Lawrence Stephens

Commercial Landlord & Tenant

Commercial property can be a particularly complex and onerous area of law.  If you are a commercial landlord or tenant, you will need legal representation to ensure you only take on the liabilities you have agreed to.

Our Commercial Real Estate solicitors act on behalf of landlords and tenants to draft and negotiate commercial leases and resolve commercial property disputes.

We deal with commercial property across all sectors, including offices, retail, hospitality and industrial warehousing.  Our team will take the time to understand your business needs and work to ensure that any agreements you enter into are tailored to meet your objectives.

Our highly-skilled solicitors have the practical experience to deal efficiently with any difficult situations that may arise and will make sure that your transaction is completed without avoidable delay.

Commercial leases for landlords

Our Commercial Real Estate solicitors will take your instructions and ensure that the lease you provide to your tenants accurately reflects your wishes.  We are robust negotiators and where necessary we can represent you in negotiations to agree on terms.

Commercial leases for tenants

For commercial tenants, the lease is likely to be one of the biggest undertakings for a business.  We can advise you on the terms and conditions you have been offered and negotiate on your behalf to ensure that the agreement you enter into is the best possible deal for you or your organisation.

Our team will provide recommendations on complex subjects such as turnover rent, rent reviews, lease renewals, break clauses, repairing obligations and security of tenure.

We also represent clients in dealing with commercial lease disputes, including issues such as dilapidations and forfeiture.  Wherever possible, we work to resolve matters without protracted legal disagreements or the need for litigation.

Our services include:

  • Dealing with lease assignments and sub-lettings
  • Drafting and agreeing lease renewals
  • Drafting and negotiating agreements for lease (whether conditional on landlord’s works, planning, acquisition or other matters)
  • Drafting and negotiating licences for alterations to deal with your tenant’s fit out
  • Drafting commercial leases
  • Licences to occupy and tenancies at will
  • Negotiating and agreeing the terms of the commercial lease
  • Preparing and negotiating
  • Preparing rent deposit deeds
  • Providing advice on forfeiture or other commercial lease disputes
  • Varying commercial leases