Commercial Lease Renewal and Extensions
Solicitors specialising in commercial lease renewals and extensions
A commercial lease renewal involves extending or negotiating the terms of a commercial property tenancy. This is usually done when the current leases are due to expire.
Lease renewals can involve negotiating new terms, the value of the rental, the length of the lease, Section 25 and 26 notices, and resolving any disputes and disagreements that arise during the renewal process.
If you are approaching the end of your property lease and need legal advice on your options and rights, our commercial lease renewal solicitors can provide expert guidance and pragmatic support.
Our commercial lease renewal experience includes the following:
- Advising landlords and tenants on their statutory rights under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954.
- Serving notice to renew a lease and ensuring all legal requirements are met.
- Helping business owners negotiate favourable terms for the new lease, including length, rent and repair obligations.
- Advising on the rent payable on expiry of the existing lease ('Interim Rent') and how this is calculated.
- Preparing and responding to Section 25 notices and Section 26 requests.
- Guidance on options for removing a tenant with a protected lease when legitimate grounds exist.
- Securing renewals of business premises and defending against opposed renewal applications.
- Advising on entitlement to statutory compensation when renewal is legitimately refused.
- Resolving disputes between landlords and tenants on renewal terms, rent increases, repair obligations and break clauses.
- Advising on whether a lease has the protection of the Act and the implications this has for both parties.
- Handling court proceedings when agreement cannot be reached amicably.
- Gathering and investigating evidence, such as market reports and comparable properties, to support your negotiating position.
Request a quote for your lease extension
Why choose us for your commercial lease extension?
We are a firm that offers people-driven legal excellence in everything we do. It's at the heart of our promise to you.
Our team of commercial lease renewal solicitors will provide the following:
- Strategic commercial guidance: Our experienced solicitors understand the importance of commercial property to your business and will guide you through the renewal process with expertise and care.
- Tailored renewal solutions: Our legal advice is tailored to your specific needs. We work towards a renewal that protects your commercial interests and secures your business premises—all at a cost agreed with you upfront.
- Comprehensive legal support: Our full-service firm offers a wide range of legal expertise, including commercial property, tax planning, and dispute resolution.
- Trusted advice: Our advice has been trusted for 150 years. Our clients rate us 4.9* on Review Solicitors.
- Sector experience: Our solicitors have handled lease renewals across retail, office, industrial and other commercial sectors, with annual rents from thousands to millions of pounds.
- External recognition: Our property dispute team includes members of the Property Litigation Association and is ranked in the legal directories Chambers and Partners and Legal 500.
Meet the commercial lease extension and renewal team
Eleanor Martin
Associate - Property Litigation
Kate Elwell
Senior Associate - Property Litigation
Section 25 Notices
Our commercial lease renewal solicitors handle all aspects of Section 25 notices under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954.
We can serve a Section 25 notice to commence lease renewal negotiations or oppose a tenant's renewal application. Our solicitors draft notices, manage service requirements and can help with any subsequent negotiations or court proceedings.
Our Section 25 notice services include:
- Drafting Section 25 notices in the prescribed statutory form
- Advising on friendly versus hostile notice approaches
- Service of notices and proof of service documentation
- Responding to tenant counter-notices and managing negotiations
- Court applications where renewal disputes require judicial determination
We know that missing statutory deadlines can result in losing the right to oppose a renewal or losing security of tenure protection. Our solicitors manage these critical timescales carefully.
Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 expertise
The Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 gives business tenants security of tenure, but landlords have specific grounds for opposing lease renewals.
Our specialist solicitors work with this legislation on a daily basis and know how to use it effectively.
We advise on all aspects of the 1954 Act:
- Whether a lease has security of tenure protection
- Contracting out procedures for new leases
- The seven statutory grounds for opposing lease renewals
- Compensation for "no fault" grounds of opposition
- Interim rent applications during renewal negotiations
- Court proceedings for opposed renewals.
Our knowledge of the Act helps landlords identify the best approach, whether opposing unwanted renewals or negotiating better terms for renewed leases.
Related experience
FAQs
These are wide-ranging and can include issues around tenant obligations and breaches, landlord responsibilities and repair works, agreeing the terms of renewal leases, service charge issues, transferring leases to new tenants and granting subleases.
This depends on the terms of the individual lease, but it is very common for commercial landlords to grant full repairing and insuring leases, which oblige the tenant to insure the property and take on a full repairing obligation. It is also usual for a landlord to have some repairing obligations for the external parts of the property if the tenant only takes a lease of the internal parts of the property.
This depends on the individual lease, but it is very common for a tenant to take on responsibility for fully repairing a property, which may mean returning the property in a better state of repair than when they took it on. A tenant should consider a schedule of condition if they want to limit their repair obligations.
Dialogue with the other party is always a wise first step, but if communications and the relationship have broken down, then it would be advisable to instruct a lease extension and renewal solicitor to help break the impasse with the other party.
In some instances, Court proceedings are necessary to resolve the dispute. As part of this process, alternative forms of dispute resolution are explored, including a without prejudice meeting with the other side and/or mediation.
