Landlords and tenants
Landlords and tenants of leasehold properties invariably have differing objectives. Focusing on tenants' needs as customers means that achieving the "right" result at each lease stage. Whether acting for the landlord or tenant is a demanding process, which requires a good understanding of written agreements, technical knowledge and commercial expertise at the negotiating table
Dilapidations
Dilapidations issues most commonly arise when a tenant fails to comply with its contractual leasehold obligations. The complexity of buildings along with the difficulty in interpreting leases has seen countless disputes and court cases. Therefore determining exactly what liability exists can be a demanding one
Service charges
Service charges are a mechanism by which property owners can seek to recover costs incurred in maintaining a building’s fabric and shared services from their tenants. Utilised fairly and transparently it should be relatively uncontentious, however unfortunately this is not always the case and disputes do arise. Service charge work is closely related to dilapidations.
Tenant alterations
Tenant alterations are usually carried out under a “Licence for Alterations” – a legal document annexed to a lease which sets out the reinstatement requirements at lease expiry. Badly drafted licences can provoke some of the most significant and contentious disputes between landlords and tenants. Given our experience in dilapidations we know that dealing with property alterations at the time they are carried out can significantly reduce the scope for dispute for both parties.
Condition records
Condition records benchmark the condition of a property at a given date. They are used to limit landlords’ and tenants’ repairing liabilities in leased property. They can also provide a record to enable damage to be identified when construction works are undertaken by neighbouring owners. Our experience in dilapidations and party wall work provides a unique understanding of the importance of an accurate schedule.
