For small business tenants in England and Wales
Lease check for small business tenants
Before you sign, renew or take over a commercial lease, we read it and tell you in writing what it means for you, what is unusual, and what to push back on.
A fixed quote before we start. No VAT added. Within 24 hours of us having everything. Checked by a solicitor of England and Wales.
What you get
- A written risk note on one lease up to 60 pages, including any rent deposit deed sent with it.
- Rent and rent review: how and when your rent can change.
- Repairs and dilapidations: what you must repair, and what you may owe when you leave.
- Break clause: whether you can leave early, and the conditions attached.
- Service charge and the other costs on top of the rent.
- Security of tenure: whether you have a right to a new lease at the end of the term under Part 2 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, or whether that right has been excluded.
- Assignment and subletting: whether you can pass the lease on if you sell or move.
- A short list of points to raise with the landlord before you sign.
- Landlord check: who owns the building according to HM Land Registry and, where the landlord is a company, whether it is active and whether its accounts or other filings are overdue.
Rent reviews are changing
Section 100 of, and Schedule 37 to, the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 add a new Schedule 7A to the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954. Once it comes into force, rent review terms in new business leases will have no effect to the extent that they would push the rent above a reference amount, which ends rent reviews that can only go up. It is not yet in force. Your lease check tells you whether your lease has an upward only rent review and what the change may mean for it.
What we need from you
The lease (or the draft you have been sent), any heads of terms and rent deposit deed, the property address, the landlord’s name, and any questions you want answered.
What is not included
Negotiating with the landlord, drafting or changing the lease, preparing a rent deposit deed or any other deed, completion, registration at HM Land Registry and stamp duty land tax. Residential leases are not covered.
Questions
Is the price really fixed?
Yes. You get a fixed quote before we start, for one lease up to 60 pages, including the landlord check. The price quoted is the price you pay. No VAT is added.
Do you negotiate with the landlord?
No. You get a written risk note and a list of points to raise yourself. If you want someone to negotiate or change the lease, Western Legal, our sister company, can quote for that. We tell you about the connection before you choose.
What if my lease is longer than 60 pages?
Ask before you order and we will tell you whether it fits. Longer or more complex leases are usually better suited to a full review.
What does the landlord check cover?
Who owns the building according to HM Land Registry and, where the landlord is a company, whether it is active and whether its accounts or other filings are overdue, from Companies House. It reflects the public registers on the day we check.
How quickly will I have it?
Within 24 hours of us having everything. Weekend and bank holiday requests start at 9am UK time on the next working day.
Get your lease check quote
Your fixed quote appears straight away. You send the lease after you pay, and we start as soon as we have everything.