Commercial Property

Our commercial property team undertakes the full spectrum of Real Estate instruction, including development, investment, acquisitions and disposals, and asset management.

We specialise in serving retail and investment property businesses, but also act for many long-standing and high-profile clients in several areas, including banks and their customers regularly seek our advice on all aspects of financial transactions, including real estate funding, corporate finance, lending security and recovery, and dispute resolution.

Our Real Estate and Commercial Property team support you with an entrepreneurial, commercial and considered approach, driving transactions energetically and decisively to meet your deadlines and objectives.  Our communications will be clear and concise, avoiding unnecessary legal language and face-to-face where possible – often more efficient than negotiating by e-mail.

With many of our team coming from City or West End commercial property firms, our experience helps us understand your business quickly and tailor our service to suit. This, we believe, is one of the reasons why clients stay with us and keep coming back to us.

Leasing property

We act for both landlords and tenants regarding leasing offices, shops and industrial units, residential and mixed-use properties.

We’ll support you across all landlord and tenant issues, including:

• drafting and negotiating new leases, licences and related documents,
• helping with rent reviews, statutory lease renewals and terminations,
• serving notices and obtaining possession of properties.

Planning

Our work with the public and private sectors has included many major commercial developments, such as the development of the 32,000 capacity Milton Keynes Stadium; an energy waste project in Wales; a sustainable urban extension scheme in Buckinghamshire; and a substantial retirement village.

We’ll support you throughout the planning process:

• assessing the potential development
• investigating planning title
• advising on applications and planning conditions
• supporting planning obligations, including listed buildings and conservation areas.

Property acquisitions and disposals

Our work on property acquisition and disposals covers all real estate asset categories, for a broad client base including developers, private and institutional investors (on and offshore) and owner occupiers.

We offer a bespoke service covering all stages of a transaction, from negotiating terms to post-completion management issues, from large portfolios to personal private undertakings.

When legal action and court proceedings are necessary, our litigation teams, will be efficient and tenacious.

Property development and planning

Commercial development is complex and a range of skills is required to ensure a project is delivered effectively, whether large or small. Our experts advise on all legal aspects of the development process, from acquiring the development site, through planning and construction to selling the final product.

Development issues often occur when new or recently constructed buildings are acquired, and when properties are altered for a different use. In these situations, we deal with the underlying legal concerns, allowing you to focus on what is important – running your business.

Our expertise covers funding the project, and title issues including:

• easements and restrictive covenants
• planning and infrastructure agreements
• building contracts
• professional appointments
• warranties and development agreements.

We provide practical, commercial and cost-effective advice to help you achieve your goals.

Restaurants, pubs & bars

Acting for clients who need space for use as restaurants is a natural extension to our retail work. We help to secure new and repeat instructions on properties throughout the country – from shopping centres and retail park drive-throughs, to high streets and hospitals.

This sometimes includes acquiring existing trading locations with the trading business, assets and staff, when we are supported by our corporate, commercial and employment teams.