Business Lease Solicitors

It is common for tenants who have not been represented by a solicitor to enter a lease without finding out the extent of their obligations under the lease. For example, without advice on the repairing obligations, a tenant may have to put the property in a better state of repair than it was at the commencement of the lease at the tenant’s cost. Dilapidation claims brought by the landlord can be very expensive at the end of the term so tenants must know their position before entering into a lease.

There are also considerations towards the extension of the lease. If a lease is not within the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, the tenant may have to vacate the property at the end of the term and have no right to renew the lease. If a tenant is carrying out costly fit-out works, they may want the option to take a new lease at the end of the term. If this is the case, the tenant will need to consider or negotiate some protections against being asked to leave after the 5 year period.

Having your business lease agreement checked by a solicitor can prevent later disputes but should the unavoidable happen we can also help with commercial property dispute resolution.

A business lease is an agreement between a landlord and a tenant, that gives the tenant the right to use a property for a business purpose, over a specified period of time, for a defined sum of money.

The legally binding contract contains clauses and provisions defining the rights and obligations of the tenant and landlord.

These can sometimes be biased in favour of the landlord and therefore need to be carefully scrutinised by a specialist solicitor.

The key areas are the length of the lease, rent and other payments to be made by the tenant, service charge, repairs and decoration, alterations, use and dealing with the tenant’s interest in the lease.