Susan Bright
Biography
Sue teaches land law, contract law, regulation, and housing and human rights. She has been teaching at Oxford University since 1992, after a period as a solicitor in London and teaching at Essex University. She is also a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, Fellow of the South African Research Chair in Property Law, and an academic member of the Chancery Bar Association, Property Bar Association and Property Litigation Association.
Much of her recent and ongoing research is concerned with complexities stemming from multi-owned property. This includes exploring the fire safety problems emerging after the tragic events of Grenfell in relation to blocks of flats, and she has set up a blog for discussion of these issues, including the emerging case law following the Building Safety Act 2022. She is also looking at what is popularly referred to as 'Fleecehold and the Leasehold Scandal' in order to understand the legal tools used to impose positive obligations on home owners in shared spaces.
One area she has investigated is environmental performance and the built environment. Her work includes a multi-disciplinary project exploring the challenges in energy upgrades for residential leasehold property (flats). In the commercial sector she has particular expertise on ‘green leases’. During 2014-2016 she was a member of an interdisciplinary team on an EPSRC funded project called Wicked, that examines Energy Management in the Retail Sector.
With Dr Lisa Whitehouse Sue has also examined the housing possession process. Their most recent work, with pyschologist Professor Mandeep Dhami, has enabled them to explore how decision-making in possession cases, can be explained with reference to psychology and the behavioural sciences.
The eclectic nature of her research has led to Sue co-editing, with Professor Sarah Blandy, Researching Property Law (Palgrave, 2015) which explores different approaches to scholarship.
A selection of Sue's papers can be accessed on the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) at: http://ssrn.com/author=529157.
Publications
Bright S and McFarlane B, ‘Private Law Failings and Policy Development Following the Grenfell Tower Fire’ [2023] Politics, Policy and Private Law Volume I: Tort, Property and Equity
BRIGHT S, ‘Resilient High-Rise Property? Grenfell Tower and Beyond’ (2023) 8(1) Journal of Law, Property and Society 9
BRIGHT S, ‘Far From Privatopia: Private Residential Estates in England and Wales’ [2022] SSRN
BRIGHT S, ‘Tower Block Refurbishment, Flats and Understandings of Ownership’ (2021) 48(4) Journal of Law and Society 524
BRIGHT S, ‘Building Safety Bill – the Occupation Phase of Residential Buildings Explained’ [2021] Journal of Housing Law
BRIGHT S and Morrison P, ‘Varying Long Residential Leases: When, Why and Reform’ [2019] The Conveyancer and Property Lawyer
BRIGHT S and Maxwell D, ‘HUMAN RIGHTS AND STATE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR FIRE SAFETY IN BLOCKS OF FLATS’ [2019] Human Rights Law Review
BRIGHT S, Whitehouse L and Dhami M, ‘Improving Procedural Fairness in Housing Possession Cases’ [2019] Civil Justice Quarterly
Bright S, Willis R and Weatherall D, ‘Exploring the Complexities of Energy Retrofit in Mixed Tenure Social Housing: A Case Study from England, UK’ [2018] Energy Efficiency
Bright S, Blandy S and Nield S, ‘The Dynamics of Enduring Property Relationships in Land’ [2018] The Modern Law Review
Bright S, Weatherall D and McCarthy F, ‘Property Law As a Barrier to Energy Upgrades in Multi-Owned Properties: Insights from a Study of England and Scotland’ [2017] Energy Efficiency
Bright S and weatherall D, ‘Framing and Mapping Building Governance Barriers to Energy Upgrades in Flats’ [2017] Journal of Environmental Law
Patrick J and Bright S, ‘WICKED Insights into the Role of Green Leases’ [2016] The Conveyancer and Property Lawyer
Janda K, Bright S, Patrick J, and others, ‘The Evolution of Green Leases: Towards Inter-Organizational Environmental Governance’ [2016] Building Research and Information: The International Journal of Research, Development and Demonstration
Whitehouse L and Bright S, ‘The Empirical Approach to Research in Property Law’ (2014) 3(2) Property Law Review 176
Blandy S and Bright S, ‘Editors’ Introduction and Survey Findings, Research Methods in Property Law’ (2014) 3(2) Property Law Review 139
Bright S and Whitehouse L, ‘Information, Advice & Representation in Housing Possession Cases’ [2014] (25) Oxford Legal Studies Research Paper
Bright S and Dixie H, ‘
Evidence
of
Green
Leases
in
England
and
Wales’ (2014) 6(1) International Journal of Law in the Built Environment 6
Roussac C and Bright S, ‘Improving Environmental Performance through Innovative Commercial Leasing: An Australian Case Study’ (2012) 4(1) International Journal of Law in the Built Environment 44713
Bright S, ‘Green Commercial Leases: Bringing Together Practice and Theory’ [2012] (2) Property Law Review 44621
Axon C, Bright S, Dixon T, and others, ‘Building Communities: Reducing Energy Use in Tenanted Commercial Property’ (2012) 40(4) BUILDING RESEARCH AND INFORMATION 461
Bright S and Hopkins N, ‘
Home,
Meaning
and
Identity:
Learning
from
the
English
Model
of
Shared
Ownership’ (2011) 28(4) Housing, Theory and Society 377
Bright S and Hopkins N, ‘Evaluating Legal Models of Affordable Home Ownership in England’
Bright S, ‘Carbon Reduction Commitment and Commercial Leases’ (2011) 74(430) The Conveyancer
Bright S, ‘Occupation Rents and TLATA: From Property to Welfare?’ (2011) 73(378) Conveyancer
Bright S and Bettle J, ‘Ashby V Kilduff – a Modern Day Morality Tale?’ (2011) 41 Family Law 168
Bright S, ‘
Carbon
Reduction
and
Commercial
Leases
in
the
UK’ (2010) 2(3) International Journal of Law in the Built Environment 218
Bright S, ‘The Limits of Contractual Freedom in English Commercial Leases’
Bright S, ‘Dispossession for Arrears: The Weight of Home’
Bright S, ‘Occupation Rents and the Trust of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996: From Property to Welfare?’ (2009) 73 Conveyancer 378
Hinnells M, Bright S, Langley A, and others, ‘The Greening of Commercial Leases’ (2008) 26(6) Journal of Property Investment & Finance 541
Bright S, ‘Green Leases’ (2008) 158(7333) New Law Journal 1135
Bright S, ‘Drafting Green Leases’ (2008) 72 Conveyancer 498
Bright S, ‘To the Rescue’ [2008] (May/June) ROOF 40
Bright S, ‘Street V Mountford Revisited’
Bright S, ‘Protecting the Small Business Tenant’ (2006) 70 Conveyancer 137
Bright S and McFarlane B, ‘Proprietary Estoppel and Property Rights’ (2005) 64(2) Cambridge Law Journal 449
Bright S, ‘Tolerated Trespass and Stock Transfer’ (2005) 2005 (8) Journal of Housing Law 15
Bright S, ‘Procuring the Notice to Quit: A Public Law Challenge’ (2005) 8 Journal of Housing Law 44779
Bright S and McFarlane B, ‘Personal Liability in Proprietary Estoppel’ (2005) 69 The Conveyancer 14
Bright S, ‘Unfair Contract Terms and Local Authority Tenancies’ [2004] Journal of Housing Law ’2
Bright S, ‘The Concept of the Tolerated Trespasser’ (2003) 119(Jul) Law Quarterly Review 509
Bright S and Bakalis C, ‘Anti-Social Behaviour: Local Authority Responsibility and the Voice of the Victim’ (2003) 2003 CLJ 305
Bright S, ‘Green Leases – Becoming More Usual?’ [2002] Estates Gazette
Bright S, ‘Avoiding Tenancy Legislation: Sham and Contracting Out Revisited’ (2002) 2002 CLJ 146
Bright S, ‘Estate Rent Charges and Reasonableness’ (2002) 66 Conveyancer 507
Bright S, ‘Liability for the Bad Behaviour of Others’ (2001) 21(2) Oxford Journal of Legal Studies 311
BRIGHT S, ‘A Means to an End or an End in Themselves? Consultation and Dispensation for Fire Safety Works’ The Conveyancer and Property Lawyer
Bright S and Blandy S, Researching Property Law (Palgrave 2015)
Bright S, Landlord and Tenant Law in Context (Hart Pub Limited 2007)
Bright S, Landlord and Tenant Law (Hart Publishing 2006)
Bright S, Landlord and Tenant Law. Past, Present and Future. (Hart 2006)
BRIGHT S and MCFARLANE B, ‘Private Law Failings and Policy Development Following the Grenfell Tower Fire’, Politics, Policy and Private Law Volume I: Tort, Property and Equity (Bloomsbury Publishing 2023)
Blandy S, Nield S and Bright S, ‘Real Property on the Ground: The Law of People and Place’’ in H Dagan and B Zipursky (eds.), Research Handbook on Private Law Theories (Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd 2020)
McCarthy F, Bright S and Fawcett T, ‘Building Governance and Energy Efficiency: Mapping the Interdisciplinary Challenge’, Advancing Energy Policy (Springer Nature 2018)
Patrick J, Bright S and Janda K, ‘Energy Upgrades in Commercial Property Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, Compliance Pathways, and Leases in the UK’, ROUTLEDGE HANDBOOK OF SUSTAINABLE REAL ESTATE (2018)
Bright S, Patrick J and janda K, ‘Energy Management, Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, and the Diversity of ‘green lease’ Clauses’ in S Wilkinson, N Miller, T Dixon, and others (eds.), Handbook of Sustainable Real Estate (Routledge 2017)
Bright S and Whitehouse L, ‘The Opportunities and Challenges of Empirical Work: Housing Possession in Theory and in Practice’ in B Akkermans, E Marais and E Ramaekers (eds.), Property Law Perspectives II (Intersentia Uitgevers N V 2014)
Bright S, Glover H and Adams-Prassl J, ‘Tenancy Agreements’ in E Simpson and M Stewart (eds.), Sham Transactions (OUP 2013)
Bright S, Hopkins N and Macklam N, ‘Owning Part But Losing All: Using Human Rights to Protect Home Ownership’ in N Hopkins (ed.), Modern Studies in Property Law (Hart Pub Limited 2013)
Bright S, ‘Manchester City Council V Pinnock’ in N Gravells (ed.), Landmark Cases in Land Law (Hart Pub Limited 2013)
Bright S, ‘Dispossession for Arrears: The Weight of Home in English Law’ in L Fox O’Mahony and J A Sweeney (eds.), The Idea of Home in law: Displacement and Dispossession (Ashgate 2010)
Bright S, ‘Unfairness and the Consumer Contract Regulations’ in A Burrows and E Peel (eds.), Contract Terms (Hart 2007)
GETZLER J, ‘Roman Ideas of Landownership’ in S BRIGHT and J Dewar (eds.), Land Law: Themes and Perspectives (Oxford University Press 1998)
Wallom D, Granell R, Janda K, and others, ‘Quantifying the Impact of Green Leasing on Energy Use in a Retail Portfolio: Limits to Big Data Analytics’, ECEEE Summer Study 2017 (2017)
Bright S, Weatherall D and Willis R, ‘A Case Study of Deep Retrofit in Mixed Tenure (rented and Owned) UK Social Apartment Blocks’ (ECEEE Summer Study 2017 2017)
Bright S, Patrick J, Janda K, and others, ‘The Evolution of Greener Leasing Practices in Australia and England’ (2015)
Janda K, Layberry R, Patrick J, and others, ‘A WICKED Approach to Retail Sector Energy Management’ (2015)
Bright S, ‘The Uncertainty of Certainty in Leases’ (2012) 128(3) LQR 336 (case-note)
Bright S and Hopkins N, ‘Low Cost Home Ownership: Legal Issues of the Shared Ownership Lease’ (2009) 73(4) Conveyancer 337 (case-note)
Bright S, ‘Tolerated Trespass or A New Tenancy?’ (2006) 122 Law Quarterly Review 48 (case-note)
Bright S, ‘Eviction for Anti-Social Behaviour’ (2006) 70 Conveyancer 85 (case-note)
Bright S, ‘Article 8 Again in the House Of Lords: Kay V Lambeth; Leeds CC V Price’ (2006) 70 Conveyancer 294 (case-note)
Bright S, ‘Managing or Leasing?’ (2005) 2005 Conveyancer 352 (case-note)
Bright S, ‘Ending Tenancies by Notice to Quit: The Human Rights Challenge’ (2004) 120 LQR 398 (case-note)
Bright S, ‘Unfair Terms and Unfair Allocations’ (2004) 2004 Journal of Housing Law 40 (case-note)
Bright S, ‘Landowners Responsibility in Nuisance for Anti-Social Behaviour’ (2003) 67 Conveyancer 171 (case-note)