Ranjit Bhose KC

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Ranjit has a varied practice, with particular specialisms in local government, public law and judicial review, property, housing, licensing, Court of Protection, and commercial law.

Ranjit is ranked as a leading silk by Chambers and Partners for real estate litigation, social housing and local government law. He is also ranked as a leading silk by Legal 500 for property litigation, social housing law and licensing law.

In his public sector work, Ranjit acts predominantly for local authorities, housing associations, waste authorities and health bodies. In his private sector property work, he acts for the full range of clients, from leading land owners, developers and the reversioners of multi-million pound developments, through to individual home owners and long lessees.

His local authority work spans more than 25 years, and takes in the full range of authorities’ functions and activities, no matter how esoteric or niche. Ranging from the private (land, contracts, injunctions, tortious liability), to the public (vires, democracy, equalities, consultation, procurement) and everything in between (such as rating, council tax, finance, highways, local land charges, allotments), Ranjit’s local government knowledge and experience is unrivalled.

Ranjit works quickly and collaboratively. He provides practical cost-effective advice designed for commercial and pragmatic solutions. He is happy for clients to run points by him on an informal basis by phone, and hold consultations wherever is most convenient. He is well used to receiving instructions in whatever form time and circumstance allow, and drafting and reviewing documents as a matter of urgency to ensure the tightest of deadlines are met. He does not stand on ceremonies.

Ranjit is an attractive and concise advocate, as much at home in the Court of Appeal as before the First Tier Tribunal. He understands the importance of structure to oral submissions and has an acute awareness of when the client’s best interests are served by relative brevity, a dollop of common sense and a dash of humour. Which, thankfully, they often are.

Ranjit has a B.A. in Law from University College, Oxford. He jogs slowly but DJs up a storm.

Expertise

Court of Protection
- Overview
Ranjit acts for local authorities in Court of Protection cases, and in the High Court. These include difficult and weighty ‘best interests’ cases.

As a highly experienced, quick and economic civil litigator, Ranjit brings these skills to bear in the COP jurisdiction where experience suggests to him that other parties may be less concerned about the length or costs of hearings and proceedings than they should be.

Ranjit also understands the financial pressures that each authority faces, the time pressures officers face, and the way each authority works, and responds accordingly.
Housing
Ranjit is recognised as a leading Housing Law silk by both the Legal 500 and by Chambers & Partners, who note that “He’s prepared to roll up his sleeves, he doesn’t stand around. He gets stuck in and his advice is always very practical and easy to digest” and “He’s always a winner with the clients, providing consistently good results and sound advice”.

Ranjit has been instrumental in shaping and developing housing law over the last 25 years. His ground-breaking use of common law ‘estate wide’ injunctions in the 1990s led directly to Parliament enacting specific statutory powers to combat anti-social behaviour. His High Court statutory nuisance cases dismantled years of widespread (mis)use of the provisions against social landlords, saving millions of pounds of public money. And, following implementation of Decent Homes, he has steered landlords through large numbers of high-value multi-handed major works service charge disputes, with an unprecedented success rate. A recent success has been the key Supreme Court decision of Sims v Dacorum BC, concerning joint tenants’ notices to quit and ECHR compatibility.

Ranjit acts for scores of social landlords, upon each and every aspect of Housing Law, encompassing:

• Strategy
• Vires and Governance
• Development
• Management
• Disposal
• Transfer
• Regulation

No issue is too big or too small. And, because Ranjit has worked for so many social landlords for so many years, he has an acute understanding of their organisations, the competing calls upon them, and the financial and time pressures they work under. This enables him to provide unrivalled, focused, practical advice.
Property
Ranjit is recognised by Chambers & Partners as a leading silk in Real Estate Litigation. They describe him as “tenacious, very straightforward and practised in his approach with an ability to handle the clients with ease and comfort”, as well as “incredibly good value. Very commercial and sensible.” He is also recognised as a leading silk by the Legal 500 for Property Litigation, who note that “He has an ability to deal very concisely with complex issues.”

Ranjit’s experience extends through all areas of property, with clients ranging from public authorities, large institutions and developers through to individual property owners and lessees. He has unrivalled experience in service charge law, including – in the residential sector- issues of consultation, QLTA and procurement.

Examples of Ranjit’s recent property work include:

• Defending High Court proceedings against claims for prescriptive rights of way and easements for below and above ground services
• High Court proceedings concerning lease construction, rectification, and consequential rectification of the register
• Property-related negligence claims, including under the defective premises legislation, where major developments have suffered post-completion water defects
• Solicitors’ negligence claims arising from defective drafting of a series of leases and transfers
• Advising developers of a number of different prestige developments on the landlord and tenant issues arising from proposed CHP systems and ESCO agreements
• Advising on the property issues arising from the proposed ‘garden bridge’ on the River Thames
• Advising and acting in a number of claims for forfeiture of commercial leases
• Acting for a tenant seeking a new Part II 1954 Act tenancy of a public park
• Numerous advices on the meaning, enforceability and modification of restrictive covenants in freehold land
• Claims involving the insolvency or striking-off of tenants
• Advising on the extent of the depth of the highway in the context of the proposed placement of installations below its surface
Licensing
Ranjit is recognised as a leading silk in Licensing Law by both The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners. They describe him as “exceptional, and flawless in his delivery of advice to clients” and as “a great team player, a well-judged advocate and extremely nice to work with.”

Ranjit advises and represents both licensing authorities and operators across the spectrum of licensing cases.

In the field of private hire, he acted for Uber London Limited in both of its successful appeals against the refusal by Transport for London of its London PHV operator’s licence in 2017-18 and 2019-20. More recently he acted for Uber in Uber London Limited v Transport for London [2021] EWHC 3290 (Admin) and in Uber Britannia Limited v Sefton BC [2023] EWHC 1975 (KB) which concerned the legality of the ‘agency’ model of operation under the statutes governing PHV licensing in England and Wales.

Under the Licensing Act 2003 he has acted for a number of licensing authorities and operators over the years, including acting for the London Borough of Islington in respect of its revocation of the premises licence for Fabric nightclub.

Ranjit also has a particular specialism in Sexual Entertainment Venue (SEV) law, having appeared for the successful local authorities in the leading cases of R (Thompson) v Oxford CC [2014] EWCA Civ 94 and R (Bean Leisure Trading A Ltd) v Leeds City Council Leeds [2014] EWHC 878 (Admin).

In addition, as a leading public and local government lawyer (again, ranked in both the main directories) he brings his knowledge and experience of consultation, decision-making, policy drafting and implementation, and equalities and ECHR considerations into his licensing practice. This includes defeating a judicial review claim in both the High Court and Court of Appeal which sought to prevent the Wireless Festival from taking place in Finsbury Park. The courts accepted his argument that Haringey Council had power to grant permission to hire out part of the Park under section 145 Local Government Act 1982: R (Friends of Finsbury Park) v LB Haringey [2017] EWCA Civ 1831.
Public Law and Judicial Review
Ranjit is ranked by Chambers & Partners as a leading silk for Local Government Law. They say he is “a great advocate who is an expert in the area”.

Given that very many of Ranjit’s clients are local authorities, housing associations, and health bodies it is inevitable that the majority of the decisions they take are subject to the requirements of public law and susceptible to challenge on public law grounds, whether by means of judicial review, statutory appeal, or by the route of ‘public law’ defences in private law proceedings.

Ranjit is highly experienced in guiding public law decision-makers through the process of decision-making, including in devising schemes of lawful consultation, drafting sufficiently reasoned equality impact assessments which go to the heart of the issues in question, and ensuring ECHR compliance. He is adept at advising on and amending draft reports to avoid later pitfalls, including in relation to the giving of lawful reasons.

Clients who have instructed Ranjit from the outset of a project invariably benefit from his active, practical hands-on approach which is designed to remove or limit (so far as is reasonably practicable) the risks of arguable challenges.

Clients also find that Ranjit’s robust and clear style of drafting Pre-Action Protocol Responses and Acknowledgements of Service leads to a high level of success in avoiding legal challenge at all, or the grant of permission to claim judicial review. Given the delays in the Administrative Court listing substantive claims for hearing, the avoidance of the grant of permission is more important now than at any time in the past.
Commercial and Regulatory
- Overview
- Cases
Ranjit maintains a broad civil litigation practice. He acts for both public and private sector clients. There is often a property-related background to the disputes.

Recent instructions include:

• Advising waste authorities on disputes arising under project agreements for the development and construction of waste transfer stations and related services
• Advising and representing a housing association in an arbitration concerning the construction of a management agreement
• Advising and representing in proceedings for damages brought against construction companies for breach of contract and/or negligence in relation to defective buildings
• Advising and representing in property-related negligence claims, including under the defective premises legislation, where major developments have suffered post-completion water defects
• Solicitors’ negligence claims arising from defective drafting of a series of leases and transfers

Ranjit is incredibly bright and very thorough, looking at a case from all angles. He is able to explain complicated matters very simply to clients. A silk with an excellent bedside manner.
Legal 500 (2025)

Ranjit is unsurpassed. His preparation, grasp of complex facts and presentation is in a league of its own and there is no better at the Bar today.
Legal 500 (2024)

Ranjit is the finest advocate and sharpest legal mind. He is my go-to barrister for complex and high-value claims.
Chambers UK Bar (2024)

Ranjit is excellent. He is incredibly knowledgeable, but also very practical and commercial.
Chambers UK Bar (2024)

He has a first-class legal brain.
Chambers UK Bar (2024)

Ranjit is a guru in local government law.
Chambers UK Bar (2024)

Ranjit is a great team player, a well-judged advocate and extremely nice to work with.
Chambers UK Bar (2024)

He is very efficient, confident and charming. He has a delightful style and effective advocacy that judges warm to and clients appreciate, and he is very hard-working.
Chambers UK Bar (2024)

A charming, diligent and well-prepared silk
Legal 500 (2024)

He is very thorough, commercial and engaged in the real world.
Chambers UK Bar (2022)

Brainy, super-efficient and a strong advocate.
Chambers UK Bar (2022)

About Ranjit

Directory Quotes
- Property Litigation – “Ranjit is incredibly bright and very thorough, looking at a case from all angles. He is able to explain complicated matters very simply to clients. A silk with an excellent bedside manner.” Legal 500 2025
- Licensing – “Ranjit is collaborative and a delight to work with. He is charming with clients and judges and his oral advocacy is highly persuasive.” Legal 500 2025
- Real Estate Litigation – “Ranjit Bhose is the finest advocate and sharpest legal mind. He is my go-to barrister for complex and high-value claims.” “Ranjit is excellent. He is incredibly knowledgeable, but also very practical and commercial.” Chambers and Partners 2024
- Licensing – “Ranjit is a great team player, a well-judged advocate and extremely nice to work with.” Chambers and Partners 2024
- Local Government – “Ranjit is a guru in local government law.” “He is very efficient, confident and charming. He has a delightful style and effective advocacy that judges warm to and clients appreciate, and he is very hard-working.” “Ranjit is extremely pragmatic and thoughtful.” Chambers and Partners 2024
- Social Housing – “He has a first-class legal brain.” “Ranjit Bhose KC is superb, personable and approachable.” Chambers and Partners 2024
- Licensing – “A charming, diligent and well-prepared silk”. Legal 500 2024
- Social Housing – “Ranjit is very thorough, technically excellent, and his advocacy is firm when needed”. Legal 500 2024
- Local Government – “Ranjit is very intelligent and able to see all sides of a dispute.” Legal 500 2024
- Property Litigation – “Ranjit is unsurpassed. His preparation, grasp of complex facts and presentation is in a league of its own and there is no better at the Bar today.” Legal 500 2024
- Licensing – “He is charming, polished and persuasive.” “He is a measured and calm advocate.” “He is really good at calibrating the way he communicates complex issues and ideas to the audience.” Chambers and Partners 2023
- Social Housing – “His client handling skills are second to none and when on his feet, he is clear, consise and to the point.” Chambers and Partners 2023
- Local Government – “He is an excellent and terrific advocate.” “He is really good and very impressive in court.” “He is particularly good, very calm and self assured.” Chambers and Partners 2023
- Property Litigation – “Ranjit is a superb advocate, his case preparation is second to none.” Legal 500 2023
- Social Housing – “The quality and speed of his advice is second to none.” “He is really personable, very friendly and has an enormous brain.” “He is a very delightful opponent to be against but no less deadly for that.” Chambers and Partners 2022
- Licensing – “He is a very experienced licensing barrister.” “He’s really impressive. He’s not highfalutin but talks in simple words, which is a good way to convince a tribunal.” Chambers and Partners 2022
- Local Government – “He is very thorough, commercial and engaged in the real world.” “He is a delightful opponent and has a very effective style.” Chambers and Partners 2022
- Real Estate Litigation – “Brainy, super-efficient and a strong advocate.” Chambers and Partners 2022
- Local Government – “An excellent and well-respected silk.” Legal 500 2022
- Property Litigation – “Ranjit has an almost supernatural ability to absorb and retain information contained within massive trial bundles. Without doubt the most impressive and thorough trial preparation of any counsel I have worked with over the last 35 years.” Legal 500 2022
- Ranjit is also ranked in Licensing and Social Housing with Legal 500.
- Socal Housing – “Well-respected silk with a broad housing practice that encompasses possession actions, housing finance and large-scale regeneration schemes for local authority and housing association clients. He is particularly commended for his expertise in complex leaseholder issues and service charges. Bhose also regularly advises local authorities and associations on fire safety issues, and frequently appears at all levels of court, including the Upper Tribunal and Supreme Court. Strengths: “He’s fantastic and really, really able. I am always interested in what he has to say and he is very good at managing a case.” Chambers and Partners 2021
- Licensing – “Regularly acts for local authorities in licensing appeals and applications, and also advises on premises and events licensing matters concerning high-profile venues and festivals. Large-scale taxi licensing and gambling cases are also areas of interest. Strengths: “Fantastically bright.” Chambers and Partners 2021
- Local Government – “Expert in a variety of high-stakes public sector disputes, he is regularly called on by a diverse range of local authority clients. He has significant experience at the Bar and is particularly well versed in cases concerning powers and duties, finance, property and housing. He has considerable experience appearing in claims for judicial review. Strengths: “Very experienced and has a clear and concise approach to advocacy.” “He’s calm, persuasive and effective. He’s very strong on technical detail but also has a good eye for strategy.” Chambers and Partners 2021
- Real Estate Litigation – “Represents landlords from both the public and private sectors in tenancy matters. He is known for his work in property-related professional negligence and service charge cases. Strengths: “Super efficient and a strong advocate.” Chambers and Partners 2021
- “A top performer. One of the very best practitioners in the licensing field.” Legal 500 2021
- “His quality of legal advice is allied to pragmatism and good people skills.” Legal 500 2021
- “His ability to articulate arguments in a persuasive and coherent manner is second to none.” Legal 500 2021
- “His level of preparation is absolutely phenomenal. If you need a true heavyweight, Ranjit is the one to go to.” Chambers and Partners 2020
- “A very fine barrister whose trial preparation is masterful.” Chambers and Partners 2020
- “He is massively intelligent and has a real understanding and commercial awareness of the client’s business.” Chambers and Partners 2020
- “He has a very good reputation.” Chambers and Partners 2020
- “His quality of legal advice is allied to pragmatism and good people skills.” The Legal 500 2020
- “Distinguished through the quality of legal advice, pragmatism and good people skills.” The Legal 500 2020
- “A hard-nosed, hardworking public lawyer.” The Legal 500 2020
- “A housing and local government guru with immense experience, who is very patient, committed and efficient.” “A formidable opponent. He’s got a particular ability to explain and present the facts in a way that puts them in the absolute best light.” Chambers and Partners 2019
- “A bright, intellectually gifted lawyer who tribunals warm to.” Chambers and Partners 2019
- “He’s very good, and takes a very commercial approach to his cases as well.” Chambers and Partners 2019
- “He has a balanced, clear and pragmatic approach.” Chambers and Partners 2019
- “Brings to bear his local government knowledge including Uber.” The Legal 500 2018
- “His trial preparation is masterful, he is one of the very top silks at the Bar.” The Legal 500 2018
- “His drafting skills are impeccable and his advocacy is captivating.” The Legal 500 2018
- “Very intelligent and very personable.” “His client handling skills are second to none, and when on his feet, he is clear, concise and to the point.” Chambers & Partners 2018
- “His advice is always very well thought out, commercial and easily digestible.” Legal 500 2017
- “His advice is always very well thought out, commercial and easily digestible.” Legal 500 2017
- “Excellent, a super advocate who really has the ear of the court: he is to the point, concise and punchy.” “The service he provides is always of the highest quality.” Chambers & Partners 2017
- “A brilliant lawyer – highly intelligent and always goes right to the issue. He has very good interpersonal skills with clients.” Chambers & Partners 2017
- “He is incredibly good with clients and a must-see on his feet – a real spark of excellence.” Legal 500 2016
- “He is tenacious, very straightforward and practised in his approach with an ability to handle the clients with ease and comfort.” “He is incredibly good value. Very commercial and sensible.” Chambers & Partners 2016
- “He’s always a winner with the clients, providing consistently good results and sound advice.”Chambers & Partners 2016
- “He has an ability to deal very concisely with complex issues.” Legal 500 2015
- “Exceptional, and flawless in his delivery of advice to clients.” Legal 500 2015
Publications
- Halsbury’s Laws of England (Protection of Environment & Public Health)01 Jan 2008
- Human Rights and Judicial Review: Case Studies in Context23 Jun 2005
Notable Cases
Events