The latest from Aqqord
& the world of property
Using Aqqord When the Tenant Has a Solicitor
A landlord has suggested using Aqqord for a new lease, and the tenant has a solicitor, or would like one. This explains how the lease is drafted, how the tenant and their solicitor can review it, and how changes are dealt with. Who Aqqord acts for Aqqord is a commercial lease platform for England and […]
Holding Over: What Happens When a Commercial Lease Expires and the Tenant Stays
Two completely different situations Everything in a holding over commercial lease situation turns on a single question, so it is worth answering it before anything else. Was the lease protected by the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, or was it contracted out? If the lease was protected, it has not actually ended. Section 24 of […]
Class E and the Permitted Use Clause: What You Can Actually Do With the Space
Change of Use Commercial Lease Rules for Landlords If you’ve had a tenant mention “Class E” and assumed that means they can switch from, say, a shop to an office without asking you first, it’s worth slowing down on that one. Class E is a planning law thing — it’s not the same as what […]
Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards for Commercial Property
If you own or let commercial property in England and Wales, there’s a rule you can’t ignore: you generally can’t let a building that falls below a minimum energy efficiency rating. It’s called MEES (Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards) and it’s tied to the building’s EPC. It matters to tenants too, because the works needed to […]
Assignment and Underletting: Understanding the Alienation Clauses
A commercial lease can be a long commitment, and businesses change. You might outgrow the space, downsize, relocate, or sell up entirely. When that happens, the question is whether you can pass the lease on to someone else– covered by assignment, underletting, and alienation clauses. It’s a dry word for an important set of rights. […]
Forfeiture and the Section 146 Notice: How a Landlord Ends a Lease for Breach
Forfeiture and the section 146 notice are the tools landlords reach for when a tenant seriously breaches the lease: stops paying rent, or breaks an important covenant. Where a tenant defaults on rent and there’s a personal guarantee in place, the landlord may also look to the guarantor. It’s the right to bring the lease […]
Service Charges in Commercial Leases: What Tenants Actually Pay For
When you rent a unit in a building you share with other occupiers (a floor in an office block, a shop in a parade, a unit on an estate), the rent isn’t the whole story. On top of it sits the commercial lease service charge: your contribution to the cost of running and maintaining the […]
Schedule of Condition: Why Your Agent Will Push for One
If you’re taking on a commercial lease and your agent or surveyor starts talking about a schedule of condition, it’s worth listening. It’s one of the least glamorous documents in the whole process and one of the most useful, particularly if you’re a tenant. What Is A Schedule of Condition A schedule of condition is […]
Personal Guarantees on Commercial Leases: What You’re Committing To
When a company takes a commercial lease, the landlord sometimes wants more reassurance than the company alone provides — especially for young or newly formed businesses without much track record. This is where personal guarantees commercial leases are asked to include come into play. Sometimes this comes up as early as the heads of terms […]
Heads of Terms: What Should Be in Them and Why It Matters
Heads of terms for a commercial lease set out the key points of the deal before the legal drafting begins. It’s the commercial summary: the bones that the full lease then gets built around. It’s tempting to treat it as a formality and rush through it to get to the “real” paperwork. That’s a mistake. […]