Get the lease right before it shapes your business
A commercial lease controls far more than the rent. It sets repair obligations, permitted use, flexibility, exit rights and what happens when the term ends. We make those commitments clear before you sign and help protect your position throughout the tenancy.
From offices in Exeter, Plymouth, Plymstock, Torpoint and Tavistock, our commercial property solicitors advise landlords and tenants across the South West.
Commercial
Personal
- Administration of Estates
- Adoption
- Appeals before the First Tier and Upper Tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber)
- Applications to join British or settled residents
- Applying for British citizenship
- Applying for Probate
- Buy to let
- Buying a home
- Changing Your Name
- Civil Partnerships
- cohabitation agreements
- Contentious probate
- Conveyancing
- Court of Protection
- Disputes involving children
- Divorce
- Domestic abuse
- Employment law
- Equity release
- Family Law
- Financial Remedy Proceedings
- Financial settlements
- First registration
- Human Rights applications
- Immigration law
- Indefinite Leave to Remain
- Inheritance Disputes
- Inheritance tax planning
- Landlord and tenant
- Lease extensions
- Litigation and dispute resolution
- Managing a trust
- Military Hearing Loss
- Powers of Attorney
- Prenuptial agreements
- Remortgaging
- Selling your home
- Seperation agreements
- Setting up a Trust
- Transfer of Equity
- Unmarried Couples
- Visitor visas to the UK
- Wills, trust and probate
- Work visas and sponsorship
- Writing a Will
Commercial
- Can you explain the new inheritance tax laws to me?
- What is commercial litigation?
- What do I do about tenants sub-letting?
- How many specialities does your team have?
- How long have you been practising in this field?
- What are the laws on paternity leave?
- Can you help me decide on insolvency for my company?
- Will my trademark stand in EMEA?
- How long does a merger take?
- How do I protect myself from negligence?
- I have a question on property litigation
Personal
- What time should I allow for conveyancing?
- How are assets split in a divorce?
- I think I was unfairly dismissed - can you help?
- What are your main Family Law services?
- Immigration laws have changed - help!
- My landlord has just sold the property - what are my rights?
- I've been served an eviction notice - please help!
- My neighbour is claiming my land - who is right?
- I have tinitus from army service - can I get compensation?
- Can you adivise on probate?
A lease should support the deal, not undermine it
Heads of terms may look straightforward, but the lease turns them into long-term legal and financial obligations. We examine repairing liability, service charges, rent review, break rights, permitted use, alterations, assignment, underletting, insurance and security of tenure. We negotiate those provisions against your actual priorities, whether that is protecting an investment, controlling the building or securing enough flexibility for the business to grow, relocate or change how it operates.
How we can
help you
We draft and negotiate commercial property lease agreements, agreements for lease, rent deposits, guarantees, licences to occupy and tenancies at will. We also advise on assignments, underlettings, alterations, renewals, break notices, service charges, lease exits and lender requirements. Where a problem has already developed, we work with our dispute specialists to protect your position and limit disruption.
Why choose CWC Solicitors
A lease can remain in place for years, so small drafting points can carry substantial cost. Our solicitors explain the effect of the terms in plain English, challenge provisions that do not work for you and keep negotiations focused on the deal. We understand both landlord and tenant priorities, which helps us spot pressure points early and propose solutions that are commercially realistic rather than simply legally correct.
Frequently asked questions
Still unsure or need something explained in more detail? Contact us, and we’ll guide you through it.
1. What should be agreed in heads of terms for a commercial lease?
Heads of terms should record the main commercial deal, including the premises, term, rent, rent review, repairs, service charge, insurance, permitted use, alterations, assignment, underletting, break rights, security of tenure, rent deposit, guarantees and each party’s costs. They are usually not the final legal contract, so the lease still requires careful negotiation.
2. What does a full repairing and insuring lease mean?
It usually places responsibility for repairing the premises and meeting insurance costs on the tenant, although the detail varies. For part of a building, those costs may be recovered through a service charge. A schedule of condition can sometimes limit the tenant’s obligation to return the property in a better state than it was at the start.
3. Should a commercial lease be inside or outside the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954?
Many business tenants have statutory rights to remain and request a new tenancy when the contractual term ends. The parties can agree to exclude those rights before the lease is granted by following the required procedure. The decision affects the landlord’s control and the tenant’s security, so it should be considered at heads of terms stage.
4. How do break clauses in commercial leases work?
A break clause allows one or both parties to end the lease early on a specified date or within a defined window. The notice requirements and any conditions must be followed precisely. Problems often arise over service, timing, rent payments, vacant possession or compliance with lease obligations, so advice should be taken well before the deadline.
5. Can a tenant assign or sublet commercial premises?
Only if the lease allows it, usually with the landlord’s consent and subject to conditions. An assignment transfers the whole lease to a new tenant, while an underlease creates a separate tenancy below the existing lease. The landlord may require financial information, guarantees, an authorised guarantee agreement or other security, depending on the lease and circumstances.
6. Who pays for repairs and service charges?
The lease decides. A tenant may repair its own premises directly and contribute through a service charge to shared areas, structure, services or estate costs. Landlords should ensure the recovery provisions are workable; tenants should understand the scope, exclusions, caps and accounting arrangements before committing.
7. What happens when a commercial lease expires?
The outcome depends on the lease, the tenant’s occupation and whether statutory renewal rights apply. The tenancy may continue, the parties may negotiate a new lease, or the landlord may seek possession on a permitted ground. Notices and deadlines can affect both sides, so the renewal or exit strategy should be reviewed well before expiry.
8. How can a solicitor help with commercial property lease agreements?
We turn the commercial deal into clear legal obligations, identify hidden cost and risk, negotiate the wording and manage completion. We can also advise throughout the lease on licences, assignments, rent deposits, renewals, breaks and disputes, so decisions are made with a proper understanding of their longer-term effect.
Related services
Commercial property disputes
When lease obligations, payments, repairs or notices are disputed, early advice can preserve options. Our property litigation team assesses the evidence and pursues a proportionate route to resolution.
Commercial development and regeneration
We support developers and landowners with site acquisition, development structures, planning and infrastructure agreements, funding arrangements and the documents needed for occupation.
LET'S TALK
Contact us in confidence