the owner to manage ...
Housing Highlights Throughout California, most single-family zoned parcels may now be split into two lots, with up to four primary residences. Density bonus applications may no longer be rejected if a proposed waiver of development standards will cause specific adverse impacts on the physical environment. Developers’ ability to lock in development standards under SB 330 and the Housing Accountability Act has been extended from 2025 to 2030 ...
Our homes have evolved in the last 18 months. They have become a bit more “mixed use” - school, office, gym, doctors’ surgery and even kitchen disco. The enforced focus on the use of our homes during the pandemic - particularly their inadequacies, together with the flexibility that working from anywhere has brought - has created unprecedented demand to move house and / or relocate ...
The United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced a period for public comment on whether Section 301 product exclusions should be reinstated for certain Chinese-origin goods. The product exclusions eligible for potential reinstatement are the relatively small subset of exclusions for which the USTR had both previously granted an exclusion and an extension of the exclusion ...
Toppan Holdings Limited and Abbey Healthcare (Mill Hill) Limited v Simply Construct (UK) LLP In the case of Toppan Holdings Limited (“Toppan”) and Abbey Healthcare (Mill Hill) Limited (“Abbey”) v Simply Construct (UK) LLP (“Simply”) the TCC held that a collateral warranty between Abbey and Simply was not a construction contract and therefore Abbey could not enforce an adjudication between the parties ...
It is apparent that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on every business sector. Above all, the hospitality industry has taken the hardest hit, as tourism is its primary source of revenue. Due to a lack of financial liquidity and growing expenditure, it is not an overstatement to predict that real estate owners in the hospitality sector would be compelled to sell their operating assets potentially at an unfavorable price in order to survive during this challenging time ...
In fact, the impact of the pandemic on private clients has been the opposite: many have experienced increases in their personal wealth that have been nothing short of startling. According to the Global Wealth Report published by Credit Suisse in June 2021, more than five million people became millionaires across the world in 2020 despite economic damage from the Covid-19 pandemic ...
Although Oregon’s 2021 legislative session turned out to be relatively quiet from a tax perspective, we did experience some changes to Oregon’s Corporate Activity Tax (“CAT”). Those changes were primarily in the form of SB 164. The enactment of SB 164 ushers in the following CAT changes. Fiscal Year Filings ...
Although Oregon’s 2021 legislative session turned out to be relatively quiet from a tax perspective, we did experience some changes to Oregon’s Corporate Activity Tax (“CAT”). Those changes were primarily in the form of SB 164. The enactment of SB 164 ushers in the following CAT changes. Fiscal Year Filings ...
Advance payment can be understood as: “… the payment made before the occurrence of the generating event that constitutes the future and uncertain event on which the legal force of the obligation depends” (Giulani Fonrouge and Susana Navarrine in “Procedimiento Tributario”, Editorial de Palma, page 159) ...
Although Oregon’s 2021 legislative session turned out to be relatively quiet from a tax perspective, we did experience some changes to Oregon’s Corporate Activity Tax (“CAT”). Those changes were primarily in the form of SB 164. The enactment of SB 164 ushers in the following CAT changes. Fiscal Year Filings ...
The Technology and Construction Court in Downs Road Development LLP v Laxmanbhai Construction (UK) Ltd [2021] EWHC 2441 (TCC) held that an Adjudicator’s decision not to consider a line of defence was a breach of natural justice and was not enforceable, nor could part of the decision be severed. The case also contained interesting commentary as to the ‘intent’ behind the issuing of a payment notice, and how this may affect the validity of the notice ...
“... an adjudicator should think very carefully before ruling out a defence merely because there was no mention of it in the claiming party’s notice of adjudication. That is only common sense: it would be absurd if the claiming party could, through some devious bit of drafting, put beyond the scope of the adjudication the defending party’s otherwise legitimate defence to the claim ...
Particular issues may beset a sale of land between developer and Registered Provider but, by forecasting ahead, costs and delays can be avoided. As the demand for housing increases, so too will expected proportions of affordable housing provided as part of any development. Often the easiest way to provide on-site affordable housing is by bringing a Registered Provider (RP) on board. The RP might buy ready built plots or the land itself on which it will build ...
Following our recent update on the due date of 30 September 2021 for the declaration and payment of the 2021 Immovable Property Tax (“TOIP“) and Unused Land Tax we would like to inform our readers that on the 28th of September 2021 the General Department of Taxation (“GDT“) issued Notification 16160 which has provided an extension on the deadline of the declaration and payment tax of TOIP for 2021 until 31 October 2021 ...
Another wave of COVID-19 has spread across Thailand and is raising understandable concerns and generating uncertainty among the business community. This series of infographics will guide you on the key measures and best practices to help you mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on your business ...
As we enter the final quarter of 2021, there are many things still to do and plan for before the end of the year. There are also some timing considerations given proposed legislative changes and the lead time needed to accomplish some of these items. You should be reviewing your year-end estate planning or business transition concerns NOW ...
This week the government has published the draft legislation for the residential property developer tax (“RPDT”) for technical consultation. RPDT is a new tax, intended to be imposed on companies carrying out residential property development from 1 April 2022, and described by the government as being introduced “to ensure that the largest developers make a fair contribution to help fund the government’s cladding remediation costs” ...
In Perpetual Wealth (Hong Kong) Ltd v Be Solutions Company Ltd, HCA 1905/2018, the Court emphasised that for construction cases, the starting point for expert directions is that single joint expert (SJE) evidence is preferred, as it assists to narrow the scope of the issues in dispute, shortens the trial, facilitates settlement of issues and often leads to global settlement of the action ...
Commercial real estate professionals live in a world where single-asset entities (SAEs) are ubiquitous. In this respect, the niche market of HUD-affiliated health care facilities follows suit. Skilled nursing or assisted living facility owners seeking HUD-insured financing and the operators overseeing day-to-day functions at those facilities generally need to be SAEs to participate in the HUD programs ...
Background On 15 July 2021 the States of Deliberation (Guernsey's parliament) approved the Income Tax (Guernsey) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021 (the "Ordinance") which makes a number of important amendments to Guernsey's Income Tax Law ...
A key concern for shipowners and lenders will be where to register these new vessels. In this briefing, we consider three factors that usually influence the choice of flag state: (1) financing considerations, (2) recognition for the flag and (3) speed, responsiveness and certainty. Introduction Choosing the flag state where a ship will be registered requires balancing different factors ...
