Commercial Property Law

Buying and Selling Commercial Property

We are experienced with all types of commercial property, including retail premises, industrial units, hotels and guest houses, agricultural land and development land. We also advise on Stamp Duty implications as necessary.

Our legal team regularly deal with all shapes and sizes of freehold and leasehold land, and also have the knowledge necessary to deal with the less frequent transactions such as unregistered titles, build-out projects and SIPP purchases. From one small unit up to a large estate or portfolio, we aim to offer practical advice and assistance tailored to the individual client’s circumstances.

Andrew Pluck

Head of Department, Partner, BA Hons (Law)

apluck@hartreade.co.uk Full details

Commercial Leases

Whether you are a landlord or a tenant, the correct preparation of the lease document is vital. It will govern the obligations of the parties for a significant period of time and is difficult to alter at a later date. Clarity is essential if disputes are to be avoided.

When acting for landlords, we seek to ensure there are enough restrictions in place and that a sufficient level of control is retained. Landlords must retain a certain level of involvement in the property in order to protect their capital asset. However, if they infringe too much on the tenant’s ability to use the property freely then they will struggle to let the property at all.

When acting for tenants, we strive to negotiate a fair division of responsibility for the property. Also, to ensure that the landlord has not weighted the lease too much in their own favour. Full details of the tenant’s obligations are provided to a client before the lease is signed and completed.

For more information, see our Landlord and Tenant page.

Commercial Finance

Securing lending on a commercial property, either individually or by way of portfolio, can be very complicated. It is often as involved as the initial acquisition of the property and it is not uncommon for the Lender to appoint their own solicitors to oversee matters. We are used to dealing with Lender’s solicitors in such matters and can anticipate the general requirements leading to a smoother and swifter transaction.

Land Development

Whether you are a landowner or a property developer, we have extensive experience with development land issues and documents including:

• Sale and Purchase Agreements – these can range from a simple sale where all terms are agreed, to the complex versions, conditional on obtaining planning permission or on a satisfactory environmental survey or similar.
• Option Contracts – often used for more speculative development proposals, options can again range from the very simple, just giving the buyer an absolute right to buy at a future time of their choosing, to the complex, requiring the buyer to apply for planning permission or to acquire additional land or rights.
• Overage Arrangements – where the seller is concerned that the land may have further development potential, an overage arrangement will provide for the buyer to pay over further monies in the event of obtaining additional or enhanced planning permission.
• Planning Agreements – often necessary to secure planning permission, these can include s.106 Agreements, detailing the additional obligations on the developer, or the road and utility adoption agreements and bonds.
• Plot Sales – the end result of development projects is inevitably the sale of the new units, whether residential or commercial. We are fully conversant with preparation of the sale bundles expected on such transactions and will ensure they progress as smoothly as possible.

Please telephone the following contact numbers to arrange an appointment:

Eastbourne 01323 727321

Hailsham 01323 841481

Polegate 01323 487051

Meads 01323 407577

Alternatively, please complete the contact form below.

Please note the above is for information purposes only and is intended to be a short summary.  It should not be treated as a comprehensive guide and should not be acted on without qualified legal advice.