Site Development Solicitors
If you are developing a site and need specialist legal support to manage the transaction, the title, and the contractual framework, our solicitors, with over 25 years of experience in commercial property and development law, can help.
A commercial lease in England and Wales is a long-term financial and legal commitment. The terms agreed before signing govern the tenant’s occupation for years, and many of those terms are negotiable. Rent review mechanisms, break rights, repairing obligations, alienation provisions, and permitted use clauses can each have a substantial effect on the cost of occupation. Our full range of commercial property services is available on our website.
We act for both landlords and tenants in commercial lease transactions across Greater London, from single office suites to substantial multi-floor premises.
Our team advises and acts for landlords and tenants on:
- Heads of terms review, advising on the commercial and legal implications of the terms agreed in principle before the formal lease is drafted.
- Lease negotiation on behalf of tenants, reviewing the landlord’s draft lease and negotiating amendments to protect the tenant’s position on rent review, repair, use, assignment, and break rights.
- Lease negotiation on behalf of landlords, advising on how to structure the letting to protect the landlord’s asset and ensure obligations are properly recorded.
- Permitted use clauses, ensuring that the permitted use under the lease is wide enough to accommodate the tenant’s current and anticipated business activities.
- Repairing obligations, advising tenants and landlords on the scope of repair and maintenance obligations and the inclusion of a photographic schedule of condition.
- Rent review provisions, including the implications of upward-only review mechanisms under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 and the alternatives available.
- Break clauses, advising on the conditions attached to break rights and the steps required to exercise them validly.
- Security of tenure, advising on whether the lease is inside or outside the protection of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 and what that means for the tenant at the end of the term.
- Service charge provisions, reviewing the scope of recoverable costs and any cap or limit on the tenant’s contribution.
- Authorised guarantee agreements, advising outgoing tenants on the guarantee obligations that may arise on assignment of the lease.
Why choose Law Lane for lease negotiations?
Acting on both sides of commercial lease transactions gives us direct knowledge of where landlords typically refuse to move and where a well-advised tenant can achieve improvements to the standard draft. Most institutional landlords use a precedent lease that favours the landlord’s position. Many of those terms are negotiable, including repair liability, permitted use, alienation rights, and the rent review mechanism.
We work with commercial agents, surveyors, and lenders on every transaction and understand that commercial leases must be completed within deal timelines. We draft clearly, negotiate directly, and do not allow the legal process to delay a transaction that is ready to proceed.
Our Lexcel accreditation from the Law Society of England and Wales, and our 4.95 review rating from over 1,200 reviews, reflect our high standard of work. We give clients a realistic timetable, keep them informed at every stage, and ensure the legal work does not become the bottleneck in the transaction.
Get in touch
Our commercial lease team is ready to advise you today. Whether you are a tenant reviewing a landlord’s draft or a landlord granting a new lease, we will make sure the document works in your favour. Please phone: 020 7870 4870 or email: info@lawlanesolicitors.co.uk
Law Lane Solicitors is proud to be accredited under The Law Society’s Immigration and Asylum Accreditation.
Got any questions?
* Required
"*" indicates required fields
Frequently Asked Questions –
Negotiating a Commercial Lease
What is included in a typical commercial lease?
A commercial lease in England and Wales sets out the term of the letting, the rent and any review mechanism, the permitted use, each party’s repair and maintenance obligations, provisions for assignment and subletting, whether the lease is inside the protection of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, the conditions for exercising any break right, and the tenant’s obligations on giving up the property at the end of the term. Most of these terms are negotiable before the lease is granted.
What does it mean for a lease to be inside or outside the 1954 Act?
A lease under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 gives the tenant a statutory right to renew the tenancy upon its expiration, on the same terms and at a market rent. A lease outside the Act ends on the date specified in the lease, with no automatic right to a new tenancy. Whether a lease is inside or outside the Act is one of the most significant terms for any business that depends on remaining in its premises.
What is a tenant's repairing covenant?
A repairing covenant sets out what condition the tenant must keep the premises in during the term and what state the premises must be returned in at the end. A full repairing covenant requires the tenant to put and keep the premises in good repair, even if the premises were in poor condition when the lease was granted. A photographic schedule of condition attached to the lease limits the tenant’s obligation to the condition recorded at the start.
Can I sublet or assign a commercial lease?
Most commercial leases allow the tenant to assign the lease or sublet the premises with the landlord’s consent. The landlord cannot unreasonably withhold or delay consent but may impose conditions, such as requiring a direct covenant from the incoming tenant or an authorised guarantee agreement from the outgoing one. The specific provisions in the lease govern the process.
What is a service charge in a commercial lease?
A service charge is a sum payable by the tenant to cover the landlord’s costs of maintaining, insuring, and managing the building. In multi-tenanted properties, each tenant’s share is usually calculated based on the floor area they occupy. Service charge clauses can be broadly drafted and expose tenants to significant costs. We review service charge provisions carefully and advise on whether caps, exclusions, or certification requirements should be negotiated.
What should I look for in a rent review clause?
The most important feature of a rent review clause is whether it is upward-only, meaning the rent can only increase. An upward-only review is standard in many institutional leases in England and Wales but is not the only option. The frequency of review, the basis for the review, and the assumptions that apply to the valuation exercise can all affect what the tenant pays over the term.
How long does it take to negotiate and complete a commercial lease?
A straightforward commercial lease can be negotiated and completed within four to six weeks. Where the parties are far apart on terms, or where the transaction involves complex documentation or lender requirements, it will take longer. We give a realistic timetable from the outset.
How much does an initial consultation cost?
We offer a fixed-fee initial consultation for commercial lease matters. At that meeting, we review the heads of terms or the draft lease, identify the issues that need to be negotiated, and give a costs estimate for the work. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to arrange a time.
Commercial Conveyancing Team
Saghir Ahmad
Managing Director, SolicitorView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Brian Hoffman
Consultant SolicitorView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Amrit Kaur Grewal
SolicitorView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Ata Ur Rahman
SolicitorView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Ganga Gunatilake
SolicitorView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Adedamola Adedeji
SolicitorView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Kainaat Malik
Trainee SolicitorView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Rahat Ara Gitu
SolicitorView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Amina Aziz
ParalegalView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Esra Demirtas
ParalegalView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Farzana Mohammed
Trainee SolicitorView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Christian O. Nwaorah
SolicitorView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Hafza Hassan
Trainee SolicitorView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Hina Latif
Legal Consultant / RFLView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Aiziya Khan
ParalegalView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Sanushi Sumaya Hemantha
ParalegalView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Syed Umer Ali
ParalegalView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Accreditations & Memberships
