Services for Tenants

A lease is a contract between you and your landlord and the terms that are decided at the outset govern your future relationship. Just like any other contract, what's written in the lease can be particularly important if things go wrong (for example if the building burns down) or if you simply want to make changes to your business. Here at Lawson-West, Solicitors, we believe in tailoring each lease to suit your individual needs and protect your interests and the interests of your business.

At Lawson-West, we can:

• Negotiate the terms of the lease for you
• Help you protect your interests when the lease is coming to an end
• Negotiate compensation settlements under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954
• Act for you in the transfer of your existing lease to a new tenant
• Act for you in negotiating changes to your lease
• Advise you generally regarding your position under a lease.

Whilst the terms of the lease are to a certain extent dictated by the landlord, there are changes that the tenant can make to ensure that the lease is balanced and the tenant's position improved. In our negotiations with your landlord's solicitors we will make sure that the landlord cannot impose unreasonable requirements on you if, for example, you want to transfer your lease or use the property for a different purpose. This gives you greater flexibility to change your business to meet the tough challenges of today's markets and makes the lease more attractive to future tenants should you wish to transfer your lease.

It is not just the terms of the lease itself that matter, there are also matters to be considered on leases such as registration at HM Land Registry and stamp duty land tax. Here at Lawson-West, solicitors, we will look into these matters for you and advise you on what your liability is and whether there are any changes you can make to reduce that liability.

Our priority is to make sure you know what you are taking on and what to expect in the future from your landlord so that you can plan ahead.

If you have any queries regarding leasing commercial property as a tenant, please contact Katherine Cereghino on 0116 212 1148 or David Heys on 0116 212 1027 now.