Category: Commercial Property

Can you get out of a commercial lease early?

The impact of COVID-19 has been significant on almost every business in the UK. For many office based businesses remote working practices mean that they may no longer require the same amount of office space. In some cases therefore, it may no longer be commercially viable to pay expensive rent on office space that is…

Chris Waddingham - Commercial Property Partner

Press Release: Ison Harrison Appoints New Commercial Property Partner

PRESS RELEASE: DECEMBER 2019 Yorkshire law firm Ison Harrison has appointed a prominent property partner to head up its commercial property division. Chris Waddingham joins Ison Harrison’s expanding regional team having previously been at Blacks Solicitors in Leeds where he was a partner and commercial property lawyer for 15 years. This latest senior appointment brings…

Landlord and tenant

The Private Landlord Guidelines

The amount of private renters doubles in a decade According to the Family Resources Survey, Department for Work and Pensions, the proportion of 35-54 year olds who live as private tenants has almost doubled since 2006-2007. Renting among this age group is more likely to be privately rented from a landlord, than a council or housing…

Corn Exchange Leeds, UK

Revival of Oldest Street in Leeds Kirkgate

Plans have now been submitted to revive Leeds oldest street; Kirkgate. The transformation of Leeds oldest street has been submitted by Think Architecture and features include new build apartments, a new public square, and a new pedestrianised street featuring retail and leisure space for independent businesses. Paul Nathan-Geary of Geary & Associates, advising Cityfusion, stated:…

Conveyancing house keys

Tenants Are At Risk Of Losing Their Home If They Sublet With AirBnB

Tenants are in danger of losing their homes if they sublet.  Writer and actor Leo Cassini used Airbnb to let a spare room in his central London apartment, which he had rented for 13 years. Leo explained that a work project had failed, and he subsequently used Airbnb to tide him over financially. Leo stated…

Commercial glass fronted buildings

Commercial Lease Break Clauses – What You Need to Know

There are many reasons why a tenant may wish to exercise a break clause in a commercial lease agreement. You may have grown unsure about the location, you may have run into financial difficulties or you may have found that your business is not suited to the premises. Whatever the reason, expert advice is a…

Lease Extensions for Flats- Our Solicitor’s Advice

Lease Extensions for Flats- Our Solicitor’s Advice

A lease extension is not necessarily at the top of a home owner’s to-do list, but it can prove to be a shrewd step to take. Here, Steve Neale, a Partner in our Commercial Property department, looks at the benefits of doing so in relation to flats. First and foremost, the key benefit of extending…

Countryside scene

Land Registry Facing Proposed Privatisation

One way or another, most individuals who own a home will have had some dealings with the Land Registry. Some of the most important documents and information relating to the ownership of your property are stored by the Land Registry. The Land Registry maintains a database that containing copies of Title Plans and Title Registers…

New build terraced homes

New legislation and regulations – protecting tenants or penalising landlords?

Landlords will be no doubt aware of the regulations currently in force surrounding Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) and due to new legislation this area of law is to be even more tightly regulated from 1st October 2015. The Deregulation Act 2015 (DA 2015) came into force on 1 October 2015 and the main provisions are summarised…

Lease

When is a business partner entitled to apply for a new lease?

The Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 provides a tenant of commercial premises with a statutory right to apply for a new tenancy, as long as the nature of the tenancy satisfies certain preliminary criteria. Once the criteria have been satisfied, there is usually no controversy over whether the tenant can exercise its statutory rights. However,…

Sean Gallagher

Ison Harrison Expands Commercial Property Arm with New Appointment

Leeds Law Firm, Ison Harrison has extended its Commercial Property operation by appointing Sean Gallagher to swell the existing team to six. Ison Harrison are ideally placed to take advantage of the burgeoning Leeds building thrust, acting particularly for house builders and commercial landlords. Sean now brings his 10 years of experience to the team…

Highways 500

Court of Appeal decision on Section 38 Agreements

Court of Appeal confirms that highway authorities may impose commuted sums in section 38 agreements The Court of Appeal decided on the 31 October 2014 that highway authorities may, when entering into agreements under section 38 of the Highways Act 1980, legitimately charge commuted sums for the future maintenance of highways after adoption. The practice…

Landlord’s mistake over rollover tenancy proves costly

Landlord’s mistake over rollover tenancy proves costly

Failure to do so could result in penalties and prevent the landlord from serving notice for possession. The case involved a tenant who had taken an assured tenancy for a fixed term of one year less one day from January 8, 2007 and paid one month’s rent as a deposit. The arrangement preceded the Tenancy…

Understanding Commercial Property Leases

Understanding Commercial Property Leases

Given the ongoing relationship of landlord and tenant, it is also important that both parties are satisfied with the final agreement. The advice of experienced commercial property solicitors is essential, particularly for long-term or extensive leases which may require detailed investigations and legal searches to be carried out. Key Considerations in Commercial Property Leases Although…

Planning permissions for new homes up by a third

Planning permissions for new homes up by a third

The increase followed the introduction of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) last April, which gave local authorities more power over what is built in their areas. There were 33,881 approvals compared with 24,872 in Quarter 2. The HBF says the increase is welcome but is still far short of the 60,000 approvals needed each…

Commercial tenant fails to exercise break clause correctly

Commercial tenant fails to exercise break clause correctly

It’s thought the economic downturn is putting pressure on both sides to minimise their financial losses. It means landlords are now more likely to scrutinise tenancy agreements as closely as possible to prevent a break taking place. A recent case in the High Court involved a dispute over a break clause in a 10-year lease….

Rent control being considered by Select Committee

Rent control being considered by Select Committee

The committe is inviting interested parties to submit views on issues such as the quality of rented housing and how to enqure that standards remain acceptable. It will look at levels of rent, the possibility of rent control and the regulation of landlords and letting agents. Issues such as tenancy agreements, homelessness, the interaction between…

Boost for landlords paying empty property rates

Boost for landlords paying empty property rates

Currently, business rates are charged on nearly all non-domestic properties such as shops, offices and factories while they are in use. Properties with a rateable value of less than £2,600 are exempt from rates when they become vacant. However, buildings with a rateable value above £2,600 only qualify for a three-month exemption period if they…

Failure to pay interest invalidated break clause notice

Failure to pay interest invalidated break clause notice

The fact that the landlord had not sent a demand for payment made no difference. The case involved a tenant that had taken out a ten-year lease on commercial premises. There was a clause saying the lease could be terminated if the tenant gave three months notice of the specified break date. The notice would…

Local authorities lose appeal over planning permission for HMOs

Local authorities lose appeal over planning permission for HMOs

The need for planning permission was introduced in April 2010 by the last LabourGovernment after it had conducted a consultation with interested parties theprevious year. However, the new Coalition Government decided that imposing a blanket need for planning permission in such cases could not be justified. It feared it would deter landlords from providing much…