Tyneside Flats: A Paradigm Tenure For Interconnected Dwellings Geoffrey James Wadsworth THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY NEWCASTLE LAW SCHOOL, NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY March 2011 Acknowledgements This has been a longer journey than intended and many have helped on the way. I have really appreciated the support received from the academic, administrative and library staff at Newcastle Law School. There are far too many to name individually, but special thanks go to Chris Rodgers, who has supervised this project throughout. His constructive criticisms, helpful suggestions, patience and encouragement have been invaluable. I would also like to thank David Harte for originally encouraging me to undertake the project. Staff at Newcastle University’s Robinson library and at the British and Northumbria University libraries have also been most helpful, as have many current and former students. I am also deeply indebted to those north eastern conveyancers who willingly gave up their valuable time and agreed to participate. Many friends, neighbours and family members have been supportive. I would particularly like to mention Bronwyn Fitchett, Linda McGowan, Ann McNulty, Reinhold Stockle, Martin Taylor and especially Mike Beardsley for his particular interest. Thanks are also due to my children Tom and Kate, whose irreverent prediction as to how much longer the project would take has mercifully not been fulfilled. Above all I would like to thank my wife Anne for her long standing support, forbearance and understanding. Newcastle upon Tyne, March 2011 i Abstract ‘Tyneside Flats’ are typically terraced buildings comprising pairs of self-contained flats and are particularly prevalent on Tyneside in north eastern England. This thesis examines the land tenure arrangements used for individual Tyneside Flats and the enforcement of land obligations between flat owners. This provides an interesting model for tenurial arrangements across England and Wales where there are interconnected buildings and other small blocks of self contained flats. The thesis includes an analysis of qualitative and quantitative research data obtained from north eastern conveyancers. The first introductory chapter explains the background to the research project and the research objectives. It also contains the research questions and an overview of the literature and methodology used. Chapter two puts Tyneside Flats in their historical context and describes their architectural features. The judicial development of the law of positive freehold obligations from the nineteenth century onwards is analysed in chapter three. Past and present law reform proposals and the 2002 commonhold legislation are assessed in chapter four. In the 1980s a mixed freehold/leasehold arrangement for Tyneside Flat transfer was promulgated by Newcastle Law Society. This standard structure and other alternative freehold conveyancing devices are considered in chapter five. Chapter six contains a detailed and technical analysis of the impact of modern leasehold legislation on the standard form arrangement. The methodology used for data collection is described in chapter seven. Chapter eight examines how the standard Tyneside Flat documentation works in practice. This key chapter analyses qualitative and quantitative research data in detail. The final concluding chapter contains an overview of the research questions and results. It includes recommendations for legislative reform and the future prospects for the standard form arrangement and a freehold land obligation alternative. ii Abbreviations Statutes AEA 1925 Administration of Estates Act 1925 ANLA 1992 Access to Neighbouring Land Act 1992 CA 1882 Conveyancing Act 1882 CLRA 2002 Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 C(RTP)A 1999 Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 DPA 1998 Data Protection Act 1998 HA 1936 Housing Act 1936 HA 1957 Housing Act 1957 HA1974 Housing Act 1974 HA 1980 Housing Act 1980 HA 1985 Housing Act 1985 HA 1988 Housing Act 1988 HA 1996 Housing Act 1996 HA 2004 Housing Act 2004 LCA 1925 Land Charges Act 1925 LCA1965 Law Commissions Act 1965 LPA 1925 Law of Property Act 1925 LRA 1967 Leasehold Reform Act 1967 LRA 1925 Land Registration Act 1925 LRA 2002 Land Registration Act 2002 LRHUDA 1993 Leasehold Reform Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 LRPG Land Registry Practice Guide LRRA 2006 Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act iii LTA 1897 Land Transfer Act 1897 LTA 1954 Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 LTA 1985 Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 LTA 1987 Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 LGHA 1989 Local Government and Housing Act 1989 PAA 1964 Perpetuities and Accumulations Act 1964 PAA 2009 Perpetuities and Accumulations Act 2009 RA 1965 Rent Act 1965 RA 1977 Rentcharges Act 1977 SLA 1882 Settled Land Act 1882 SLA 1925 Settled Land Act 1925 TCPA 1932 Town and Country Planning Act 1932 TLATA 1996 Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996 Other Art Article BBC British Broadcasting Association BS Building Society BSA Building Societies Association CC County Council Ch(s) Chapter(s) Cl(s) Clause(s) CML Council of Mortgage Lenders DETR Department of the Environment Transport and Regions Ed(s) Editor(s), Edition(s) iv HIP Home Information Pack LA Local Authority LRPG Land Registry Practice Guide LVT Leasehold Valuation Tribunal N(s) North, note(s) of footnote(s) P(PP) Page(s) Para(s) Paragraph(s) Pt(s) Part(s) Q Question Reg(s) Regulation(s) RICS Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors S(s) Section(s) or South Sch(s) Schedule(s) SLSA Socio – Legal Studies Association SRA Solicitors Regulation Authority Vol(s) Volume(s) Books Journals and Reports C.L.J. Cambridge Law Journal CONV. Conveyancer CUP Cambridge University Press EUP Edinburgh University Press HMSO Her Majesty’s Stationary Office J.P.L. Journal of Planning and Environmental Law JSPTL Journal of the Society of Public Teachers of Law v Law Com Law Commission LH Journal of Legal History LS Legal Studies LS Gaz Law Society’s Gazette LQR Law Quarterly Review MLR Modern Law Review NLJ New Law Journal OUP Oxford University Press POQ Public Opinion Quarterly SJ Solicitors’ Journal YUP Yale University Press vi Contents Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………………i Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………..ii Abbreviations……………………………………………………………………………….iii Chapter 1. Research Project 1.1 Background, Objectives and Research Questions . 1.1.1 Tyneside Flats............................................................................................................ 1 1.1.2 Enforcement of Obligations ...................................................................................... 1 1.1.3 Law Reform and Leasehold Legislation...…………………………………………. 2 1.1.4 Individual Sales of Tyneside Flats…….………………………………………….... 2 1.1.5 Research Aims and Objectives……….....…………………………………………. 3 1.1.6. Research Questions…….………………………………………………………...... 4 1.2 Literature Overview 1.2.1 Introduction…........................................................................................................... 5 1.2.2 Historical literature…...…………………………………………………………..... 6 1.2.3 Legal Literature…….……………………………………………………………… 7 1.2.4. Positive Freehold Obligations…….……………………………………………….. 8 1.2.5 Housing and Landlord and Tenant…….……………………………………........... 9 1.2.6 Conveyancing…….………………………………………………………………... 9 1.2.7 Law Reform....……………………………………………………………………... 10 1.2.8 Research Literature………………………………………………………………….11 1.3 Methodology Overview 1.3.1 Introduction….…………………………………………………………………...... 12 1.3.2 Doctrinal Research…….…………………………………………………………... 12 1.3.3 Fieldwork Research.……………………………………………………………….. 13 1.3.4 Principles of Sample Selection…….………………………………………………. 13 1.3.5 Data Collection Strategies…….…………………………………………………….14 1.3.6 The Research Sample Chosen…….………………………………………………... 15 1.3.7 Questionnaires…….……………………………………………………………….. 16 1.3.8 Data Analysis…….…………………………………………………………….…... 17 1.3.9 Outline of Thesis Structure and Contents…….……………………………………. 17 Chapter 2. Historical Background 2.1 Overview………………………………………………………………………………. 19 2.2 Victorian and Edwardian Tyneside 2.2.1 Introduction….………………………..…………………………………………..... 1 vii 2.2.2 The Industrial Revolution………………………………………………………….. 20 2.2.3 Railways and Suburban Transport……….………………………………………… 21 2.2.4 Victorian Individualism……………………………………………………………. 22 2.2.5 Population Growth...……………………………………………………………….. 23 2.2.6 Health and Housing…….…………………………………………………………...24 2.3 Architectural features and Construction 2.3.1 Origins of the Design…….………………………………………………………… 26 2.3.2 The Usual Layout….……………………………………………………………….. 26 2.3.3 Evolving Styles…….………………………………………………………………. 28 2.3.4 Alternative Terraced Layouts.……………………………………………………....29 2.3.5 Semi-Detached Tyneside Flats.……………………………………………………. 30 2.4 Builders Lenders and Tenants 2.4.1 Builders and owners....…………………………………………………………….. 32 2.4.2 Lenders ....….………………………………………………………………………. 33 2.4.3 Tenants....….……………………………………………………………………….. 34 2.5 Numbers 2.5.1 Numbers Built……………………………………………………………………… 36 2.5.2 Overcrowding and Slum Clearance…….………………………………………….. 37 2.5.3 Demolition and Renovation...……………………………………………………… 39 2.5.4 Existing Numbers…….……………...………………………………………………41 2.6 Location 2.6.1 Geographical Spread.………………………………………………………………. 42 2.6.2 Explanation for Location..…………………………………………………………. 43 2.7 Tyneside Flats in the Twenty First Century 2.7.1 Structural Quality.………………………………………………………………… 46 2.7.2 Student Districts.…………………………………………………………………... 46 2.7.3 Non Student Areas.………………………………………………………………… 49 Chapter 3. Judicial