Freehold Sales and Purchases

Even in uncertain times, commercial property remains a good investment opportunity, from small local shops to large office blocks.

Commercial assets can provide very stable and sustainable investments, especially if there is already an established tenant in place providing you with rental income. They can also offer an opportunity for redevelopment, including conversion to residential usage under permitted development rights.

The Commercial Property team at Braddon & Snow can provide specialist advice and support in helping you to purchase property, including:

  • Undertaking conveyancing searches and reviewing these in light of your business interests
  • Reviewing the terms of any commercial or residential leases to which the property is subject
  • Supporting you in an application for a commercial mortgage

Want to know more about how commercial conveyancing works? Read our guide to how commercial conveyancing works.

Why trust our team with your commercial property conveyancing?

Our team is highly experienced in all types of commercial property transactions. We have helped businesses and investors to buy and sell commercial property for many years, with an excellent track record of completing transactions on time and with minimal fuss.

We have handled commercial property sales and purchases including for shops, offices, restaurants, warehouses, factories, hotels, sports facilities and nursing homes.

We consistently achieve high customer satisfaction, with a very good rate of returning clients and recommendations from previous clients.

Our team believes in providing clear, practical real estate advice, with a keen eye for our clients’ business priorities and the commercial realities they need to deal with.

Speak to our commercial property solicitors in Hoddesdon or Broxbourne

For a free, no obligation commercial property conveyancing quote or to find out more about how we can help you, please get in touch:

Make an enquiry      01992 464 552

How commercial conveyancing works

Making or accepting an offer

The first step is for an offer to be made by the buyer and accepted by the seller. At this stage the terms of the deal may be quite general, covering the sale price and the key items included in the sale (e.g. fixtures and fittings within the property).

The agreement will not be legally binding at this point, meaning either party remains free to pull out or renegotiate if they wish to do so. The seller will be free to accept a higher offer if another potential buyer is interested in the property.

Due diligence for commercial property sales & purchases

It is essential that the buyer ensures a proper due diligence process is carried out before signing any contract of sale on a commercial property they wish to buy.

The buyer’s solicitor will look at the property deeds and carry out various searches to see if there are any potential issues with the property or that could affect the buyer once the sale is final. They will also raise any potential issues with the seller’s solicitors, for example, clarifying exactly what is included with the sale.

At this stage, it is also normally sensible for the buyer to have a chartered surveyor carry out a survey of the property to ensure it is structural sound and that any remedial work that may be needed is identified. If any work is needed, the buyer made need to renegotiate the sale price to reflect this, which will normally be handled by their solicitor.

Negotiating and drafting contracts of sale

The buyer’s solicitor and the seller’s solicitor will negotiate the exact terms of the sale and the seller’s solicitor will then draft a contract of sale setting out these terms.

Contracts of sale for commercial property will typically cover:

  • The sale price
  • When the sale will be completed
  • The property boundaries
  • Exactly what is included in the sale (e.g. fixtures and fittings)
  • Any legal restrictions, rights of way etc. that affect the property
  • Any planning restrictions in place

Once the buyer’s solicitor receives the draft contract of sale, they should go through this line by line with the buyer to ensure they fully understand the terms of the deal. Any concerns the buyer or their solicitor have can then be raised with the seller’s solicitors and any amends needed to the contract can be agreed.

Exchanging contracts on a commercial property

Once both parties are happy with the contract of sale, two copies will be produced, one for the buyer and one for the seller. Their respective solicitors will go through the copies line by line to ensure they are identical. Their clients will then sign their copy and the solicitors will then exchange copies (usually by recorded post).

Once contracts have been exchanged, the sale will be legally binding. The buyer will normally pay a deposit at this point.

Completion

As part of the contract negotiations a ‘completion date’ will be agreed. This is the final stage in the process, where the buyer pays the outstanding balance and the seller hands over the keys to the property. Once this is done, the sale is complete and the buyer is now the owner of the property.

At this stage, the buyer’s solicitor will need to pay any Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) owed on the property. They will also need to update the property title to reflect the change in ownership.

Our commercial conveyancing fees

We offer fixed fees for buying and selling commercial property where appropriate. This covers both our fees and the costs we pay to third parties (known as ‘disbursements’).

In the unlikely event that any unexpected complexities or other issues arise during the course of your transaction, or there is a change to your instructions, we will agree any resultant change in fees with you in advance.

To request a commercial conveyancing quote, please get in touch.

Our other commercial property services

As well as helping with buying or selling commercial property, our Commercial Property team can assist with matters including:

You can also find out more about our general commercial property expertise.

 

What our clients say

  • "No improvement to service needed. Alison was the epitome of professional calm in going over options and maintaining patience, and indeed advised against a path that certainly would have achieved higher fees for her, but the correct call in retrospect. So I feel her advice was professional and unbiased. She was attentive in keeping me appraised of news, and maintained a polite and stress free approach which kept me calm and optimistic a final result in my favour would occur. Would recommend her, and the firm, to others." Anon
  • “Dealt with Alison primarily for Power of Attorney, very helpful and polite.” Anon
  • “I cannot think of any way that we could have had better service!!!” Anon
  • "Our solicitor has been extremely conscientious at all times, always available to advise and above all has always been very supportive and empathetic to my case. He really did make a stressful situation a lot easier for myself and my family" Mrs T
  • "We used this wonderful firm for a recent home sale and purchase, their service was outstanding. Everything was carried out with the utmost care and attention and all the staff including a senior Partner were so friendly and helpful. Absolutely top notch." Anon
  • "Over the past 8 years Teresa Braddon and her team have created my Will and have done numerous conveyancing transactions for myself and my family.  I have found Teresa and her Team most helpful and efficient. Everything was carried out with care and attention. All the staff including Teresa, a senior Partner, were friendly and helpful. I would recommend Braddon and Snow and their services." Tony Stavrou
  • "I would highly recommend Braddon & Snow to anybody, very professional and efficient service. They treat you like a person rather than just a number. I am mentally disabled and sometimes I do not get respect or understanding shown to me. Braddon & Snow couldn’t of been more kind and they always took the time to explain all the legal terminology to me so I understood. I would especially like to thank Emily Morten and Jane Blackett as they really went above and beyond what they had to. Value for money and excellent staff. Use this company."  Mr M Brooke
  • "Thank you all so very much for all your help and kindest attention over the years.   In every conceivable way you go out of your way, above and beyond any expectations. You are incredible, and all your team are unbelievably pleasant. I hope these few lines go a little way to thank you so very much."  Mr M Ledger
  • "May I say that Laya has been fantastic.  She has been an absolute delight to speak with, always giving clear and positive instructions and pacifying when necessary.  Please be assured we will definitely recommend your company and hopefully be in a position to use your services again and again." L Page
  • "We found dealing with Braddon & Snow very pleasant and relaxed.  We had a few problems dealing with the seller's leaseholder solicitors which needed a lot of patience and Teresa and Laya were very helpful at all times and very easy to communicate with." R & J Keith
  • It’s been an absolute delight and superb to work your Conveyance Team of Jane Blackett and Emily, providing first class services. Dedicated and smart resolutions to most difficult queries. Our sincerest and dearest appreciation for their magnificent services and friendly communication throughout
  • I appreciate the efficiency of your team (Louise, Sara, Elle, Melanie, Alex, Lauren etc) during this crisis. You were always easy to get and had a great phone forwarding system with access to the details on transactions. Everybody was very helpful, responsive and friendly. You can be proud of the company you work for. 
  • I cannot speak highly enough of the service given to me in the sale and purchase of my properties last week by Jane Blackett and Ken Sheppard at the Broxbourne office. They dealt with my matters promptly and with care and commitment. Nothing was too much trouble and they were always there to speak to me when needed. Everything was done with professionalism and courtesy. They ensured that everything was covered and I felt very confident in their dealings with all matters concerned. I recommend them without hesitation to give their clients a smooth and excellent service.
  • The best thing throughout this process was the professionalism shown by the Conveyancing Team at Braddon and Snow Solicitors, our case was handled by Melanie and her very able assistant Roksana.  Although we were frustrated and sometimes very ratty, they kept very calm and dealt with all of our enquiries and problems as they came along, most of all they kept us advised and up to date.  We in all honesty could not have asked for or been supported any better by these two Ladies. Towards the end, we were calling Roksana on a regular daily basis, and were delighted to hear her positive and cheerful friendly voice.  I would highly recommend these Ladies to anyone, unlike the Firm that they were dealing with, who would not even respond to their calls.