Commercial Property
Are option agreements useful for developers?
Buying land with a view to development and/or change of use is a major commitment and it is understandable, especially if it is your first venture, that you have some reservations about an immediate purchase where it might not be possible to achieve development. This is where understanding your ....
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Commercial property transfers during mergers and acquisitions
When a business changes hands, the focus is often on shares, contracts and people. Property can sometimes slip down the list which can be costly. Commercial premises often represent a big part of the value of the deal and problems with title or occupation have a habit of surfacing at the worst p....
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Tips and traps for buying and selling commercial property
Commercial property deals often come at busy and important moments for business owners. Maybe you’re moving into your first premises or selling a site that has supported your business for many years. Either way, the process can feel demanding because there is quite a lot to think about befo....
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Granting a lease or a licence – What do I need to know?
Some landlords are under pressure to avoid having empty premises and secure some income. That urgency can sometimes lead to hasty decisions about whether to grant a lease or a licence, which can cause problems down the line. Knowing how each works helps you avoid disputes and protects your pr....
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How the rules for commercial leases are set to change
After decades without change, the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 is under review. The Law Commission is looking closely at the process of excluding a tenant from having the benefit of security of tenure by its commercial lease of premises at the end of its contractual term. What is se....
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Could we see the end of upward-only rent reviews?
The Government’s English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill is progressing through Parliament. Buried within this Bill is a proposed ban on upward-only rent reviews in commercial leases. As someone who spends a lot of time advising on commercial leases, we have seen first-hand how re....
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Avoiding problems with easements on commercial property
When you own or develop commercial property, the existence or creation of easements can have a significant impact on what you can and cannot do. Put simply, easements may be rights that you have over neighbouring property but also may be rights that owners of neighbouring properties have over yo....
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Commercial property litigation: explained
If you’re a landlord or managing agent of commercial property, finding yourself in a dispute can be stressful, costly and time-consuming. In certain circumstances, it can be very challenging to find a solution without professional legal intervention. In this blog, we outline what you need to know....
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Developing agricultural land: Addressing the challenges of acquisition
The UK’s agricultural land market has been an attractive proposition for investors for a long time as they attempt to bank land and take advantage of rural expansion. Whilst farm land was once the reserve of farming families, agricultural land is increasingly drawing the attention of this wide....
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Upward only rent reviews
The proposed ban of Upwards Only Rent Reviews in commercial leases has been tabled by a Bill labelled ‘English Devolution and Community Empowerment’. (If the Bill becomes an Act, not many will easily find the whereabouts of the ban provisions as the label does not obviously direct location, alt....
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The Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023: What landlords and business owners need to know
The Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 represents one of the most significant reforms to planning and development in England in recent years. Aimed at addressing regional inequalities and streamlining local regeneration, the Act has clear and direct implications for commercial landlords, tenant....
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The Building Safety Levy
The Building Safety Levy is due to be launched in the Autumn of 2026; the power to impose the levy is found in the Building Safety Act 2022. Tina Dobbs, Senior Associate in our Commercial Property team tells us what it is, and who will it affect: What is the levy? It is essentially a mandato....
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Review of commercial property laws: what it means for tenants and landlords
There are billions of square feet of commercial property in the UK – and more than half of it is rented, according to figures from the Property Industry Alliance. Strict rules govern how commercial property leases are managed, but some of these date back more than 70 years. The Law Commission ....
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Building Liability Orders (BLOs): Corporate exposure and strategic considerations
What are BLOs and why should companies care? Building Liability Orders (BLOs) were introduced under the Building Safety Act 2022 to address situations where a company directly responsible for building safety defects is unable to afford the cost of repairs. They aim to protect leaseholders fr....
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The Commercial Property team – how can they help you?
Our Commercial Property team is here to help individuals and businesses achieve their commercial property goals. Whether you are a commercial landlord, tenant, developer, surveyor or agent, Attwaters Jameson Hill’s lawyers can support, advise and work with you to service your commercial property ....
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Are you a commercial landlord with a vacant property?
If you walk down your local high street, you might notice an increasing number of empty shops. In fact, over 9% of the UK’s high street units have been vacant for more than a year, partly due to rising rents and the shift towards online shopping. To combat this, the government introduced legislat....
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Are commercial tenants responsible for replacing crumbly concrete?
In recent weeks, news has broken that hundreds of schools and other public buildings across the UK, which were built using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), are now unsafe. As this lightweight, ‘bubbly’ concrete (most widely used during a 40-year period between 1950 and 1990) has r....
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EPCs for commercial property: a legal perspective
What is an EPC? An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rates how energy efficient your building is on a scale from A to G (with A the being the most efficient grade and G being the least efficient). Once issued, an EPC is valid for 10 years. Why is energy efficiency important? The....
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Which pre-contract searches do I need when buying a commercial property?
When buying a commercial property, it is vital to ensure all mandatory searches are carried out, aswell as any additional checks needed for the specific property. The required searches will vary depending on the property’s location and whether it is bought with cash or a mortgage. Why are ....
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