Granting a commercial lease is a structured process, and as the solicitor you steer it from the first commitment to the final registration. Sometimes the parties want to commit before they are ready to complete — works need finishing, consents are awaited — so you use an agreement for lease to lock the deal in. Along the way you investigate the landlord's title, protect your client's interest, register the lease on time, and handle the extra layer that arises when a tenant wants to sublet.
This lesson takes you through that journey in the order it unfolds in practice:
- Agreement for Lease — what it is, when to use it, its formal requirements, and how to protect it.
- The RICS Code and Heads of Terms — the professional Code, its limits, and the risk of unguarded heads of terms.
- Deduction and Investigation of Title — the landlord's obligations, the tenant's checks, statutory limits, and standard enquiries.
- Registration of the Lease — which leases must be registered, their status before registration, and the classes of title.
- Completion and Post-Completion Steps — engrossments, SDLT deadlines, and priority searches.
- Underleases and Consent to Underletting — what an underlease is and the covenants and statutory duties around consent.
- Licence to Underlet and Direct Covenants — recording consent and binding the undertenant directly to the head-landlord.