Commercial Property

Commercial Practice

SMR Solicitors is committed to supplying a personal, professional and competitively costed source of commercial advice to clients including general advice on a client's existing or potential activities, and the preparation of any necessary documentation.

In recent years the practice has responded to the changing of needs of its clients and invested in excellent computer support for the swift production of documents and ease of contact and communication.

Whether you are a sole trader, trading together in partnership, or a potential corporate client, we aim to provide prompt and quality services to suit your requirements.

Subject to suitable details being obtained, it is our policy to provide an initial budget of the likely outlay in fees or expenses to be incorporated in your financial planning.

Please contact our Roger Stone.

Investment Property

Whether it be a sale or purchase of a property already occupied in whole or part and producing income, or the acquisition of a property - see also Leases of Property and Conveyancing Department - followed by the grant of suitable rights of occupation to secure income, we shall be happy to advise on what will be required, and the pitfalls to be avoided!

We are also happy to advise on how you may contact other professional colleagues, in the area of the property, for advice on survey or other requirements, or to work with your existing team of professional advisers.

Please contact our Roger Stone.

Company Work

This can cover a broad range of topics including:

• Forming a new Company or acquiring a Company "off the shelf", so that you may have the Company "up and running" quickly, without undue cost or delay in setting up your business under a straight forward and efficient corporate banner.
• Preparing documentation for the appointment of Directors, agreements between shareholders to protect majority and minority shareholders, and perfecting documentation required by your Bank or other finance source as required.
• Transferring your existing business as a partner or sole trader into a new Company, for tax or other purposes.
• Selling the whole or part of the assets or shares of the Company, perfecting a management buyout, (that is the acquisition of the assets or shares by existing members of the Company) and dealings between companies forming a Group of Companies or otherwise in association.

Please contact our Roger Stone.

Contracts for Services/Agency

These days many companies or businesses seek to "outsource" part of their business to a third party "supplier", regarding a carefully drafted document or "contract for services", which can be more cost effective than providing such services "in house".

Some businesses may employ formal Agents, the relationship with whom is not only regulated by an agreement reached between the parties but also affected by recent new Regulations and other European Law, now applicable in this country. Careful consideration and advice may be required to arrangements to ensure there is no inadvertent breach of regulation or law affecting such arrangements.

Please contact our Roger Stone.

Franchises

This is a specialised type of "Agency" relationship, whereby a "package" is purchased from the Franchisor, and the purchaser ("Franchisee") relies on the expertise and guidance of the Franchisor in an already successful business to run a separate business, paying a fee or other royalties to the Franchisor for the benefit of the Franchisor's experience and guidance.

There are many pitfalls to be avoided, and care must be taken in selecting the Franchise and ensuring it will meet with your expectations. Often substantial sums are paid on signing the Franchise Agreement to the Franchisor, and this type of transaction can be as significant, and have financial risks, not dissimilar, for example, from the purchase of a property or the taking of a lease of premises - see Leases of Property and Conveyancing Department .

Sometimes a purchase of property or lease of property or both are also involved and we aim to give clear guidance and advice to the new comer and experienced Franchisee.

Please contact our Roger Stone.

Development Property

Having a thriving Conveyancing Department, we also service clients who have existing or potential development land, whether they wish to sell it or acquire it. There can be complicated transactions whereby Options are agreed giving a right for a person to buy at a later date, subject to planning permission being obtained, or it may be the sale of the various plots on a developed site to individual purchasers, when care must be taken to ensure that all individual properties have suitable rights and restrictions, and the whole site will fit together - like a jigsaw without any gaps!

We aim to ensure that priorities are given to those urgent matters where time may make the difference between acquiring a property, and it being sold elsewhere! As with residential conveyancing - see Conveyancing Department - we have direct access to H M Land Registry, the Internet and other sources of information and product suppliers to speed communication and information requirements.

Please contact our Roger Stone.

Leases of Property

These days Leases of commercial or other property can be quite extensive and complex, running to over fifty pages! Many of the provisions are similar, and well known to those practising in this area of the law.

Whether you be a Landlord or potential Landlord, Tenant or potential Tenant, we can advise how it should be drafted for your best benefit, and also what the other party may be expecting or requiring!

Leases can be somewhat daunting, and cause concern to inexperienced Tenants, and Landlords, but if properly explained, and with proper advice, often many worries are resolved, and you are free to concentrate on your business and achieving your profits!

It is important for you to know and be advised on what, if any, security you may have in the premises, what right you may have to a new Lease, or not, and what compensation, if any, to which you may be entitled if the Lease comes to an end.

Forewarned is forearmed - a good knowledge of your Lease and property these days is essential, and we guarantee to explain in plain English!

Please contact our Roger Stone at Chichester or Sarah Evans at Selsey

Partnerships/Sole Trader

Many larger Companies began as an individual trading and growing his business, taking in partners and then "incorporating", that is forming or acquiring a Limited Company and transferring the business to the new Company - see Company Work.

We pride ourselves in giving individual advice to businesses whether large or small, and being able to help those who are new in business to understand the various regulations and requirements with which they will have to comply.

We can also cross-refer to fellow professionals local to the client for advice on other related business aspects, for example dealing with accounts or specialist areas of expertise.

Please contact our Roger Stone.