Alterations can be an advantage for both landlord and tenant, if handled properly. Whether you want to make adjustments to your new commercial rental before moving in or you are part way through a lease and want to negotiate the possibility of alterations, Saracens Solicitors can help, when we act as your commercial lease solicitor in London.

How does the lease help?

The lease is often the best place to start when planning alterations.

If there is already a lease in place, there should be some stipulations as to the conditions surrounding alterations. This is a fairly standard provision in most commercial leases. If the parameters or the guidelines in the lease are not broad enough or unclear, contact Saracens Solicitors. We will be happy to look through your paperwork and advise on your position and how to proceed when we are acting as your commercial lease solicitor in London.

If a lease is yet to be compiled and the alterations are speculative, this is, arguably, a better position. This means that custom provisions that suit your needs could be negotiated with the help of a commercial lease solicitor in London, like Saracens Solicitors.

In either case, the following details need to be covered, at minimum:

• The type or alterations that can be made – internal, external, permanent, structural and so on;
• What happens to the alterations on termination of the lease – do they need to be removed or can they be left, under certain conditions?
• Who pays for alterations? If the adjustments could raise the value of the property, there might be scope for negotiating some sort of cost sharing with the landlord.

Negotiation and documentation

Making an application to the landlord to gain permission for alternations is the start of a negotiation. They may be agreeable and the process will proceed smoothly. However, sometimes a landlord can refuse and the tenant may need to apply through the courts, if they still wish to go ahead. In either case, it is important to document all correspondence and requests in case evidence is required later on. It is possible to be amicable but formal, for the protection of all parties, during an interaction like this.