Commercial Property Solicitors

Successfully protecting assets is a main consideration in the world of commercial property. Whether you represent a small business or a blue chip organisation, Smith Partnership’s commercial property department offers a wealth of legal expertise that helps you make the most of the property in your possession.

Get in touch with our team today to see what we can do for you.

Smith Partnership advises on a variety of commercial property matters, including developments, landlord and tenant issues and property finance work, with particular experience in the hospitality and healthcare sectors. Practice head Jason Wood specialises in advising developers on site assemblies and the subsequent sale of plots and acts for property portfolios on the purchase, sale and leasing of properties.

The thing that makes Smith Partnership unique is that they give good old-fashioned personal service, and they care.

The Legal 500, 2023

Our commercial property services

Our expertise covers a wide range of legal services relating to commercial property law, including:

  • Handling the sale and purchase of business premises such as shops, restaurants, industrial units and property occupied by educational organisations
  • The acquisition and disposal of freehold and leasehold property
  • Granting and renewing business premises leases
  • Property finance
  • Residential and commercial development transactions
  • Drafting, negotiating and agreeing the terms of commercial leases, business sale agreements and transfers
  • Preparing legal documentation for the sale of commercial property at auction
  • Handling all aspects of secured lending over commercial property by commercial lenders
  • Licensed property transactions and complex matters surrounding licensed property, including matters relating to leisure properties and facilities
  • The acquisition of commercial property by commercial pension funds
  • The assembly of land for development purposes and the subsequent disposal of plots on the developed land

Where needed, our experts are also able to call upon the expertise of the wider Smith Partnership team, offering further legal advice with regards to licensing law, environmental matters, health & safety law and more.

If you’re in need of legal advice regarding any of the areas above, contact us today.

Our credentials

Legal 500 recognition

Smith Partnership’s excellent reputation in dealing with commercial property work has seen the department feature as part of the Legal 500. Recognising the top law firms and professionals working within the UK legal sector, the Legal 500 describes our team as follows:

The ‘highly professional’ Smith Partnership offers ‘excellent business acumen’ and ‘great depth of expertise’.

Key figures include practice head Jason Wood, who has particular expertise in the healthcare sector. The group's expertise covers acquisitions and disposals, property finance and development work, landlord and tenant instructions and corporate support work. The client list features a major pub company and several players from the food and drink industry.

The Legal 500, 2022

Contact our team today

To find out how our expert team of solicitors can help you, contact us today on 0330 123 1229, send us an email via info@smithpartnership.co.uk or complete our contact form.

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FAQs

It is not compulsory to instruct a solicitor but it is advisable to do so. Buying a property is a complex procedure, there are many things that a solicitor will investigate when they are instructed by you, such as if there are any planning issues with the property, if any third party has a right of access over the land, or if there are any other matters that will affect your overall use of the property. A solicitor will help clarify and explain legal documents in the process of purchasing a property and will ensure you fully understand what you are agreeing to before purchasing.

Stamp duty is a tax payable to HM Revenue & Customs when you buy a property or land over a certain price in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The current threshold for stamp duty to be payable is £125,000 for residential properties and £150,000 for non-residential land and properties. Stamp duty land tax may also be payable if you lease a property. Click here to view a stamp duty calculator which will calculate this for you.

It is possible that you will have to pay stamp duty on a lease but it depends on how much you pay for the lease; how much rent is payable and how long it is for. Click here to view a stamp duty calculator which will calculate this for you.

Yes, so long as it is a commercial pension and not a private pension. A Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) would usually purchase the property but we would advise you to seek appropriate financial advice before making any decision to invest in this way.

Providing there are no unforeseen delays, a usual transaction for the purchase of a commercial property takes between 8-12 weeks to complete. It will depend on the type of property being purchased and if there are any complexities to the transaction. Some properties such as pubs and restaurants can be subject to licences, other properties can be subject to other matters which can result in the transaction taking longer than expected.

If you own the freehold it means that you own the building and the land it stands on, subject to any mortgage or charges over the property. The Land Registry records will show your name as the freehold proprietor of the property.

Leasehold means that you have a lease from the freehold proprietor (or landlord) to use the property for a number of years, subject to any rent payable. The leases for commercial property can vary in length depending on the agreement made with the landlord and can be varied in their agreed terms and obligations.