Blog
Navigating Markets and Real Estate Risk: An interview with Graeme Cullens
In this interview, we talk to Graeme Cullens, founder of Pegasus Capital and a seasoned City financier with four decades’ experience across acquisition finance, loan syndications, structured credit and capital markets advisory. Graeme discusses how his background led him into the property sector, the work Pegasus does for its clients, the current challenges facing real…
Read MoreThe 12 “Okays” of Christmas 2025
A seasonal checklist for landlords and tenants navigating the busiest retail period of the year Christmas is the most demanding time of year for retail property. Stores trade harder, shopping centres operate at full stretch, and legal obligations are tested more sharply than at any other point in the calendar. For tenants, December sales can make the…
Read MoreWhat the Budget statement means for UK commercial property
The Chancellor’s 26th November Budget arrived at a time when the commercial property market was already dealing with difficult conditions. Borrowing remains expensive, construction activity has slowed, and occupier confidence varies from sector to sector. Against that backdrop, the Budget did not contain dramatic measures or unexpected giveaways. Instead, it set out a series of changes that shift…
Read MoreRetail restructuring: A landlord’s guide to CVAs and store closures
Q3 2025 has been a sobering quarter for shopping centre landlords. According to Savills’ latest Shopping Centre and High Street report, the sector witnessed a wave of retail casualties. Revolution Bars closed 25 venues, reducing its estate from 90 to 65 sites. Prezzo continued its downsizing strategy with further closures following an earlier decision to…
Read MoreBusiness Rates Reform 2026: Legal strategies for retail landlords
The Chancellor’s business rates reform, set to take effect from April 2026, is being framed as a rebalancing act. It lifts the burden on small high street businesses while asking larger operators to pay more. According to Savills’ latest Shopping Centre and High Street report (Q3 2025), the reform introduces a higher surcharge of up…
Read MoreThe Building Safety Act Explained: Risks, Duties and Commercial Impact
The Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA) is the most significant overhaul of building regulation in decades. A response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the Act is designed to improve accountability, oversight, and safety in the design, construction and management of higher-risk buildings. The BSA has implications for developers, scheme promoters, institutional landlords, and investors. The Act is not just about compliance—it’s about risk, value, and control. Failing to understand this could mean…
Read MoreA Lifetime in Property and Development: An Interview With David Davis
With decades of experience, David Davis has witnessed the property market evolve through multiple cycles. In this conversation, he shares insights into his journey, his work today, and the key challenges shaping the future of real estate in the UK and Ireland. 1.What is your background and experience in the property industry? I started acquiring…
Read MoreWayleave agreements: the development constraint hiding in plain sight
When commercial property developers carry out due diligence, they will generally prioritise seeking out the most common potential challenges, such as planning constraints, environmental liabilities, and defects in, etc. Yet there is one category of legal arrangement that regularly escapes detection until it has already become a problem, and that is wayleave agreements. These deceptively simple licences give utility and telecommunications providers rights to…
Read MoreManaging business rates in a changing market: An interview with Jess Hand
With over 16 years’ experience in property, Jess Hand heads up the Business Rates team at Black Cat Consulting. In this interview, she discusses her background in the industry, the challenges facing businesses ahead of the 2026 Revaluation, and the key trends shaping the real estate landscape. What is your background and experience in the…
Read MoreWhat are retentions in construction contracts and why are they under review?
Withholding payment at the end of a construction contract has long been a fixture of UK construction contracts. It is often agreed at the outset and is a condition of the contract that a proportion of the agreed contract sum will be withheld (the “retention”). A typical contract allows the client or main contractor to…
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