Blog
The £33 Billion Question: What Property Owners Need to Know About Refinancing in 2026
New lending for UK commercial real estate reached £52.7 billion in 2025, its highest level in a decade. The research, published by Bayes Business School, generated broadly positive headlines, and with good reason. A 29% year-on-year increase in new lending is a meaningful signal of returning confidence in the market after a difficult few years. But for many property…
Read MoreA day in my legal life: Henry Ryder
This month, we speak to Finance Consultant, Henry Ryder. What has shaped your approach to transactional practice? I have always gravitated towards finance and transactional work – it has been the consistent thread in my career. I started in large international firms working on high-value transactions, which gave me a strong grounding in technically demanding…
Read MoreBanking on Relationships: An interview with Charlotte Malley
This month, we interview Charlotte Malley, Corporate Banking Manager at Handelsbanken. Charlotte joined Handelsbanken as a graduate and now manages a portfolio of corporate customers in the London West end branch, attracting new deposit and lending business to the bank. What is your background and experience in the property industry? My background in the property…
Read MoreGovernment to ban the use of retentions in construction contracts
For decades, the withholding of a retention payment has been a common feature of construction contracts across the UK and is provided for in many standard forms including JCT and NEC. Contractors have worked under a system in which a percentage of their agreed contract sum was withheld by clients and main contractors as security against defective work. For contractors lower down the supply chain, that has long meant operating with money earned but…
Read MoreHow the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 has ended the AST trap for leaseholders
Buried in the Housing Act 1988 was a legal quirk with nothing to do with short-term renting, and everything to do with the security of people who owned their homes on long leases. For years it caused real difficulties for buyers, sellers and mortgage lenders. Quietly, in the background, without most of those affected ever knowing it was there.…
Read MoreA day in my legal life: Lakshan Satheeskumar
1. Why did you decide to become a lawyer? I decided to pursue a career as a lawyer because I was drawn to the combination of analytical thinking and practical, client-focused work. I have always enjoyed problem-solving, and the legal profession offers the opportunity to apply that in a way that delivers real, tangible outcomes.…
Read MoreRethinking the Workplace: an interview with Meirion Anderson
This month we interview Meirion Anderson, who originally specialised in civil engineering, but, following his MBA at Imperial College, he turned his attention to workplace and change management, focusing on people and business within a building. What is your background and experience in the property industry? My profession is Civil Engineering with most of my…
Read MoreSorting access rights early: why developers cannot afford to leave it until later
On many developments, access appears to work until it is tested. A route exists. Vehicles can get onto the site. There is a working understanding with a neighbouring owner. On that basis, focus shifts quickly to planning, design and viability, with the expectation that any formal access arrangements can be dealt with later. It is often…
Read MoreManaging Financial Distress: An interview with David Birne
David Birne is qualified as an accountant and insolvency practitioner, and has been working in the insolvency field for over 30 years. David advises individuals and company directors on their obligations and options when their business is or is likely to become distressed. He first met Karen when she was at Boodle Hatfield, “her expertise…
Read MoreManaging residual liabilities at the end of a development
At practical completion, the last unit is handed over. The marketing suite is dismantled. The funder is repaid and attention turns, as it should, to the next acquisition. From the outside, the development is complete. I wish this was the picture for every development, but it very rarely is. Legally, however, completion and conclusion are…
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