The Occupier Services industry is under pressure but with that pressure comes the opportunity to ensure that the space you occupy is the best it can be for your business’s needs.
Following months of disruption, the UK lockdown is slowly beginning to ease and businesses now need to ensure that they are sufficiently prepared to return to ‘COVID-ready’ offices.
Given the speed at which the guidance is currently being delivered, businesses need to pull together to combine all experts and assistance across facilities, health and safety, technology and employee welfare, to provide appropriate and immediate messaging around the working environment and returning to the office, as well as longer term objectives, planning and investment going forward.
As a full-service law firm, we are uniquely placed in our ability to draw on the integrated resources of our real estate, planning, construction, disputes, technology, finance, employment and tax related issues. We will work with you to deliver your new premises on time, on budget and with minimal amount of disturbance to your business.
Legal issues you may face include:
- Disposals
- Acquisitions,
- HQ relocations
- Exit strategies including break options
- restructuring and regearing
- sale and leasebacks and
- Portfolio management.
We also provide the comprehensive seamless service that occupiers require in specialist areas such as telecoms, sustainability, environmental, corporate and financial structures.
We will work alongside you to provide creative solutions to difficult problems and to anticipate and mitigate risk. Whatever your plans are for your business, we work with you to ensure a commercial deal that is legally robust, whilst also understanding and assisting you with the management of your timetable so that you can plan the future of your business.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions relating to occupier services or for more information on returning to the office and making your office “COVID ready”.
Highlights of our experience
- Acting for Avison Young in relation to their West End office move to recently refurbished premises at Berkeley Square House, taking a lease for a term of ten years. We have also provided Avison Young with advice and assistance on their exit from existing premises.
- Acting for Allfunds Bank in relation to their acquisition of their space (17,000 sq. ft.) in a brand new building at Fitzroy Place, London W1 on two separate leases. Subsequently we have acted for Allfunds in the disposal of one of those floors to Netflix Services UK Ltd.
- Acting for FTSE 250 investment and wealth management services provider, Rathbone Brothers plc on their move to Stanhope Mitsubishi’s new 160,000 sq. ft. City development, 8 Finsbury Circus, London, EC2 from 1 Curzon Street, Mayfair, the previous MI5 HQ.
- Acting for Montagu Evans in their headquarters move from the West End to brand new building 70 St Marys Axe in the City
- Acting for IQVIA Limited on its disposal of leasehold premises at Green Park, Reading to Virgin Media Limited and simultaneous acquisition of leasehold premises at M&G’s development at Forbury Place, Reading.
- Acting for Silver Lake Europe LLP in relation to their entry into a new UK headquarter lease in Grosvenor Street of approximately 10,000 square feet of space. We have recently acted for Silver Lake on their renewal lease of those leases.
- Acting on Royal Caribbean’s HQ at The Heights in Weybridge. We helped We helped Royal Caribbean to take and fit out additional space to expand its UK headquarters at the prestigious The Heights development, which forms part of the historic Brooklands estate in Weybridge.
- Advising NEC UK Limited on a complex restructuring of the occupation of its headquarters building.

Essential Residential Hub
A hub bringing together our expert insight and news on residential property.
Meet the team
Some of our clients













Our thinking
Richard Flenley
A Cautionary Tale of a Brush Too Broad
Emma Humphreys
Lease renewals in the time of coronavirus
What flexibility tenants and landlord are going to have when negotiating on the terms of the lease renewal ?
Emma Humphreys
Abandoned premises: Abandon hope, all ye who seek re-entry?
What can landlords do when tenants are leaving premises abandoned without prior notice due to the evolving coronavirus crisis?
Emma Humphreys
Are property guardians the solution for empty property?
A property guardian arrangement is usually made with a company which in turn grants rights to individuals to live in a vacant property.
Usman Khan
Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards: what all office occupiers should know
Reviewing what impact the minimum energy efficiency standards have on office occupiers.
Lynsey Inglis
COVID-19: What if we need an EPC?
What considerations to take when obtaining or renewing EPC certificate?
Usman Khan
COVID-19 – The long term impacts on the office occupier market
Analyzing how the prolonged period of remote working will impact the office occupier market.
Sarah Morley
Office Spaces: a time to review?
Understanding how the current market circumstances will impact office-based businesses whose rent review due in 2020.
Emma Humphreys
Property Patter: Never mind Halloween: avoiding scares with break notices
In the third episode we look at break notices.
Emma Humphreys
Property Patter: Landlord and Tenant Act 1954
In the first in our Property Patter podcast series, the team discuss the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954.
Fiona Edmond
Charles Russell Speechlys has advised Derwent London on all of the pre-lettings at the Brunel Building
The landmark Paddington development comprises 243,000 sq ft of office space spread over 16 storeys.
Lydia O’Hagan
Planning reform: helping the high street
The Government has published a consultation document on proposed planning reforms to support the high street and the delivery of new homes.
Claire Fallows
Real Estate and Construction Newsletter - August 2017
The August round-up from our Real Estate and Construction teams.
Claire Fallows
How does the UK election result impact the Real Estate Sector?
Claire Fallows comments on today's General Election result. Will there be a silver lining?
Eco proofing your property and energy performance - the future of Green Buildings
Claire Fallows
Real Estate and Construction Newsletter- March 2017
The March round-up from our Real Estate and Construction team.
Manpreet Sohal
Landlord and Tenant: Service charges
Audited Accounts are not a pre-requisite for payment of on-account service charges.
Mark Smith
The New Real: Unlocking new gains through smart buildings
The New Real explores the opportunities and gains to be made for anyone with an interest in commercial real estate.
Replying to pre-contract enquiries: the cost of inaccuracies
We discuss the recent case of Greenridge Luton One Ltd v Kempton Investments Ltd 2016
Emma Humphreys
No break from the old routine: M&S V BNP Paribas
The decision in M&S v BNP Paribas offers some clarification on implied terms and confirms previous decisions on the apportionment of rent.