Areas of expertise
Property & Land Disputes
Commercial property, boundaries, easements, rights of way, landlord and tenant and development disputes.
Introduction
Property disputes range from dilapidations and rent arrears to arguments about where a boundary runs or whether a right of way may be used by delivery lorries. What they share is a high cost of litigation relative to the value at stake.
They also tend to involve parties who cannot simply walk away: a landlord and tenant with years left on the lease, or neighbours who will still be neighbours whatever a judge decides.
What we cover
- Commercial property disputes
- Boundary disputes
- Easements and covenants
- Rights of way and access
- Landlord and tenant
- Development disputes
Why mediation?
Court proceedings about land are slow, technical and expensive, frequently requiring expert surveyors and historic title evidence. Costs regularly exceed the value of the strip of land or the sum claimed.
Mediation allows the money and the practical arrangements to be settled together, and can produce agreed plans, licences, undertakings and works schedules that no court order would contain.
How ProMediate can help
Our mediators are comfortable with plans, leases, titles and surveyors' reports, and will focus the day on what each party actually needs — access, certainty, a payment, a repair, or an end to the argument.
Where a site visit or a plan marked up on the day will help, we build that into the process. We make sure the settlement is drafted so it can be registered or attached to the lease if that is what the parties want.
“…unbelievably a resolution was found… We can now continue with our lives stress free.”
Further reading
9 October 2026
£108,402 in Legal Costs Over a Hedge: Why Boundary Disputes Should Be Mediated
A dispute over a hedge in Torquay led to a £108,402 payment on account of legal costs. Douglas v Channon shows how litigation over a small area of land can generate enormous costs — and why mediation makes sense.
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24 September 2026
When Neighbours Want Different Things From Their Land: Why Mediation Matters
Some of the most difficult neighbour disputes arise because adjoining land is used in fundamentally different ways. A reported case involving a campsite and neighbouring agricultural land illustrates why mediation can help.
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24 September 2026
Costly Neighbour Disputes
Hedge, boundary and right of way disputes can generate legal costs far exceeding the value of the land involved. Seeckts v Derwent, the Lofthouse hedge dispute and Gilks v Hodgson show why mediation is often the more proportionate answer.
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7 August 2026
The £700,000 Fence: When the Cost of Litigation Dwarfs the Dispute
A £700,000 neighbour boundary dispute highlights how litigation costs can dwarf the value of the land in dispute. ProMediate considers how early mediation can reduce cost, risk and stress.
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4 August 2026
When a Fence Costs £150,000: Why Neighbour Disputes Should Be Mediated Before They Reach Court
A recent neighbour dispute demonstrates how legal costs can vastly exceed the value of the dispute. Peter Causton explains why mediation often offers a quicker, cheaper and more practical solution.
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Why choose ProMediate?
An experienced panel
Barristers, solicitors and senior professionals who have mediated across the full range of commercial, civil and workplace disputes.
CMC Registered Provider
ProMediate is a Civil Mediation Council Registered Mediation Provider, working to recognised professional and complaints standards.
Nationwide coverage
We arrange mediations throughout England and Wales, at a venue convenient to the parties or at our own arranged rooms.
Online and face to face
Full online mediation on Teams or Zoom, hybrid sessions and traditional in-person days — whichever suits the dispute.
Flexible appointments
Evening, weekend and short-notice appointments are available, and most mediations can be arranged within two to three weeks.
Confidential throughout
The process is private and without prejudice. Nothing said in the mediation can be used later if the matter does not settle.
Commercial and pragmatic
We focus on outcomes that work in practice — payment terms, future arrangements and clean settlements — not on winning arguments.
Frequently asked questions
- Do we need surveyors' evidence before mediating?
- Not necessarily. Sometimes a single agreed plan is enough. Where expert views differ, we can structure the day so the experts speak to each other first.
- Can a mediated agreement change the title?
- The agreement can commit the parties to a boundary agreement, transfer or deed of easement, which is then completed and registered afterwards in the usual way.
- Our tenant has stopped paying. Is mediation appropriate?
- Often yes. Mediation can produce a realistic payment plan and a workable future arrangement far more quickly than forfeiture or recovery proceedings.
Request a mediation
Request a mediation, ask for a quotation or speak to our team about this dispute. Tell us briefly what has happened and we will suggest suitable mediators, available dates and a fixed fee — usually within one working day.