Buy-to-let owners of leasehold properties and other intermediate landlords will be concerned by a Court of Appeal decision on the liability for repairs to the exterior of a building. Under the terms of the headlease, the freeholder was responsible for keeping the communal areas in good condition, subject to being given notice of the defect. The court held that an implied repairing covenant applied to the intermediate landlord when the subtenant of the flat tripped on an uneven pathway despite the intermediate landlord being unaware of any defect.

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