Owning or leasing commercial property brings with it not only advantages but also various liabilities which are being constantly increased by legislation. Are you aware of everything you are required to do?
It is considered natural and important to speak to solicitors at the time a property is being acquired or disposed of, either by grant or sale of a lease or by purchase or sale of a freehold property, but there are many ongoing day to day obligations which are a consequence of ownership or occupation, for example those in respect of disability discrimination, asbestos management, fire and other health and safety issues, and disposal of waste. There are also ongoing stamp duty land tax obligations in respect of leases, particularly at the time of rent review and lease expiry. It is important that legal advice is taken as failure to comply can lead to criminal prosecution and/or financial penalties.
Barlow Robbins LLP has three partners and four other solicitors specialising in commercial property work, giving us a wide breadth of experience. Our property lawyers negotiate the terms of commercial leases and licences (including lease renewals) for a wide range of clients and in relation to industrial, retail and office uses. We are also experienced in dealing with freehold purchases and disposals with or without commercial mortgages. Our development and construction work encompasses acting for developers and land owners. In addition, we provide advice on all landlord and tenant matters and the obligations of owning or occupying property. For landlords with multiple properties, we provide portfolio management legal services.
We act for many charities and schools in respect of their property requirements.
We also work closely with our colleagues acting on corporate acquisitions and disposals and advise on the property aspects of such transactions. We can provide specialist advice relating to property issues affecting the downstream aspect of the oil industry.
The type of work which we undertake could be described as very varied and there is no typical client. We have recently acted for national retailers in the acquisition of various retail units in town centres, shopping centres and out of town retail parks. We have also advised national companies and charities on a range of different landlord and tenant matters and a national car park operator on joint venture agreements with a number of NHS Trusts. It should be stressed, however, that whilst we do have many large corporate clients, we also act for individuals, partnerships and small companies dealing with their everyday commercial property needs. Many of our individual and corporate clients have built up relationships with members of our team going back for years and are viewed as friends.
