Gatehouse Chambers

John Beresford specialises in property law. His practice encompasses lender claims, land registration matters, leasehold management disputes, landlord and tenant disputes, joint venture disputes and a wide variety of matters heard in the Tribunal. John has experience of complex and high value litigation.

John also acts on commercial matters and is regularly instructed in commercial disputes arising in the property context. He was trial counsel in Holyoake v Candy [2017] EWHC 3397 (Ch) which was described by EGi as “the property trial of the century”.

Notable current and past instructions include:

• Baylis v Haider [2024] EWHC 187 (Ch): Claim concerning ownership of a property that raised complicated issues of law relating to non est factum, mistake, invalid execution of deeds, rectification and the legality of sale and rent back agreements under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. Following a trial in the Chancery Division, John was successful for the lender.
• The Fitzroy Place litigation: John continues to act in these proceedings concerning the Fitzroy Place development in Central London where the apportionment, payability and reasonableness of millions of pounds worth of service charges is in dispute. These proceedings have given rise to an appeal in the Upper Tribunal (Fitzroy Place Residential Limited v Lovitt [2024] UKUT 63 (LC)).
• Toner v Telford Homes Ltd [2022] EWHC 634 (QB) & [2021] EWHC 516 (QB): John acts for the Fourth Defendant in these ongoing proceedings which concern a property purchased ‘off plan’ by the Claimant who is making allegations of breach of contract, negligence, deceit, harassment and defamation against various parties.
• Tillman v Lloyds Bank Plc and Better Capital LLP: John acted for the Claimant (a former owner of the Jaegar and Aquascutum fashion brands) in his c£150m unlawful means conspiracy claim which was being litigated in the Commercial Court. John was led by Brie Stevens-Hoare KC.
• Ramjotton v Patel  [2021] 2 WLUK 148: Upper Tribunal decision concerning the scope of the jurisdiction under paragraph 5A of Schedule 11 of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002. John acted successfully for the Appellant.
• Freear v Andrews [2020] EWHC 3497 (QB): John successfully represented the Defendant in this matter concerning a £1.6m property investment involving Quistclose trusts.
• A v B: John acted for the Respondents in a HM Land Registry rectification claim where serious allegations of fraud were made. John was led by David Lewis KC. This matter settled.
• Holyoake v Candy [2017] EWHC 3397 (Ch): John acted for the Claimants in their £132m claim against the Candy Brothers & others arising out of a property development gone wrong (led by Roger Stewart KC of 4 New Square Chambers). The 9 week trial of this matter (which featured in The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2017) was heard in the Chancery Division and judgment was handed down in December 2017. These proceedings generated a number of interlocutory decisions (([2017] EWHC 387 (Ch), [2018] EWHC 377 (Ch), [2018] 2 WLUK 495, [2018] EWHC 502 (Ch)).
• R v J: John was instructed by a high-end fashion label to defend a £3m claim for statutory compensation under the Commercial Agents (Council Directive) Regulations 1993 (led by David Lewis KC). This matter settled.
• B v S: John acted (as sole counsel) in Queen’s Bench Division proceedings on behalf of a start-up drinks company defending allegations that it had wrongfully terminated an exclusive distribution agreement. This matter settled
• John acted successfully for an entrepreneur in seeking an order for pre-action disclosure against a publicly listed real estate services company. This matter received coverage in the Guardian, the Times and the Financial Times.

John graduated from the University of Oxford with a Double First in Law where he received numerous university and college prizes including the Gibbs Prize (Proxime Accessit) for the best university performance in Contract, Tort, Trusts and Land Law.

Call: 2012

Commercial Bar Association Chancery Bar Association The London Common Law and Commercial Bar Association TECBAR

BA (Jurisprudence) – Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford (Double First) BPTC – BPP Law School (Very Competent) Shelford Scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn Gibbs Prize, University of Oxford Lord Mansfield Scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn Hardwicke Scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn College Scholarship, Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford Isaiah Berlin Prize, Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford The Citigroup Scholarship, University of Oxford