Zia Bhaloo KC

Call: 1990

Silk: 2010

Zia’s mastery of all areas of real estate litigation, combined with a commercial chancery background that gives her an outstanding grasp of property insolvency, has led authoritative sources to brand her “the pre-eminent property litigation silk".

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Barristers

Zia Bhaloo KC

Property

Cross-practice

Property

Renowned as “ruthless in cross-examinations”, Zia is a specialist property litigation and commercial chancery barrister, whose broad practice encompasses all areas of real property and landlord and tenant work. Equally expert in a range of related chancery disputes, including company and insolvency matters, she boasts specialist experience in telecoms litigation, and social housing.

When a case demands the best, few can rival Zia’s expertise. Clients and instructing solicitors rave about her “incredibly sharp legal brain,” her “user-friendly and pragmatic” approach, and her devastating courtroom skills, with one labelling her “the best cross-examiner I have ever seen.” These abilities are complemented by written advocacy “so exceptional that the opposing side will often do everything to avoid going to trial,” while her renowned commitment to client service makes her the complete package.

Focussed on the fields of real property and landlord and tenant , her practice spans the whole property litigation field. Zia has considerable experience in rent review, valuation issues generally, the 1954 Act, easements, dilapidations, service charges, and overage disputes, as well as litigation involving sale, finance and development agreements, including development disputes with significant planning elements. Release fee damages is another field in which she has a particular interest and experience.

Zia’s wealth of specialist knowledge sets her apart from the competition. With her background in commercial chancery work, she has noteworthy expertise in company and insolvency law, making her a natural choice for disputes arising from property insolvencies. Niche mines and minerals and telecoms law knowhow, and close familiarity with social housing matters round off her broad practice.

In all of these areas, Zia has experience of high-level litigation, appearing in courts at all levels, including the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, in large important cases. These don’t come larger than R (on the application of Annington Property Ltd and others v Secretary of State for Defence [2023] EWHC 1154 (Admin) 1155 (Ch). This widely reported matter, named as one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 cases of 2023 and Top Ten appeals of 2024, relates to the sale and leaseback of 55,000 dwellings on 765 sites used to house military personnel, for £1.662 billion. It arises from the MoD’s decision to serve enfranchisement notices under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967 in relation to eight properties as test cases. Annington’s challenge to these notices raised a number of complex questions under the 1967 Act and the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954, heard with a judicial review.

Though undoubtedly her largest case, this is far from Zia’s only important recent matter, with other reported highlights including Almacantar (Marble Arch) SARL v Railway Pension Exempt Unit Trust [2021] EWHC 2385 (comm) on the interpretation of an agreement for sale, stamp duty and estoppel by convention and Howard and others v Chelsea Yacht and Boat Co Ltd [2020] EWHC 12 (Ch), on whether the Chelsea Yacht & Boat Co had breached its River Works Licence and committed a criminal offence.

Zia has represented clients in mediations for over 25 years and is an ADR Group accredited mediator. She has successfully mediated numerous large and multi-party disputes.

Zia was born in Tanzania, grew up in Kenya, and speaks Swahili and Cutchi.

Cross-practice

Landmark's barristers often work at the intersection of our core practice areas; bringing a wide range of skills, knowledge and experience to bear on a particular dispute or issue facing a client.

Our focus is always on achieving the best possible outcome for our client. By viewing the client's objectives in a holistic way - and not purely through the lens of one rigidly-defined legal area - we deliver the best possible advice and representation in complex matters that engage multiple specialist areas of law. 

Whether it's providing support as an individual cross-practice barrister or a cross-disciplinary team of Landmark counsel, we are able to draw on an outstanding array of complementary skillsets and knowledge bases. This often achieves a better result than instructing multiple barristers from different specialist sets. This also improves the quality of client care through increased levels of communication, quicker response times, and a coordinated approach to clerking and fees, made possible by our team-based cross-practice approach.

Please contact our practice management team for more information.

ADR

Zia has been representing clients in mediations for over 20 years and is an ADR Group accredited mediator. She has recently successfully mediated a number of large and multi-party disputes.

Telecommunications

Specialisms

Agricultural Law

Boundary and Ownership Disputes

Commercial Landlord and Tenant

Conveyancing Disputes

Easements and Profits a Prendre

Housing

Insolvency

Land Registration and Adverse Possession

Leasehold Enfranchisement and Right to Manage

Mortgages, Charges, Charging Orders and Securitisation

Private nuisance

Property Development including Overage disputes

Professional Negligence Claim Related to Property

Protestor Injunctions

Public Sector and Local Government Property issues

Residential Leasehold Management and Disputes

Residential Tenancies

Restrictive Covenants

Rights of Light

Riparian Rights, Watercourses and Harbours

Squatters and other Trespass

Telecommunications

Trusts of Land and other Equitable Claims

Specialisms

ADR

Telecommunications

"
Zia is the pre-eminent property litigation silk, head and shoulders above her competition."; "Brilliant at getting in the trenches with you, she's very collaborative. She's a very effective cross-examiner whose advocacy is excellent."

Legal 500; Chambers and Partners

Property and Housing Silk of the Year Zia Bar Marketing Winners70 Chambers Top Ranked UK Bar 2024 Uk leading silk 2024 WWL Real Estate Construction 2022 Rosette

Personal Highlights

Qualifications and achievements

Qualifications

  • LLB (Lond) 
  • LLM (Lond) (Company law, and international corporate and commercial finance).

Awards

'Leading Silk of the Year' at the Legal 500 Awards 2024.

Memberships

  • Bencher of Middle Temple (2014)
  • Chancery Bar Association
  • Property Bar Association (Chairman from 2014)

Recommendations

  • "She is exceptionally calm under pressure, with a steely determination to win."

    Property Litigation, Legal 500, 2025

  • "Zia is a cool, calm and collected but fearless advocate." "Always my go-to. Clients absolutely adore her and she is always very carefully prepared."

    Real Estate Litigation, Chambers and Partners, 2024

  • "Delivers top class, client-focused advice every time."

    Chancery: Commercial, Chambers and Partners, 2024

  • "Always has the end game in mind and is the first to identify the correct strategy to get the client what it needs. Her advocacy is measured but forceful, and always focusses on the real issues."

    Property Litigation, Legal 500, 2024

  • "Brilliant at getting in the trenches with you, she's very collaborative. She's a very effective cross-examiner whose advocacy is excellent."

    Dispute Resolution: Commercial Chancery - UK, Chambers and Partners 2023

  • "Brilliant at getting in the trenches with you, she's very collaborative. She's a very effective cross-examiner whose advocacy is excellent."

    Chancery: Commercial, Chambers and Partners, 2023

  • "Zia remains a standout advocate delivering a top-class, client-focused service every time." "She is such an effective cross-examiner."

    Real Estate Litigation, Chambers and Partners, 2023

  • "Zia is the pre-eminent property litigation silk, head and shoulders above her competition. Her written advocacy is so exceptional that the opposing side will often do everything to avoid going to trial."

    Property Litigation, Legal 500, 2023

  • "She is incredibly clever and very easy to work with. Her judgement is spot on, and she is just an all-round excellent barrister."

    Chancery: Commercial, Chambers and Partners, 2022

  • "Zia Bhaloo Q[K]C is a well-established property silk with a longstanding reputation as a top landlord and tenant barrister. She also has niche expertise in telecoms work, and the interface between landlord and tenant and insolvency work. She also takes on cases concerning development, with her experience extending to appearances in the Supreme Court."

    Real Estate Litigation, Chambers and Partners, 2022

  • "She adds huge gravitas to the litigation team." "The best cross-examiner I have ever seen." "She is very knowledgeable, but also user-friendly and pragmatic." 

    Real Estate Litigation, Chambers and Partners, 2022

  • "Zia has an incredibly sharp legal brain with excellent team skills. Clients rave about Zia. She’s an absolute pleasure to work with and provides concise, cleverly thought-through advice with a commercial approach. That’s rare."

    Property Litigation, Legal 500, 2022

  • "Direct, commercial and a joy to work with."

    Social Housing, Chambers and Partners, 2021

  • "Clever, commercial and great with clients." "A first-class option for property insolvency. Very knowledgeable but also user-friendly and pragmatic." "A masterful tactician who consistently delivers and with considerable aplomb."

    Real Estate Litigation, Chambers and Partners, 2021

  • "Ruthless in cross-examinations."

    Chancery: Commercial, Chambers and Partners, 2021

  • "She is a confident, excellent advocate and runs a team of juniors very well."

    Legal 500, 2021

  • "Extremely knowledgeable and very effective at putting the clients at ease and explaining complex matters." "Always goes the extra mile, very lateral-thinking and has a great presence in court." "Incredibly user-friendly and technically sound."

    Real Estate Litigation, Chambers and Partners, 2020

  • "She's brilliant. She rolls up her sleeves and gets on with it - she's one of my top barristers."

    Chancery: Commercial, Chambers and Partners, 2020

  • "Rated for her advice on high-level social housing development."

    Social Housing, Chambers and Partners, 2020

  • "Great team player, very thorough and conscientious." "Intelligent, commercial and devastating in court." "Simply one of the leading lights in property litigation." "Excellent judgement and great with clients."

    Chambers and Partners, 2019

  • "She is exceptionally good with solicitors and lay clients and remains continually calm even in very stressful situations. Her cross-examination is absolutely outstanding and she is known as the Smiling Assassin for good reason."

    Chambers and Partners, 2019

  • "A really big hitter in the property field and a remarkable human being, who’s got a wonderful court manner. She’s extremely calm, highly persuasive, and one of those people who really gets to the bottom of a problem. Likeable, reasonable and good natured, she is popular with everybody." "Zia understands entirely how people work and what you need to do to press the right buttons to get things moving."

    Chambers and Partners, 2019

  • "A force to be reckoned with."

    Legal 500, 2019

  • "Her strengths are her passion for her work, her ability to translate incredibly complex legal terms into plain English and her realism – she manages expectations well."

    Chambers and Partners, 2018

  • "Incredibly solicitor-friendly" and "a superb advocate, especially when it comes to commercial property matters."

    Chambers and Partners, 2018

  • "Incredibly thorough, she picks up on points everyone else has missed and gets results." "Extremely knowledgeable and very effective at putting clients at ease and at explaining complex matters in understandable terms."

    Chambers and Partners, 2018

Practice Managers

Contact our friendly and helpful Practice Managers for more information about our barristers and services or to make an enquiry.

Mark Ball

Practice Director

Harry Feldman

Practice Manager
Mark Ball new

Mark Ball

Practice Director

020 7421 1308

Harry Feldman

Harry Feldman

Practice Manager

020 7421 2485

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