Kate Andrews

Kate is a Partner and Head of the Real Estate Disputes Team.

Kate is a property litigator who adopts an advisory and dispute resolution role, as well as a litigious one, on a wide variety of high profile real estate disputes.

Kate deals with various breaches of leasehold covenants, including dilapidations, service charges, applications for consent to assign/underlet/alter, rent reviews and other landlord and tenant issues.

She also deals with contractual and development disputes, including specific performance claims, injunctions, rights to light, restrictive covenant issues, joint venture disputes and particularly enjoys advising on the redevelopment of business premises. In her time, Kate has also dealt with some boundary disputes, and is now dealing with a number of cases regarding business rates and the complexities of the statutory exemptions and reliefs.

Kate acts on high profile real estate disputes for clients including high net worth individuals, property funds and developers. She is a keen advocate of alternative dispute resolution and has been able to settle a number of complex legal disputes at mediation or by without prejudice discussions.

Clients describe Kate as an extremely talented property litigator, who goes the extra mile for her clients, finding a resolution to every problem.

Kate attends 6 levels of Court and Tribunals on a regular basis each month as well as attending on average one mediation a month.

Kate is the Vice-President of the Property Litigation Association Education Committee. She is a member of the Steering Committee for Property Litigation for Lexis Nexis and the expert litigator for Lexis Nexis Q&A.

Kate is recognised by Chambers and Partners as a Ranked Lawyer for real estate litigation and by Legal 500 as a Leading Individual for real estate litigation.

Kate's Expertise

Recommendations

‘Kate is exceptional and always gets the wider commercial realities of any dispute.’

Chambers and Partners 2023

‘Kate Andrews is a first-rate lawyer. She has exceptional skills at doing deals to avoid litigation in part due to her excellent negotiation skills and her interpersonal skills.’

Legal 500 2023

‘Kate Andrews has boundless energy and complete commitment to her client’s interests.’

Legal 500 2023

‘Kate Andrews is outstanding, She gets straight to the point and is ultra efficient.’

Legal 500 2023

‘Kate juggles an impressive caseload but is always on top of things, which is incredibly impressive. She is creative and always has her eye out for a solution. She has pulled the most amazing settlements out of the bag on cases where I thought it was impossible.’

Chambers and Partners 2022

‘Kate Andrews is an exceptional litigation solicitor, always able to help however short notice and provides an honest and speedy opinion. A first-class negotiator and always puts her clients first.’

Legal 500 2022

‘The property litigation team at Hamlins is a real powerhouse led by the formidable Kate Andrews. The service is second to none and I can rely on the team no matter what time of day or night, seven days a week.’

Legal 500 2022

‘Kate Andrews has impeccable knowledge across all areas of property litigation and has a real talent for getting deals done in short timescales under great pressure. She doesn’t hide behind emails or letters and really gets stuck in. She grasps the issues and commercial concerns quickly and tailors her advice accordingly. She has great relationships with top barristers which also helps at short notice.’

Legal 500 2022

‘The team led by Kate Andrews is exemplary – committed, professional, efficient and available more or less at any time.’

Legal 500 2022

‘I have worked exclusively with Kate Andrews, and have always found her energy and commitment to be extraordinary.’

Legal 500 2022

‘Her energy and commitment is second to none. She is constantly coming up with ideas; she is a very creative tactician.’

Chambers and Partners 2021

‘She is dynamic, always on the ball, almost always available, very swift to react, and deals with things as they arise efficiently and promptly.’

Chambers and Partners 2021

‘Kate Andrews is an exceptional litigator. She leaves no stone unturned, is positive, energetic and is fearless. Working alongside Kate is always an enjoyable and full-throttle experience. Kate’s clients always know they have a very skilful warrior on their side.’

Legal 500 2021

‘Kate Andrews is one of the top property litigators in London. She is hugely experienced and her approachable manner belies her quiet determination to do the best for her clients at all times.’

Legal 500 2021

‘Sources say Kate Andrews “knows her area of law inside out and fights incredibly hard to get the result required”.’

Chambers and Partners 2020

‘Kate Andrews is a something of a rottweiler; you wouldn’t want to be on the other side when she is unleashed.’

Legal 500 2020

‘Kate Andrews is terrifically commercially minded and hard working. Always takes the time to find the best way to work with each individual client.’

Legal 500 2020

‘Determined, assertive in progressing issues and gets very invested in her cases. You always want her on your side and she can be trusted to be on her game at all times.’

Chambers and Partners 2019

‘A driven litigator’ with ‘an extraordinary depth of legal knowledge.’

Legal 500

‘A great property expert’ by market sources.

Chambers and Partners 2018

‘Kate is superb… responsive, clever and gives well thought out commercial advice that always fits the situation.’

National Car Parks

‘I always instruct Kate because I dread having her on the other side!’

Englefield Estates

Work Highlights

Defending a client in relation to 58 business rates mitigation schemes. (Trafford Borough Council –v- Lunar Stretford SARL) in the Trafford Magistrates Court
Acted for a client to obtain a declaration as to the interpretation of an alienation covenant in the High Court and Court of Appeal. (Lunar Retail SARL v Warborough Investments Limited)
Acted for a client to obtain specific performance of a sale and purchase agreement in the High Court. (Charlton Walsall v Mohstart)
Acted for a client in the High Court and Court of Appeal (PGF II SA –v- OMFS Company 1 Limited) in relation to the unreasonable refusal to mediate by an opponent.
Acted for a client in the High Court defending proceedings as to who owns part of the river Thames. (which involved the Court acknowledging ancient mooring rights in the River Thames) (Port of London Authority –v- Tower Bridge Yacht and Boat Company Limited)
Instructed in the widely publicised case in the High Court seeking to ensure that a prestigious listed building at Cavell House Trafalgar Square was not taken over by the “Occupy London” movement on Christmas Eve. (Greencap Limited –v- persons unknown)

Following an unsuccessful mediation, resolved proceedings that had been issued against her client in connection with the dispute of the beneficial ownership of properties and managed to discharge a freezing injunction that had been obtained in the Companies Court. (F Options –v- Prestwood Properties Limited)
Successfully settled a dispute regarding the separation of property assets for an individual client. (Walpole –v- Benham)
Defending proceedings for the return of a severance payment and rent deposit in the sum of £2.1million in the High Court of Justice regarding a prestigious building in Leicester Square. (Interguide Limited –v- EID Limited and Central London Investments Limited)
Successfully settled proceedings issued by Signal Properties for circa £2million regarding an alleged failed break notice at the property in Bradbury. (Signal Properties Limited –v- Mountrose Limited)
Instructed in connection with judicial review proceedings against Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, and at the same time defending injunctive proceedings that had been issued against the client by Reigate and Banstead Borough Council for the transfer of property to Reigate and Banstead Borough Council. (Prestwood Properties Limited v Reigate and Banstead Borough Council)
Successfully settled proceedings issued against Westminster City Council for unpaid service charges in excess of £2million. (NCP v Westminster City Council)
Acted for a client to successfully obtain an injunction to restrain a trespass and damages. (Abbey Commercial v Garnade)
Obtained a third party pre-action disclosure order. (Webb v Seddons)
Acted for a mooring owner in the Administrative Court in relation to obtaining relief against the Port of London Authority requiring it not to remove ancient moorings from the River Thames. (Charles Hay v Port of London Authority)
Acting for shareholders in connection with obtaining an injunction in the Companies Court regarding the allotment of B shares. (Stallecker v Learning Enterprises)

Acting for a landowner in connection with a section 84 application regarding the modification of a restrictive covenant in the Upper Tribunal and successfully settling the dispute. (Boris v PH Timbault)
Successfully settled a professional negligence claim against a firm or architects 2 weeks before trial in the TCC [Grainmarket v Househam Henderson]
Successfully won a trial for an individual client in relation to a dispute as to whether a boundary wall was a party wall [Nicholas Lacey v Therese Baker]
Successfully obtained indemnity costs for a client following a trail given various open and without prejudice communications [Nicholas Lacey v Therese Baker]
Successfully settled proceedings in the Upper Tribunal in relation to a section 84 application and modified a restrictive covenant regarding a property in St James Square [Sateria]
Successfully acted for a defendant to set aside a judgment that has been improperly obtained [Yielda Mustafa v Susan Ardley]
Successfully acted for a claimant in relation to setting aside an order obtained [Castle Water Limited v Englefield Estate Trust Corporation Limited]
Successfully defended a contractual monetary claim at trial [Porcelain Tiles v Arun Tuli]
Successfully defending applications for injunctive relief at an interim hearing [Planet v Cabot Investments Limited]
Successfully acted for an individual to strike out a claim against him on the basis it was an abuse of process is [Nassiri v Kelly]
Successfully acted for an organisation to restraining the presentation of a winding up petition
Obtained summary/default judgment in relation to a specific performance claim [Palace Capital v Leighton Hamilton]
Successfully defended and halted proceedings for a defendant client following numerous interim applications for security for costs [Host Universal Limited v National Car Parks Limited]
Successfully acted for a claimant in relation to forfeiture proceedings obtained vacant possession [Wickland (Holdings) Limited v Europcar Group UK Limited]
Successfully acted for a client in relation to defending an application for relief from forfeiture [Grab Food v Hatton Garden Properties]
Successfully obtained vacant possession for a client in relation to opposed lease renewal proceedings [Englefield Estate Trust Corporation Limited v Ladbrokes Betting & Gaming Limited]
Successfully obtained specific performance of an agreement dating back to 1992 [Englefield Estate Trust Corporation Limited –v- Bayfordbury Estates Limited]

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Sarah Finch

Sarah Finch