Commercial landlord and tenant

Commercial landlord and tenant disputes, from either side.

How we can help

Rent arrears, recovery and the remedies available to landlords
Forfeiture and relief from forfeiture
Disputes over service charge and its reasonableness
Consent to assign, underlet or alter, and unreasonable refusal
Repair disputes during the term
Advising on the practical and commercial route as well as the legal one

Your solicitor

Dean Smith

Dean SmithSolicitor

What happens next

Send us the lease and the correspondence between the parties.
We advise on the position, the remedies and the commercial consequences.
We negotiate, or take formal action where that is the better route.

Fees for this work

Fixed fee for advice and formal notices. Contested proceedings are charged hourly with estimates.

Common questions

Our tenant isn't paying. What can we do?

Options include commercial rent arrears recovery, forfeiture, drawing on a rent deposit or pursuing a guarantor. Each has consequences — forfeiting a lease you would struggle to relet may be worse than negotiating. The commercial question comes before the legal one.

The landlord is refusing consent to assign.

Most leases require consent not to be unreasonably withheld, and there are statutory duties to respond within a reasonable time with reasons. Unreasonable refusal can found a claim, and often the threat of one resolves matters.

Can we challenge the service charge?

Frequently, yes. Charges must fall within what the lease permits and, generally, be reasonably incurred. Demanding the supporting documentation is the first step, and it often produces a reduction without any dispute.

The landlord has changed the locks.

Peaceable re-entry can be lawful in commercial premises in some circumstances, but not all, and relief from forfeiture may be available. Act immediately — delay significantly weakens an application for relief.

Tell us what's happened

Confidential, reviewed by a solicitor, answered within one working day.