Jon Ward

Landlord and Tenant

Jon advises and represents both institutional and individual landlords and tenants in a wide range of leasehold and property disputes, across commercial and residential sectors. He regularly acts on matters including:

• Service charges and management disputes
• Lease renewals under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954
• Forfeiture
• Enfranchisement
• Restrictive covenants
• Mortgage charges
• Possession
• Enforcement of security
• Housing issues, including Antisocial Behavior Injunctions (ASBIs)

Planning and Environment

Jon accepts instructions relating to:

• Appeals
• Costs
• Injunctions
• Judicial review
• Mineral extraction
• Wate
• Environmental matters

He also advises on land use and planning matters relevant to agricultural operations, including changes of use and renewable energy projects.

Agriculture

Jon has an established practice in agricultural law, advising on agricultural tenancies, boundary disputes, partnership issues, and questions of beneficial interest, including matters arising under TOLATA and constructive or resulting trusts.

He also advises on land use and planning matters relevant to agricultural operations, including changes of use and renewable energy projects.

Jon has extensive experience in the wider agricultural sector, acting on disputes relating to equine, quota, and general farming contracts. His practical, no-nonsense approach is well regarded by both lay and professional clients.

Commercial disputes, finance, securities, mortgages & receivership

Jon accepts instructions relating to:

• Partnership disputes

• Shareholder disputes

• Director disputes

• Insolvency

• Joint Venture Agreements

• Business-to-business disputes

• Business-to-consumer disputes

• General commercial contracts

• Professional negligence claims

• Tortious matters

He also advises on non-contentious and advisory matters.

Real property

Jon accepts instructions relating to:

• Easements
• Restrictive covenants (interpretation, s.84 applications, breaches, enforcement, discharge), adverse possession
• Boundary disputes
• Alteration and rectification at HM Land Registry
• Co-ownership
• Proprietary estoppel
• Contracts for the sale of land (including specific performance, rectification and rescission)
• Leasehold covenants,
• Residential landlord and tenant matters
• Commercial landlord and tenant matters
• Possession claims

Notable cases

• Adam Davies v Benwell Road RTM Company Ltd [2025] EWCA Civ 368: Acted for the respondent in successful Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) proceedings, with that outcome upheld on appeal. The case concerned the scope of the First-tier Tribunal’s jurisdiction under section 27A of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 to determine whether service charges are payable.
• Plymouth Community Homes Ltd v Crisplane Ltd [2025] EWCA Civ 346: Service charge dispute under Right to Buy leases concerning liability for roof repairs where the lease excluded the roof from the contractual repairing obligation. The Court of Appeal upheld the Upper Tribunal’s decision that no service charge was payable; the matter is now before the Supreme Court.
• R. (App. Croft) v Torridge District Council [2025] EWHC 880 (Admin): Judicial review of planning permission for two dwellings, turning on the correct interpretation of site allocation policy NOR07 and whether it permitted more than one vehicular access from Pitt Lane. The High Court held the policy allowed only a single access and quashed the permission.
• Croft v Devon County Council & Ors [2025] EWHC 881 (Admin)
• Teignbridge District Council v Clark (Park Homes – Pitch Fees, reasons for displacing presumption of change in line with RPI) [2024] UKUT 279 (LC) (12 September 2024): The case concerned a challenge to an annual pitch fee increase on a traveller site under the Mobile Homes Act 1983, specifically whether an exceptionally high RPI (used to calculate the increase at the time) could justify reducing the fee.
• Crisplane Ltd v Plymouth Community Homes Ltd [2024] UKUT 15 (LC): The case concerned whether a leaseholder was required to contribute to the cost of roof repairs under their leases. The Upper Tribunal found that, under the terms of the leases and the Housing Act 1985, the leaseholder was not obliged to pay service charges for the roof repairs for either flat.
• Park Green Investments Ltd v Teignbridge District Council (Housing, Civil penalty imposed on freeholder of building) [2023] UKUT 292 (LC): The case concerned whether a landlord could rely on a “reasonable excuse” defence when responding to an Improvement Notice under the Housing Act 2004. The Upper Tribunal held that the First-Tier Tribunal had wrongly rejected the landlord’s evidence that lessees had obstructed compliance with the Notice and set aside a £10,000 financial penalty imposed by the Council.
• Bateman & Anor v North Somerset Council [2022] EWHC 3172 (Admin)
• Browning & Anor v Jack & Anor [2021] UKUT 307 (LC)

Publications

• Ward, J., ‘Conjoined Appeals – PNRAG v SS CLG (1), Cuadrilla Bowland Ltd (2); Frackman v SSCLG, Lancashire CC, Cuadrilla Bowland Ltd, Cuadrilla Elswick Ltd [2018] EWCA Civ 9. Case Commentary’, Journal of Environmental Law and Management, (2018) 30
• Channing, I., and Ward, J., “Homophobia, Brexit and Constitutional Change”, Safer Communities, 2017
• Ward, J., “Acquiring the right to get to the light at the end of the tunnel; rationalising property theory”, PLR 2016
• Modern Studies in Property Law – 2016 (International). Ward, J., ‘Acquiring the Right to Get to the Light at the End of the Tunnel – Rationalising Property Theory”
• Association for Law Property and Society – 2016 (International). Ward, J., ‘Sense and Sensibility – Rationalising Property Theory”

Qualifications

• University of Law: Legal Practice Course (Distinction)
• Plymouth University: LL.B (Hons), (First Class)

Memberships

Honourable Society of Middle Temple