Steve Rowe chats to barrister and park home legal expert Ibraheem Dulmeer, finding out more about the chambers he has joined. If you are anybody in the park homes world or industry, then be sure to read on!

Regular readers will already know the name Ibraheem Dulmeer as he regularly offers legal advice in the pages of this magazine.

Ibraheem has been involved in the park home world since 2014 and is now a barrister. He is now practicing from Normanton Chambers, one of the UK’s most forward thinking legal chambers based in Central London and Taunton.

Ibraheem was called to the Bar and will continue his specialisation in the park home sector, offering legal advice and help to anyone who is in (or thinking of entering) the park homes world. In addition, he also looks forward to offer advice to the holiday home sector.

‘I LOVE WORKING IN THE PARK HOME WORLD!’
Starting my chat with Ibraheem, I asked him why he has decided to specialise in park homes for his new practice. He enthused that ‘I will be staying in this sector principally because of the wonderful people I have met over the years. I am most impressed by just how kind the people in the park homes world and industry are! Perhaps it’s because they are generally wiser and more respectful. Although I must add, this will not be the only area of law that I will offer my services in.’

From my past experience, ‘I have a real understanding of the legal issues that affect both park home owners and site owners, so it seemed a perfect idea to continue practicing in this area and representing clients when needed. I was majorly involved in explaining the changes introduced by the Mobile Homes Act 2013 in England and The Mobile Homes (Wales) Act 2013 in Wales to everyone in the sector, including local authority officers. People say that I know my stuff.’

I then asked Ibraheem what other legal qualifications and experience he brings to his new practice.

He explained: ‘I read law at the University of London and also have Masters in Law (in Tax Law!). I qualified as a lawyer in 2016 and was called to the Bar in 2019. I am a member of the Institute of Residential Property Management (IRPM), an associate member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and I am a mediator.’

GET IN TOUCH
With Ibraheem now practicing as a barrister, I asked him how people could go about contacting him for help? He continued, ‘I am able to accept Public Access instructions on a wide range of legal issues (including park homes law). This means that a member of the public may be able to instruct me directly if they want, without going through a solicitor. This means that people can call my chambers and set up a meeting with me.’

‘I am offering legal advice to both park home/holiday home owners and site owners. This advice might not end in a court case, but clients might just want my help and advice on legal issues they face. As a mediator I can help to mediate between parties who are having difficulties to find a solution and want to avoid the stress and cost of going to court or tribunal.’

‘I also have my own website www.ibraheemdulmeer.com  as well as the Chamber’s website, and on my site I have included many of the legal articles relating to the park home sector that I have written over the years. Perhaps a look as this website might be a good starting point for anyone who is looking for help? There is a contact box on there, which you can use to contact me; I aim to get back to anyone within 24 hours of receiving a message.’

MOST COMMON PROBLEM
I then asked Ibraheem what are the most common problems he expects to be dealing with in his new practice, bearing in mind all his years he has already been working in this area of law? He explained, ‘This is very difficult to predict, when it comes to park home owners, common legal disputes centre around things like the annual pitch fee review or utility charges when these are paid via the site owner. When it comes to park sites owners and operators, they might want advice relating to planning permission if they are planning to expand their site or change the licence to include a greater number of pitches.’

‘As a barrister I aim to work for both park home owners and site owners, but, of course, I can only represent one side in any particular legal dispute.’

REASONABLE FEES
I then asked Ibraheem what initial advice he would offer anyone who is currently facing legal issues. He exclaimed, ‘Feel free to use my website www.ibraheemdulmeer.com to make contact with me or contact my chambers.’

‘My aim is to be as approachable as possible and I sincerely hope that people will feel comfortable contacting me for help and advice. Many legal disputes, can be resolved with careful mediation and I am happy to help as a mediator in such cases. Court or tribunal is always the last resort.’

‘In my new practice, I also plan to keep my fees as reasonable as possible, I will be offering fixed fees for some work. Readers might want to take note that I offer a nominal fee for an initial consultation. Where a dispute might involve several residents on a park, then the legal costs could also be split between them, which can help reduce the cost burden. I will always be transparent and clear with my fees and you will not be faced with any hidden surprises.’

GOOD LUCK WITH THE NEW VENTURE!
I enjoyed my chat with Ibraheem and he is certainly very knowledgeable, engaging and easy to speak to. He is down to earth and approachable. I am sure regular readers will join us in wishing him all the best with his new venture.

I also spoke to park home insurance expert Paul Baker (www.pbinsurance.co.uk) and this magazine’s editor Alex Melvin, to get their opinions on Ibraheem.

Paul Baker commented: ‘I am delighted to hear that Ibraheem is staying involved in the park home sector and wish him every success in his new practice. He was one of the specialist advisers/speakers at our park home road shows a few years ago and I was particularly impressed with his expert knowledge, thorough advice and friendly manner. I look forward to catching up with him in the very near future.’

Editor Alex Melvin added: ‘I have been fortunate enough to know Ibraheem for more than a decade now. He has been penning monthly legal articles for the magazine for several years.’

‘He has always been extremely professional in his dealings with me and PH&HC readers. He’s also a really friendly, helpful and genuine guy – a pleasure to work with really.

‘Everybody at PH&HC would like to wish Ibraheem the best of luck in his new venture. Knowing Ibraheem as I do, I’m sure he’ll make a great success of it!’

Info point
To get in touch with Ibraheem Dulmeer, please contact:

T: 0300 0300 218 or 07941 672313 (24/7)
E: clerks@normantonchambers.com
Chamber’s website: www.normantonchambers.com

Address: Normanton Chambers, 218 Strand, London, WC2R 1AT

Ibraheem’s personal website : www.ibraheemdulmeer.com

You are able to submit an enquiry on his website; Ibraheem aims to get back to you within 24 hours.

Legal terms and phrases

Legal language, or ‘legalese’ as it sometimes called, can sometimes be confusing. Ibraheem explains a couple of useful terms and phrases for you here:

Call to the Bar? The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been “called to the bar”.

What is a barrister? A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions.