Commercial Property Expertise That Works for Your Business
Commercial property transactions carry commercial risk: a badly negotiated lease can burden a business for a decade, and an overlooked title defect can derail an investment. Our commercial property team acts for business owners, landlords, tenants, developers and investors across London, combining technical property law with a practical understanding of what your business needs from the deal.
From our Enfield office we handle shops, offices, restaurants, warehouses, mixed-use buildings and development sites throughout North London and beyond, with particular depth in the Enfield, Barnet, Haringey and Hertfordshire markets.
Buying & Selling Commercial Property
We manage commercial acquisitions and disposals from heads of terms through to completion and registration, including:
- Title investigation, searches and raising enquiries (CPSE)
- Contract negotiation, conditional contracts and options
- VAT, SDLT and Capital Allowances considerations flagged early with your accountant
- Purchases of tenanted investments, including rent deposit and licence documentation
- Finance and lender requirements, including reporting to commercial lenders
Every transaction receives a clear fee quotation at the outset, so professional costs never become an unknown line in your deal appraisal.
Commercial Leases, For Landlords & Tenants
The lease is where most commercial property value (and risk) sits. We draft and negotiate new leases, agreements for lease, licences to assign or underlet, licences for alterations, rent deposit deeds and surrenders. Key battlegrounds we negotiate hard on include:
- Repair obligations, limiting a tenant's exposure with a schedule of condition where appropriate
- Rent review mechanisms and break clauses, including conditions that can defeat a break
- Security of tenure under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, inside or outside the Act
- Service charge caps and alienation provisions
Whether you are a landlord protecting an investment or a tenant committing to premises, we make sure you understand exactly what you are signing before you sign it.
Lease Renewals & Disputes
Business tenants with security of tenure have a statutory right to renew, and landlords have limited, strictly-applied grounds to oppose. We act on both sides of 1954 Act renewals, section 25 and section 26 notices, interim rent applications and negotiations over new terms. We also handle dilapidations claims, rent arrears, forfeiture and lease exit strategies, working closely with our litigation team when disputes escalate.
Development & Investment Structures
For developers and investors we advise on site assembly, conditional contracts and options, overage agreements, promotion agreements and plot sales. We coordinate with planning consultants and funders to keep transactions moving, and we structure documentation so your exit (whether sale, letting or refinance) is protected from day one.
Why Choose Kreston Solicitors?
- Partner-level attention on every transaction, you deal with decision-makers, not a call centre
- Clear, fixed fee quotations for standard transactions
- Strong local market knowledge across Enfield and North London
- Integrated litigation support if a transaction turns contentious
- Multilingual service, including Turkish-speaking solicitors
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
A straightforward freehold purchase typically takes 6-10 weeks from heads of terms. Leasehold acquisitions, tenanted investments and transactions involving finance or landlord's consent commonly take longer. We agree a realistic timetable at the start.
A lease inside the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 gives the tenant a statutory right to renew when it expires. Leases can be 'contracted out' by following a strict notice procedure before completion, meaning the tenant must leave at the end of the term unless the landlord agrees otherwise.
The repair obligation, rent review provisions, break clause conditions, service charge exposure, permitted use, and whether you can assign or underlet. A full-repairing lease of an old building without a schedule of condition can be a very expensive commitment.
Often, yes. SDLT on leases is calculated on both any premium and the 'net present value' of the rent over the term. We calculate the liability as part of the transaction and file the return on your behalf.
A photographic and written record of the state of the premises at the start of the lease. Attached to the lease, it limits the tenant's repairing obligation so they are not required to hand the property back in better condition than they received it.
Only on specific statutory grounds (for example redevelopment, owner-occupation or persistent rent arrears) and compensation may be payable in no-fault cases. Strict notice procedures and deadlines apply, so take advice as soon as you receive a section 25 notice.