Mario Betts
Managing Associate
Mario is a leading property litigator, known for his strategic insight and commercial approach to property disputes.
Managing Associate
Mario is a leading property litigator, known for his strategic insight and commercial approach to property disputes.
Languages - German
Mario has 15 years' experience in guiding clients through complex commercial property disputes. His expertise includes advising on lease renewals, dilapidations disputes, enforcing covenants, injunctions, forfeiture proceedings, professional negligence and insolvency-related property issues often where the issue is business-critical and time sensitive, making him a sought-after advisor for clients facing high-stakes challenges.
Mario's client base includes institutional funds, property companies and developers, hotel chains, national train operators, commercial occupiers and high net worth individuals, and is sought out for his decisive and commercially driven advice.
Mario's approach is both comprehensive and pragmatic, offering clients a clear, strategic plan at the outset of any case. He has worked on a number of leading and high profile cases in the property and insolvency sector and was recently listed as one of the top 10 property litigators in London in Business Today.
Lease renewals
Mario regularly advises both landlords and tenants on all aspects of contested/uncontested 1954 Act lease renewals including recently successfully opposing a landlord’s ‘ground (g)’ claim following a 3 day trial and successfully opposing the landlord’s appeal in the High Court in what is now one of the leading cases on 'ground (g)'.Dilapidations
Advising on significant dilapidations claim in relation to a landmark property in West London which has involved coordinating multiple experts in specialist fieldsForfeiture
Mario has acted – on both sides – on a number of high value and disputed forfeiture claims. Recent examples include forfeiting the lease of a high-end art gallery where the outstanding rent exceeded £1.5 million and forfeiting the lease of office premises in Mayfair where the tenant company was subject the UK 'Russia Sanctions' which raised complex and unprecedented issues concerning what steps could be in relation expensive artwork which remained on the premises.Insolvency
Advising a major national restaurant chain on the property aspects of its CVA proposal and associated litigation relating to the effect of forfeiture and waiver in the context of a CVA. Advising a major property plc in relation to their rights to challenge a restructuring plan proposed by one of its national retailer tenants. Advising a bank in relation to the default by its mortgagor and subsequent possession proceedings in respect of a £20 million country estate. Advising a commercial tenant following the disclaimer of its landlord’s headlease arising out of the Carillion Group liquidationResidential
Acting in the High Court for the owner on of two adjoining townhouses on Park Lane on the disputed acquisition of its properties under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967. Advising an owner of a large block of flats son Park Lane in relation to a substantial claim brought a long leaseholder of the penthouse flat who was also a property developer. The claim comprised various elements including a valuable claim by the leaseholder for proprietary estoppel to extend his flat into the airspace.Contract disputes
Successfully advising on a multi-million pound claim relating to the termination of a contract for sale of a landmark London property including claims for misrepresentation, waiver and estoppel. Advising a landlord client in relation to a substantial contractual dispute with its tenant arising out of the interpretation of a clause in an agreement for lease requiring the client to contribute £5m to the tenant's fit tout costs.Professional negligence
Successfully advising on professional negligence claims against a top 50 firm of solicitors and a firm of surveyors relating to a misstate in a property transaction.Injunctions
Advising a property owner and successfully obtaining an injunction against its mortgagee and various related third parties restraining them from disposing of the mortgaged property following a sale at an undervalue.
