Services for landlords

One of our core areas of expertise is negotiating rent reviews and lease renewals for commercial landlords. We take the time to listen to your specific objectives and tailor our strategic advice accordingly. Creating a robust strategy is essential in the early stages, especially considering market uncertainty and previously unforeseen factors like COVID-19 and the resulting lockdowns. To mitigate the impact of these factors, timing is crucial for service of Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 notices or to commence negotiations on rent reviews.

Creating and maintaining good relationships between landlords and tenants is a priority, which is why we always look to reach a mutually beneficial agreement through constructive negotiation. This helps to avoid the time, risks and costs involved in third party referral such as arbitration. However, we understand that such an outcome is not always possible, despite our best efforts. In the rare cases when this happens, we have a wealth of experience writing Expert Reports to submit to courts and tribunals, ensuring the best results for our clients.

Landlords know that business rates can account for a substantial portion of overheads, particularly when buildings become vacant or are due to be redeveloped. Aubrey Burn, a member of the Rating Surveyors Association, acts for major landlords on business rates mitigation.

There are a number of schemes that can mitigate business rates on empty buildings. However, some of them carry substantial risk of being rejected. With our expertise, we can minimise this risk and provide significant savings over the vacant period.

We also have extensive experience securing the deletion of properties from the rating list resulting from refurbishments, conversions and redevelopments.

Whether you’re looking to acquire a property for a long-term investment or you want to actively manage a property before disposal in the short-term, we can help source the most suitable assets and formulate the best strategy.

We’ve developed an extensive network of investment agents who help to source and secure properties, many of which never appear on the open market. These assets can range from central London offices to retail units or industrial units.

As a RICS regulated firm with a RICS Registered Valuer, we’re extremely well placed to carry out a range of valuation services. Where we’re unable to carry out certain valuation work, such as loan security valuations, we are able to work very effectively alongside other firms to provide these services.

Almost all commercial leases require tenants to leave properties in the original configuration and in good repair at the end of the term. However, tenants often fail to comply with their obligations, which can leave landlords with properties which they can’t re-let until works have been carried out to return them to a suitable standard.

Under a lease and depending on the precise terms, a landlord will be entitled to the cost of returning a property to a lease compliant condition. This includes associated losses such as loss of rent. However, the amount receoverable is capped by Section 18(1) of the Landlord & Tenant Act 1927, to only the diminution in value caused by the tenant’s breaches of their legal obligation to repair. In extreme cases, this can eliminate a landlord’s claim entirely.

We have extensive expertise in this area and can provide strategic advice to landlords in managing complex dilapidations claims. This includes providing diminution valuation reports and effectively countering tenant Section 18 defences.