Offices

We deal with lettings of a whole building, of floors within larger office complexes, or of units within a shared business park or science and technology park.  We also act in relation to sales and purchases of office buildings of all sizes and types, from multi-let serviced offices to owner-occupied buildings.

We can assist both Landlords and Tenants with the following:

• Heads of Terms - we can advise on proposed heads of terms to ensure you are in the best position from the outset.
• Title Investigation- when acting for a tenant, we will carry out a thorough investigation of the documents and information provided by the landlord for early risk identification.
• Legal documents- we will draft, negotiate and advise on the required legal documents and provide guidance on matters which arise such as:
  • agreements for lease, leases, renewal leases, leases by reference and assignment of leases
  • deeds of variation and surrenders of leases
  • important terms such as break clauses, rent reviews, “green lease” clauses and the green deal, security of tenure and relevant landlord and tenant legislation
  • service charges: a landlord must ensure that the cost of providing services can be recovered from the tenants. A tenant must ensure that the services to be provided by the landlord are of a standard they expect and that the payments they make are only able to be used for providing common facilities which will directly benefit them
  • Applying for landlord’s consent (which could be a licence to assign or a licence for alterations) and advising on the conditions a landlord may try to impose on any licence

Property Litigation -  we can assist you with the serving of any landlord and tenant statutory notices at the expiry of a lease and provide you with assistance if any disagreements arise between landlord and tenant.

We can assist individuals or businesses who are looking to purchase their own office premises on the following:

• Preliminary considerations – we can advise on the purchase structure in conjunction with your other advisers (e.g. a limited company, an LLP or a private pension scheme). We also work closely with our commercial and corporate team if you require further advice from a commercial and corporate perspective.
• Heads of Terms - we can advise on proposed heads of terms of your purchase 
• Due diligence and title investigation- we will carry out a thorough investigation of the documents and information provided by the landlord for early risk identification.
• Legal documents- we will draft, negotiate and advise on the required legal documents
• Property searches and enquiries – we will conduct property searches over the office site and raising specific enquiries of the Seller to flag up any potential issues
• Funders or other third party – we will deal with the requirements of any funder or other third party interested in the purchase
• SDLT and Land Registry formalities – we will deal with with the stamp duty land tax formalities and ensure your purchase is registered at the Land Registry

We have worked with some of the biggest occupiers and landlords in the market in relation to top grade office space. Our solicitors have a wealth of experience and technical expertise in relation to the purchase and letting of office premises. We can identify the risks of your transaction early and help you to minimise and, if necessary, manage and landlord and tenant disputes. We adopt a pragmatic and refreshingly commercial approach and are focused on delivering your objectives on time.

Examples of our recent work include the following:

• Acting for the developer of the high profile office complex 2 St Peters Square, Manchesterin connection with the development of over 160,000 square feet of grade ”A” office space. 
• Acting for the landlord of Sevendale House, Manchester in connection with the redevelopment of the property and the subsequent letting of the office complex. 
• Acting for the landlord of The Peninsula Building, Manchester. The Peninsula Building is a sixteen storey landmark office building in Manchester City Centre, which overlooks Victoria Station and comprises more than 250,000 square feet. 
• Acting for a tenant of three floors of an office property in London where the landlord was seeking to exercise a break in order to redevelop the property, but the client had security of tenure. 
• Acting for the national exam board AQA, in relation to their new headquarters in central London.
• Acting for a substantial private property company in the purchase of a multi-let Manchester office block for £6m and dealing with the occupational lease arrangements. 
• Acting for The LadBible in relation to their office space in Manchester and London.