Susan Bright
Biography
Sue is Emeritus Professor of Land Law. She taught at the University of Oxford from 1992, after a period as a solicitor in London and teaching at Essex University. She was 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 research is concerned with complexities stemming from multi-owned property. This includes exploring the building safety problems emerging after the tragic events of Grenfell Tower. She also conducts research into residential estates with privately maintained infrastructure (often referred to in the media as 'fleecehold' estates). Previous research includes multi-disciplinary research into environmental performance and the built environment, as well as the housing possession process.
The eclectic nature of her research led to Sue co-editing, with Professor Sarah Blandy, Researching Property Law (Palgrave, 2015) which explores different approaches to scholarship.
Sue has now retired from employment in the University, but continues to teach land law and to carry out research. She is Emerita Fellow of New College, Oxford.
Publications
BRIGHT S, ‘Residential vertical urbanisation: the intertwining of law and financialisation’ (2025) 63(1) Urban Studies 98
BRIGHT S, ‘Escalating Ground Rents in Residential Leases and Consumer Protection’ (2025) 84(1) The Cambridge Law Journal 51
Bell M and others, ‘Introduction’ [2025] Private Law and Building Safety 1
BRIGHT S, ‘A means to an end or an end in themselves? Consultation and dispensation for fire safety works’ (2024) 2024(1) The Conveyancer and Property Lawyer 40
BRIGHT S, ‘Resilient High-Rise Property? Grenfell Tower and Beyond’ (2023) 8(1) Journal of Law, Property and Society 9
Bright S, ‘Private Law Failings and Policy Development following the Grenfell Tower Fire’ [2023] Politics, Policy and Private Law Volume I: Tort, Property and Equity 127
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) 24(3) Journal of Housing Law 54
BRIGHT S and Morrison P, ‘Varying Long Residential Leases: When, Why and Reform’ (2019) 2019(4) The Conveyancer and Property Lawyer 332
BRIGHT S and Maxwell D, ‘HUMAN RIGHTS AND STATE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR FIRE SAFETY IN BLOCKS OF FLATS’ (2019) 5(2) Human Rights Law Review
BRIGHT S, Whitehouse L and Dhami M, ‘Improving Procedural Fairness in Housing Possession Cases’ (2019) 38(3) Civil Justice Quarterly 351
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) 12(1) Energy Efficiency 157
Bright S, Blandy S and Nield S, ‘The Dynamics of Enduring Property Relationships in Land’ (2018) 81(1) The Modern Law Review 85
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) 11(7) Energy Efficiency 1641
Bright S and weatherall D, ‘Framing and Mapping Building Governance Barriers to Energy Upgrades in Flats’ (2017) 29(2) Journal of Environmental Law 203
Patrick J and Bright S, ‘WICKED insights into the role of green leases’ (2016) 2016(4) The Conveyancer and Property Lawyer 264
Janda K and others, ‘The Evolution of Green Leases: Towards Inter-Organizational Environmental Governance’ (2016) 44(5-6) Building Research and Information: The International Journal of Research, Development and Demonstration 660
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
Dixon T, Bright S and Mallaburn P, ‘Energy performance in commercial property: research and practice challenges’ (2014) 32(4) JOURNAL OF PROPERTY INVESTMENT & FINANCE
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
Axon C and others, ‘Building communities: Reducing energy use in tenanted commercial property’ (2012) 40(4) Building Research and Information 461
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
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, ‘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 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, ‘To the Rescue’ [2008] (May/June) ROOF 40
Bright S, ‘Drafting Green Leases’ (2008) 72 Conveyancer 498
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) The 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(2) CLJ 305
Bright S, ‘Green Leases – Becoming more usual?’ [2002] Estates Gazette
Bright S, ‘Avoiding Tenancy Legislation: Sham and Contracting Out Revisited’ (2002) 2002(1) 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, ‘Winning the battle against unfair contract terms’ (2000) 20(3) Legal Studies 331
Bright S, ‘Uncertainty in leases – Is it a vice?’ (1993) 13(1) Legal Studies 38
Bright S and Sunkin M, ‘Investing in legal education’ (1992) 26(2) The Law Teacher 118
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. Past, Present and Future. (Hart 2006)
Bright S, Landlord and Tenant Law (Hart Publishing 2006)
Cappelletti M and BETTINI F, ‘Tackling Building Safety through Private Law: A Comparative Analysis’ in M Bell and others (eds.), Private Law and Building Safety (1st edn., Hart Publishing 2025)
MCFARLANE B and others, ‘Private Law and Building Safety: Problems and Promises’ in S BRIGHT, M Bell and A Robertson (eds.), Private Law and Building Safety (1st edn., Hart Publishing 2025)
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)
Janda K and others, ‘The evolution of green leases: towards inter-organisational environmental governance’ in R Lorch and others (eds.), Building Governance and Climate Change (Routledge 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)
McCarthy F, Bright S and Fawcett T, ‘Building Governance and Energy Efficiency: Mapping the Interdisciplinary Challenge’, Advancing Energy Policy (Springer Nature 2018)
Bright S, Patrick J and janda K, ‘Energy management, minimum energy efficiency standards, and the diversity of ‘green lease’ clauses’ in S Wilkinson 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, 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, Glover H and Adams-Prassl J, ‘Tenancy Agreements’ in E Simpson and M Stewart (eds.), Sham Transactions (OUP 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 (1stst edn., Oxford University Press 1998)
Bell M and others, Private Law and Building Safety (Hart Publishing 2025) 1
Wallom D and others, ‘Quantifying the impact of green leasing on energy use in a retail portfolio: limits to big data analytics’, ECEEE Summer Study 2017 (European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy 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 and others, ‘The Evolution of Greener Leasing Practices in Australia and England’ (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors 2015)
Janda K and others, ‘A WICKED approach to retail sector energy management’, First Fuel Now (European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy 2015)
Bright S, ‘
Carbon reduction and commercial leases in the UK’ (2010) 2(3) International Journal of Law in the Built Environment 218 (review)
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, ‘Article 8 Again in the House Of Lords: Kay v Lambeth; Leeds CC v Price’ (2006) 70 Conveyancer 294 (case-note)
Bright S, ‘Eviction for Anti-social Behaviour’ (2006) 70 Conveyancer 85 (case-note)
Bright S, ‘Tolerated Trespass or A New Tenancy?’ (2006) 122 Law Quarterly Review 48 (case-note)
Bright S, ‘Managing or Leasing?’ (2005) 2005 Conveyancer 352 (case-note)
Bright S, ‘Unfair Terms and Unfair Allocations’ (2004) 2004 Journal of Housing Law 40 (case-note)
Bright S, ‘Ending Tenancies by Notice to Quit: the human rights challenge’ (2004) 120 LQR 398 (case-note)
Bright S, ‘Landowners Responsibility in Nuisance for Anti-social behaviour’ (2003) 67 Conveyancer 171 (case-note)
Bright S and Maxwell D, ‘Human Rights and State Accountability for Fire Safety in Blocks of Flats’
Bright S and others, ‘The Evolution of ’Greener’ Leasing Practices in Australia and England’
Bright S and Whitehouse L, ‘Information, Advice & Representation in Housing Possession Cases’
Bright S and Whitehouse L, ‘The Opportunities and Challenges of Empirical Work: Housing Possession in Theory and in Practice’
Bright S, ‘Carbon Reduction and Commercial Leases’
Bright S, ‘The Limits of Contractual Freedom in English Commercial Leases’
Bright S and Morrison P, ‘Varying Long Residential Leases: When, Why and Reform’
Bright S, ‘Private Law Failings and Policy Development following the Grenfell Tower Fire’