Commercial Real Estate
We work closely with our clients and their advisors to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities of today’s evolving commercial real estate market.
Our experience in your sectors gives us a crucial insight into how you work, the markets in which you operate and what you want to achieve.
Our Expertise
We advise on billions of pounds of transactions every year, acting for property landlords, developers, occupiers and investors (based in the UK and internationally) across a broad range of sectors including:
- Hotels & leisure – Our hotel development and investment projects involve major hotel chains as well as boutique operators. Our experience also covers holiday parks, multi-screen cinemas, nightclubs and restaurants
- Offices – We advise landlords and tenants on the development, investment and lettings of offices including “trophy” headquarter buildings with a focus on London’s City and West End markets.
- Retail – We advise on the development, sale, purchase, investment, letting and management of large shopping centres, retail units in urban centres and other retail schemes all over the UK
- Landed estates – We are renowned for our work for landed estates and have advised on significant investment, development and strategic projects for some of the largest landed estates in the country. Our clients include the Bedford Estates, the Calthorpe Estates and the Howard de Walden Estate
- Industrial – Our lawyers are experts in developments and investments associated with distribution centres, industrial parks, data centres and production outlets
- Residential – We advise on the sale and purchase of prime central London properties and high value rural properties and estates for a mix of UK and international clients. We also advise on high-value residential developments around the UK, including so-called alternative residential asset classes such as senior living or purpose built student accommodation
Track Record
- The acquisition and redevelopment of Harcourt House, London W1, a mixed residential and commercial scheme on behalf of a private investor
- Acting for a Far Eastern owner/operator on its acquisition and demolition of a central London office block and subsequent development of a 275 room hotel
- The acquisition and development of The Berners Hotel, W1 for comprehensive redesign and redevelopment into the London EDITION and its subsequent sale to ADIA
- The acquisition, redevelopment, reletting and sale by corporate disposal of 8 Fenchurch Place in the City for PMB Holdings and AREA
- Development of a grade II listed Art Deco building in Mayfair into The Beaumont Hotel, a luxury, boutique hotel featuring a unique habitable sculpture by Antony Gormley and its subsequent sale
- Acquisitions programme for the Mayfair and Belgravia portfolio totalling over £100 million
- Sale of 15 luxury apartments in a 60,000 sq ft grade II* listed building, one of London’s most prominent residential property projects.
Recommended reading
The Building Safety Act gained Royal Assent in April 2022 and has subsequently been brought into force through a raft of secondary legislation. Head of Construction, Sarah Rock explores the secondary legislation of The Building Safety Act that is coming in 2025 – including the much-anticipated Building Safety Levy, due to be enacted by Autumn 2025 and the effect of Building Assessment Certificates on conveyancing.
Read more 03 Mar 2025 HMRC makes VAT a snag for cladding remediationIn December 2024, the Government clarified HMRC’s VAT policy on cladding remediation works for residential buildings. Head of Construction, Sarah Rock and Tax Partner, Andrew Loan outline when remediation qualifies for reduced or zero-rated VAT as ‘snagging’ and when the standard 20% rate applies, as well as examining challenges in reclaiming VAT, particularly for older buildings, and the impact of the Government’s Remediation Action Plan on expediting safety improvements.
Read more 26 Feb 2025 The EPC Squeeze: Why Landlords Might Need to Shape Up or Ship OutWith the clock ticking towards the anticipated EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) changes, Senior Associate, Sophie Henwood details why the UK’s commercial property landscape could face a seismic shift.
Read more 24 Feb 2025 Is fire safety regulation a balancing act?In Property Wire, Partner and Head of Construction, Sarah Rock outlines the legislative landscape of fire safety regulations
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