Viola specialises in residential development advising on a broad range of property transactions. Her experience includes the acquisition and disposal of land for residential development across strategic, immediate and brownfield sites, as well as advising on conditional and unconditional contracts, option agreements, sub-sale contracts and associated secured lending for both developers and landowners.
Viola has also been closely involved in the site set‑up aspects of smaller development projects, including the drafting of estate documentation. Viola is also experienced in the sale of freehold reversionary interests, public open space transfers, infrastructure matters and other related disposals. Earlier in her career, Viola acted extensively for several leading UK housebuilders on part‑exchange residential transactions, frequently involving complex title issues and challenging legal scenarios. She regularly works on complex, time‑sensitive matters involving multiple stakeholders and focuses on providing comprehensive legal advice that aligns with clients’ commercial objectives to ensure transactions progress efficiently.
Experience
Examples of Viola's experience include:
- Acted for an SME developer on the unconditional purchase of a site (consented scheme and purchase price over £5 million) in Epsom involving overage arrangements and dealing with the funder's enquiries within very tight deadlines
- Acted on the purchase of a commercial site (over £3.2 million) by way of a conditional contract for a major and leading UK retirement institution
- Acted for a developer on the unconditional purchase of a property in Herefordshire and on the purchase of two additional parcels of land from different landowners by way of option agreements
- Acted on the site set up of multiple developments in London and dealt with subsequent plot sales
- Completed a time-sensitive sub-sale transaction with multiple stakeholders which involved over 7 options between different landowners, two separate deeds of easement and both junior and senior lending
- Acted on the refinancing of an on-going development site located in Cotswolds (over £2.5 million) within tight timeframes
- Acted on the sale of the freehold reversion following completion and sale of all apartments (over 70 apartments on the site)
- Acted for a major housebuilder in respect of their affordable housing sales (including dealing with golden brick and practical completions)
- Acted for developers in connection with the negotiation and exchange of option agreements (including sites in Kent, Hampshire, Surrey, London and Enfield) and carried out complex title reviews
- Acted for an SME developer in respect of the assignment of an existing option to the developer and then subsequent completion of the purchase and completion of a deed of easement;
- Dealt with auction sales/purchases for developers preparing/reviewing special conditions within tight timeframes
- Acted on the purchase of a site in London for an SME developer and the sub-sale of the same site (both completing on the same day and sale price over £1.5 million)
- Acted on the purchase and sub-sale of a site in Surrey for an SME developer which also required the tying in of another sale (over £2.5 million)
- Acted on the sale of a site in Ickleford (which had the benefit of planning permission and sale price was over £2.4 million)
- Acted for major national housebuilder clients in relation to the acquisition and disposal of residential properties by way of part exchange often working with tight exchange and completion deadlines including chainbreak transactions.
