One question we frequently get is “Do I still need a solicitor if we use your services?” So, we felt it important to highlight our role, and what is the difference between a commercial lease negotiator and a property solicitor.

As a lease negotiator, we can source a commercial property for you and then negotiate the lease on your behalf.  Some ask if they can just employ us to check and negotiate their lease or their lease renewal; the answer is yes. However, if you have agreed terms, and then we review them and recommend changes, it can cause frustration for the landlord and their agent, potentially damaging the relationship between you.

If you are sourcing a new property, then we would love to be a part of that from the beginning and help you by sourcing the best property for your business and its future.

In our experience, by engaging a lease negotiator from the start, it frees up your time to remain focused on your business. With our expertise and property knowledge, you will end up with a quicker solution, a smoother transaction and importantly, a better deal on your lease, leading to good landlord and tenant relationships. 

So ,what is the difference between a lease negotiator and a solicitor?  As a lease negotiator, our role is to make sure the lease is built on the right foundations, that it has the lease terms included that protect your business and align with your business objectives.  The lease terms are negotiated to prevent any nasty surprises cropping up in the future that you may be unaware of, and crucially, to ensure that it is a competitive deal.

Once the lease terms are agreed, they are then passed across to the solicitors to draft the lease and translate the agreement into a legally binding format.  They will go through the lease in fine detail from a legal perspective. A solicitor will carry out searches and deal with the CPSE enquiries, which provide important information about the property from the landlord.  If these are not done, you put your business and yourself at risk.

A lease negotiator and solicitor play very different roles, and to get a deal that works for you and your business, both of our expertise should be engaged.